Ranco speaks to Food Tank about impacts of ICWA on food sovereignty
Food Tank interviewed Darren Ranco, associate professor of anthropology and chair of Native American Programs at the University of Maine, about the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) on the wellbeing of Native children and communities, tribal sovereignty and Indigenous food sovereignty. Ranco told FoodTank that he believes that the knowledge sharing that takes place when living with one’s community is critical. “[Penobscot] elders are the caretakers of our knowledge and our connection to the past. There have been lots of disconnections that, in terms of just even learning from elders, have happened because of colonization and modern educational systems,” Ranco said.