October 8, 2019 — The 7th annual frybread cookoff at Alex Thomas Plaza in Ukiah was a combination of food, fun, cultural appreciation, and serious business. Vendors from tribes across the county offered traditional artwork, visitors flocked to the frybread booths, and the Round Valley Feather Dancers finished up the evening with traditional song and dance.
The atmosphere was mostly celebratory, including a ceremony to honor long-time American Indian Movement activist Fred Short and young dancer and educator Rose Hammock. But some of the dancers wore red, to highlight the work of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and staffers at two informational booths urged people to participate in the 2020 census, for financial and political representation.
We’ll hear from a frybread judge, one of the organizers of the event, and two women seeking to help community members through traditional practices.