healthy lifestyles

Winnebago's Whirling Thunder Wellness Program

Year

To prevent and control the devastating effects of diabetes and substance abuse, in 1995, the Winnebago Tribe created the Whirling Thunder Wellness Program, which raises community awareness about diabetes and substance abuse, administers primary and secondary prevention services, and encourages healthy lifestyles that are consistent with traditional practices. Among the Program’s innovations are the "Team Up" diabetes patient retreat, "Kidz Café" which provides healthy summertime meals and snacks to community children, and after school programs that provide safe, adult-supervised cultural and physical activities for up to 50 children during peak "risk" hours.

Resource Type
Citation

"Whirling Thunder Wellness Program." Honoring Nations: 2002 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2003. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Diné Food Sovereignty: A Report on the Navajo Nation Food System and the Case to Rebuild a Self Sufficient Food System for the Diné People

Year

In the most basic analysis, food is an essential component of human life. Food nourishes and sustains us; without adequate access to food, human beings cannot survive. As a basic necessity for life, food is interconnected with every sector of life and wellbeing including health (physical, mental, spiritual), economy, family and community, and the environment. For these reasons, the right to food is a fundamental human right, and is recognized by the United Nations in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966.

Many of the issues faced today on the Navajo Nation can be directly tied to the food system. Therefore, understanding the Navajo Nation food system is crucial to improving the wellbeing of the Navajo Nation. An examination of the Navajo Nation food system reveals that our current food system not only does not serve the needs of the Navajo Nation, but also negatively impacts the wellbeing of the Diné people...

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Diné Policy Institute. Diné Food Sovereignty: A Report on the Navajo Nation Food System and the Case to Rebuild a Self Sufficient Food System for the Diné People. Diné Policy Institute. Diné College. Tsaile, Arizona. April 2014. Paper. (https://www.dinecollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/dpi-food-sovereignty-report.pdf, accessed April 4, 2023)