Ho-Chunk Chef Elena Terry Champions Traditional Food Sovereignty at Milwaukee Health Fair

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Award-winning Ho-Chunk Chef Elena Terry is highlighting the transformative impact of traditional food sovereignty, sharing how a return to ancestral diets can combat chronic health disparities. Speaking at the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center’s annual Community Health Fair on 6 August 2026, Terry demonstrated how simple shifts toward Indigenous ingredients can lead to significant health improvements. Addressing a group of roughly 20 community members, Terry recounted her personal journey of moving away from pre-diabetes and borderline high blood pressure by incorporating Indigenous staples like wild rice and bison into her family's meals. She described the food sovereignty movement as an "incredibly exciting time" for reclaiming accessibility to healthy, traditional foods that were disrupted by historical displacement and the introduction of processed government rations. During her presentation, Terry showcased a bowl of traditional Ho-Chunk heirloom corn, sharing the history of Ho-Chunk women who protected these seeds during forced relocations following the 1830 Indian Removal Act. These women famously sewed seeds into their clothing, moccasins, and hair to ensure their survival across a thousand-mile journey. Terry noted that returning to these ancestral foods is not only vital for physical health but is "just good for your spirit." Lisa Albright, a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and health outreach coordinator, noted that the health center invited Terry to help urban Indigenous populations see food as medicine. In the 53204 zip code, where access to fresh produce is often limited by a prevalence of fast food, the center provides garden-fresh alternatives. The demonstration aimed to show that healthy, Indigenous-led nutrition is an achievable daily practice rather than a rare luxury, helping to address the high rates of Type II diabetes affecting American Indian communities.