We had the opportunity to sit down with Audrey Logan and listen to some of her stories. Audrey is a Cree/Metis woman from Northern Alberta, a traditional foods teacher, and the founder of Dehydration Nations. Dehydration Nations is a grassroots and indigenous-led organization that promotes food dehydration knowledge and indigenous food sovereignty.
“Our aim is to help make a dehydration station in every nation!”
Audrey Logan, Dehydration Nations
Dehydration Nations has released a Zine titled “Out to Dry – An Urban Bushwoman’s Guide to the Traditional Art and Science of Food Dehydration“. This fantastic resource contains an all-encompassing guide on how to implement this low-energy, low-cost food preservation method in your own life!
You can also learn more about Dehydration Nations on their website and their facebook group.
“Well with food, food is in our history… in reality native food is pretty well everything people eat everyday. Potatoes, tomatoes, melons, all types of foods.”
“By watching a squirrel, throughout the different parts of a season, it itself would share and be a teaching tool.”
“I know my Auntie probably has upteen things buried in the ground around Fort McMurray. I was with her one time, and she stops and she starts moving the leaves and I’m watching her, and holy smokes – she grabs a handle and it’s in the ground and she pulls it up! Well she buried a freezer in there!”
“…and he [the wapos] also was able to share that these were good berries. Because afterwards, he’d be running around all happy, and she [the young girl] remembered that.”
“I asked her [my Auntie], “So well when can I share these stories?”
And she said, “Oh, the time will come… I’ll tell you four things: when the children ask for their food; when the women stand up; when the man steps down from his throne; and when my homeland burns.”.”
After some technical troubles midway through, we were able to conclude with this last clip:
