California Indian Museum & Cultural Center (Cimcc)

ACORN ENERGY BITES - Traditional Nutrition for Modern Health


We are the TRIBAL YOUTH AMBASSADORS of the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center in Santa Rosa, California. We are Pomo and Miwok youth who advocate for our tribal communities and cultures through our many educational projects and public presentations on California Indian history, cultures and contemporary life. You may have experienced our theater presentation with Journeys to the Past at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, attended our workshop at the 2016 Bioneers Conference, or used one of the Native language learning mobile applications we created with our elders. Recently Tribal Youth Ambassadors was acknowledged as exemplary youth program! We traveled to Washington, DC and received a 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from First Lady Michelle Obama.



Our tribal cultures and communities give us HOPE, RESILIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, POWER and so much more. We are excited to share them with you and ask for your support for our newest venture, ACORN ENERGY BITES.

ACORN stands for Advancing Cultural Opportunities to Reclaim Nutrition.

The TRIBAL YOUTH AMBASSADORS are reclaiming the original diets of their communities by working to make it possible for California Indians and everyone to be able to eat acorns daily. A lot has happened since we launched our campaign in 2017. We changed the format of our product from “bars” to “bites” after finding the round shape of the bites hold up better in warmer temperatures. Also, the bites are now incorporate diverse ingredients to appeal to different tastes.  Our goal is to sell the energy bites commercially. Toward this end, we have obtained commercial insurance and are entering into a commissary agreement with a local commercial kitchen to begin production. Look for the bites at Farmers Markets in Cloverdale, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati and other areas in Sonoma County and Northern California in late 2018 to early 2019. You can purchase them at CIMCC, too, as you peruse the other cool California Indian goods in our Native Arts Gift Shop!

Acorn Energy Bites

ACORN ENERGY BITES are made with acorn meal and other organic, gluten-free ingredients representing the bounty of California. For about the same price as another energy bar, everyone now has the ability to choose one made with acorns!!

Your contributions to our campaign help us capitalize production of the energy bars (licensing, equipment, ingredients, packaging, stipends for youth labor, marketing) and cover our travel costs to Farmers Markets in our region from our base of operations at CIMCC.

Along with our numerous GoFundMe supporters, we are profoundly thankful for the generous contributions of the following foundations in support of our social enterprise 2018:

AETNA FOUNDATION, CULTIVATING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES PROGRAM
· ACORN was one of 23 projects and programs nationwide to receive a 2018 CHC grant ! The program focuses on projects which directly support resident-driven projects focused on making measurable improvements in the health outcomes of communities.

 SONOMA COUNTY VINTNERS FOUNDATION
·  In a year when our local acorn landscapes have been recovering from devastating wildfires, the Foundation provided us with funding to conduct Native youth workforce development around this critical resource for all of our communities.

 THE CHRISTENSEN FUND
·  With multi-year support from the Fund, we are able to continue documenting and sharing knowledge of the acorn ways in our communities and beyond to encourage maintenance of bio-diverse acorn landscapes and oak trees.

 THE POLLINATION PROJECT
·  ACORN was invited to be a grantee of the Project’s California Youth Rising Program .


DECOLONIZING DIETS
Healthy eating is a critical issue in our communities. You may not know that 1 in 9 Native people in California have diabetes, mainly Type II. The existence of diabetes in our communities is associated with dietary/nutritional choices and physical inactivity. Healthy eating and exercise can help prevent diabetes and control it. Incorporating traditional foods in our diets is extremely important but not always possible for us in contemporary life. This is where ACORN comes in by contributing and facilitating consumption of a nutritive meal made with traditional foods.

Prior to the arrival of non-Natives in California, our diets were derived completely from local natural resources. Tending, gathering and consuming these resources kept us fit, kept us in balance and kept us connected to the many relations that give us life. Acorns were the mainstay of many California tribal diets and eaten every day. Today, many issues prevent us from incorporating acorns in our diets on a regular basis.
Acorn Mush - Photo by Robert Dorame and Jan Nichols

Did you know that acorns may help prevent Type II diabetes and benefit people that already have it?  "Acorns contain fiber, fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Acorn meal, produced by reducing the "meat" or endosperm of the acorn, digests slowly, a critically important food quality for people at risk for Type II diabetes. Along with mesquite meal, acorn meal has a low and slow glycemic response compared to white bread, potatoes, and processed cereals. Acorn meal from commonly utilized California species contains between 5.5-18.0 percent fats, about 60 percent carbohydrates, and 4-6 percent protein, very favorable quantities for plant foods" (reported in Bean and Saubel1972:126).

ACORN is about more than energy bites Our long-term goals:

· Secure and advance California Indians’ reciprocal relationship with acorns into the future by increasing their consumption of acorns;  

· Advance local tribal traditions associated with acorn care-taking, gathering and processing; and,

· Advance tribal stewardship of acorn food system landscapes.

For more information about the importance of traditional foods, view our new FOOD SOVEREIGNTY VIDEO .

Yawi' - We thank you for your support!

 To find out more see CIMCC or visit the Museum at 5250 Aero Drive, Santa Rosa, California, (707) [phone redacted], M – F 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Facebook | CIMandCC Twitter | CalIndianMuseum

#ACORN