Reporting by Alex Goldstein, Fayetteville Observer
PEMBROKE — In its first Homecoming celebration since achieving federal recognition this past December after a 140-year fight, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina focused on food as a way of bringing tribe members together.
More than 100 community members gathered inside the Pembroke Boys and Girls Club amid blistering heat on July 2 for Lumbee Homecoming’s Storytelling through Food event. Award-winning chef Pyet DeSpain, who married into a Lumbee family, led a cooking demonstration and celebration of Lumbee culinary identity. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein introduced DeSpain and stuck around to try traditional Lumbee fare.
“Food has a remarkable way of bringing people together,” Stein said in his opening remarks. “It does not care about politics, titles or even where you came from. When people sit at the same table, barriers begin to disappear.”
In her demonstration, DeSpain said she wanted to bring forward the significance of bison in Native American culture and how, in addition to being a central part of cuisine, bison play a central role in many tribes’ traditions and daily life. She cooked up bison meatballs coated with wojapi, a traditional Native American barbecue sauce. Attendees could sample the meatballs, a wild rice dish with poblano peppers and mushrooms or a sweet corn cake with coconut dulce de leche and a seed and nut crumble for dessert.
In 2022, DeSpain was the first-ever winner of FOX’s Next-Level Chef, a culinary competition hosted by Gordon Ramsay that spotlights emerging talent. Her cookbook “Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking” was published by HarperCollins in November.
DeSpain grew up surrounded by her Mexican heritage and is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe on the Osage Indian Reservation in Kansas. She wanted this year’s Lumbee Homecoming to emphasize how food can act as a conduit for keeping Lumbee culture alive. She drew on her past experiences cooking traditional cuisine at restaurants in London to highlight how the meaning of Lumbee food extends past what mass audiences and commercial restaurants perceive it to be.
“They may try to dictate who you are as a chef, but they cannot dictate how you show up for yourself and your community,” DeSpain said during the demonstration.
Growth of Lumbee culture
Local leaders said that over the years, especially this year, having achieved federal recognition, opportunities for Lumbee tribe members to connect with one another have become more fruitful.
James Chavis, president of the Pembroke Tourism Authority, said that achieving federal recognition offered an opportunity for this year’s Lumbee Homecoming to showcase Native Americans who have made remarkable achievements in life. Bringing in DeSpain offered attendees that and the chance to, through food, take “a part of southeastern North Carolina home.”
Since its inception over 50 years ago, Lumbee Homecoming has grown into one of the largest Native American gatherings in the southeast. As it continues to evolve, tribe members said that continuing to share aspects of Lumbee culture — including its food — and providing a welcoming atmosphere are essential to keeping it going.
Nancy Chavis, who is not related to James Chavis, is the director and curator for the Museum of the Southeast American Indian. She said the tradition of sharing food with one another is reflected in Lumbee cultural traditions.
“Our culture is really defined (by its) food,” she said. “That’s a great way to both share and to keep our identity going.”
Traditional southern fare, Nancy Chavis added, reflects the influence of Lumbee and other Native American food traditions, including fried cornbread, chicken and pastry, and collard greens. “Not only is (food) important to us as a people, but it’s also important to the South,” she said.
Storytelling through Food was just one of a variety of cultural events during the week-long Lumbee Homecoming festivities, which included the Lumbee Homecoming Parade and Lumbee Film Festival.
“We welcome everyone to come and celebrate and share with us,” Nancy Chavis said. “There are thriving Native peoples in North Carolina.”
Alex Goldstein is the dining, retail and culture reporter at the Fayetteville Observer. He can be reached at agoldstein@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer.
