Northern Michigan University’s Olson Library will host  "Minopagwad (It tastes good): Decolonizing Diet Project Cookbook Signing and Reception" on Tuesday, March 8. The event is being held in conjunction with the national touring exhibition, Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness. It begins with a panel presentation from 4-5 p.m., followed by a cookbook signing reception featuring Great Lakes indigenous foods from 5-6 p.m. There is no admission charge.

The cookbook stems from the Decolonizing Diet Project led by NMU professor Martin Reinhardt in 2012-13. Volunteer subjects committed one year to a diet consisting of foods indigenous to the Great Lakes region, in an effort to closely replicate how Native Americans would have eaten prior to colonization. Participants learned about accessing indigenous food items through the local economy, foraging, hunting, fishing and gardening. They also developed a collection of related recipes. The panel discussion will feature Reinhardt, Leora Lancaster and April Lindala, all from NMU’s Center for Native American Studies.

Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the Native Voices exhibition explores the connection between wellness, illness and cultural life through a combination of interviews, artwork, objects and interactive media. Olson Library is one of 104 sites nationwide—and the first in the region—selected to host the exhibition in partnership with the American Library Association. For details, visit www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices.

In addition to Olson Library, NMU sponsors of the exhibition include the Center for Native American Studies, the School of Nursing and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

RSVPs for the signing reception are requested at ahubinge@nmu.edu.