This event highlights native foodways in Indiana via a roundtable session with speakers who will share their experiences surrounding pawpaws and persimmons.

Through this event, we spotlight two native species of fruit that grow in Indiana. Pawpaws produce the largest edible fruit of any North American tree and were and are dispersed and cultivated by indigenous peoples, but forced migration and cultural suppression should be noted regarding the ways in which they are farmed and used in modern times. Even the ways in which they are named or discussed, with names like “Hoosier Banana” reflect a history of colonialism as we relate to these fruits today. We strive to feature the oral traditions and foodways of today’s appreciators of pawpaws and persimmons.

Our speakers include:

Dani Tippmann, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

Kevin Carter, Conner Prairie Foodways Manager

Rowland Ricketts, Professor, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

Jayne-Leigh Thomas, Director of the Office of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act at Indiana University