On August 3, 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared November as Native American Heritage Month. With Thanksgiving around the corner, November is full of educational, constructive conversations, and an understanding of Indigenous culture. It is known how misrepresented Thanksgiving is — a “peaceful dinner” — and how explicit the true story of the relationship between pilgrims and Native Americans truly is. To celebrate Indigenous cultures this month and all year round, here are Indigenous and Native American food creators and chefs to follow on TikTok who bring awareness to native culture and indigenous ingredients.
Stephanie Pyetwetmokwe DeSpain
Chef Pyet DeSpain is the first winner of Gordon Ramsay's Next Level Chef, where she highlighted native culture and indigenous ingredients in her dishes. She is dedicated to Indigenous Fusion Cuisine, where she combines the food of her heritage — Native American and Mexican. Pyet’s “passion is to uplift indigenous culture and traditions via storytelling, traveling, and cooking,” as she writes on her website, which is notable with the countless recipes she showcases on her social media.
Cezin Wawatay
“I love maple syrup and moose hides” is the first thing you see on Chef Cezin’s profile, and she’s not lying about it! Aside from her two loves, she is the owner of Wawatay Catering in honor of her ancestors, “as it is believed that the northern lights are the colors of the spirits of our ancestors who continue to guide us from the spirit world,” as said in her bio. The chef will take you on a journey, using her surroundings as not only her source of inspiration but her ingredients.
Shina Nova
The best way to explain Shina Nova’s social media presence is a journey. The Nunavik-born, Montreal-based content creator took us along her journey to learn even more about her Indigenous heritage, featuring her own mother’s knowledge about their shared Inuit culture. This journey allowed her to connect more to her identity. And along the way, shared cultural foods like eating raw beluga whale and dried caribou meat “nikkuq.”
Alana Yazzie
Alana Yazzie considers herself to be the “fancy Navajo,” and it’s a title she lives up to in every post. One of her latest recipes is Táá’/Three Sisters Stew — a squash/zucchini, pinto beans, and white corn stew that is paired with blue cornbread. Yazzie focuses on supporting Native American-owned businesses and always incorporates her Native American heritage into her everyday life.
Raukura Huata
Raukura Huata’s videos are super informative. Her food, wine, and restaurant knowledge is outstanding, and it’s so comforting to watch her videos. When cooking or even eating food, you can see Huata’s eyes light up. Her enjoyment of the whole process is what makes the video, just like in this “tunacado” recipe.
Kora Bruno
Kora Bruno’s social media presence centers around her lifestyle and food. According to her website, she is currently a private nutritional chef preparing healthy and nutritious meals for celebrities including Michael B Jordan, Colton Underwood (The Bachelor), Lamorne Morris, and other professional athletes. In almost all of her recipes, Kora highlights her Plains Cree values and traditions to help promote healthy cooking and lifestyle choices.
Mariah Gladstone
Mariah Gladstone grew up in Northwest Montana, and after graduating from Columbia University, she developed Indigikitchen. Indigikitchen, is an online cooking show dedicated to “re-indigenizing our diets using digital media” according to its website. One of its main focuses is to strengthen ties to Indigenous cultures and identities. The recipes are creative like this Chokecherry Buffalo Sloppy Joes — a meal that celebrates the flavors of the prairie.
Siobhan Detkavich
Siobhan Detkavich made history as the youngest chef and the first Indigenous woman to compete on the TV series Top Chef Canada in 2021. Since then, she has made her debut hosting her own television series, Dine Your Sign on CTV — a platform she utilizes to honor her Indigenous heritage and Hawaiian roots.