In this episode of Food Revolution, host Matte Wilson chats with Vi Waln, a He Dog community member and the founder of the Lakota Wellness Society. Matte & Vi talk about pressing issues facing the Oyate, the idea of food as medicine, an Oceti Sakowin community fire cider project, and her work to provide wild medicinal and edible plants to relatives on the Rosebud. 

Full transcript available here.

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 Intro 00:00:00 Han Mitakuyapi, and welcome to Food Revolution, brought to you by the Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative. Every other week, we'll be bringing you stories of food sovereignty from community members and tribal food producers working to build a more just, equitable, and regenerative food system for our Sicangu Lakota Oyate, the Burnt Thigh Nation. Together, we're building tribal sovereignty through food, and we've set a place at the table just for you. Join us and be part of the Food Revolution.   

In today's episode of food revolution, Matt chats with Vi Waln, a He Dog community member and the founder of the Lakota Wellness Society about pressing issues facing the Oyate, the idea of food as medicine, and her work to provide wild medicinal and edible plants to relatives on the Rosebud. 

Matte Right Vi, can you introduce yourself to us? Tell us a little bit about your background  

Vi 00:00:49 Mitakuyapi, cante waste nape ciyuzapi. Cante hunkeshniwe Emaciyap. My name is Viola Waln, everyone calls me Vi. I've lived on the reservation for most of my life. I live in the He Dog community, and I've spent a lot of years as a journalist, but now I've shifted my life purpose and we founded a nonprofit called Lakota Wellness Society, and we want to get more involved in food sovereignty and grow a hemp crop in the He Dog community. So that's basically what I'm doing now, Matte.  

Matte 00:01:37 Awesome. Thank you. What inspired you to start Lakota Wellness Society?   

Vi 00:01:42 Well, I have a big interest in traditional medicinal plants that grow he