ABSTRACT
In this article, I examine the gendered politics of the Yakama Reservation food economy. Drawing from ethnographic data, I discuss the importance of culture and health as human rights. My analysis reveals that indigenous people’s health and well-being deteriorates as traditional cultural practices are undermined within a globalized and neo-colonial context; however, I also find that indigenous women are resisting the social, political and economic forces that limit Yakama people’s rights to culture and health. Traditional cultural teachings place women in a position of power, as they control an important source of wealth: the food supply of the people. Today, women are reclaiming this position of power as they resist widely available convenience and fast foods to nurture their families and provide for a healthier next generation on the reservation. In doing so, our people are able to resist the hegemony of the capitalist food system, which supplies most of the food on the reservation and allows us to begin envisioning a Yakama feminist approach to human rights work.
