Tour de Rez Recap
The 2nd annual Tour de Rez was another beautiful reminder of the strength and creativity within our community here on Rosebud. The Tour de Rez is a free, community-focused tour of local farms and gardens. Community members have the chance to meet other farmers and gardeners who are bringing fresh food to the table directly from the lands of the Sicangu Lakota people. We want to thank everyone who was a part of and came out for the tour, including all the producers who welcomed us into their spaces: Auriah, Corrinne, Krista, Margaret, and Carm and Foster. A special thank you also goes to the Todd County High School Botany class with their teacher, Mara Johnson, for bringing such great energy, and to Randee’s Kitchen for providing a delicious meal that fueled the day long journey. Our five stops this year included A&G's Little Farm, Ol' Miss Sully's Farm, Krista's, Fire Fly Farms, and Carm & Foster's Homestead, each offering something unique and inspiring.
Hosting an event like Tour de Rez is important for our Sicangu Lakota people because it builds on our traditions of sharing knowledge, food, and community. For generations, we have been people who lived close to the land, caring for it while it provided for us. By gathering together around food and gardens, we strengthen our food sovereignty efforts and continue teaching younger generations how vital this relationship is to our identity and wellbeing. Seeing so many youth attend this year was powerful, they carry this knowledge forward and help keep these traditions alive.
Another special part of the tour is witnessing the different ways community members choose to garden and grow food. From homesteads to smaller family farms, each setup reflects creativity, resourcefulness, and care for the land. It’s always exciting to see how people learn from one another, trade produce, and share tips that strengthen everyone’s efforts. This culture of exchange encourages healthier eating and inspires new meal recipes, reminding us that food can be both nourishing and a way to connect with one another.
Social media has also played a big role in making events like Tour de Rez even more meaningful. Community members share their progress throughout the growing season, post photos of their harvests, and celebrate their successes online. This keeps us all connected and inspired, even outside of the tour itself. The excitement for growing season spreads across our communities, reminding us that we are not just individual gardeners, but part of a much larger movement for food sovereignty and health within our Sicangu Lakota community.
While the date for next year’s Tour de Rez is yet to be determined, due to community feedback, we anticipate it will make a strong comeback!
Amplifying Indigenous Voices in Food
and Media
At the 2025 Indigenous Media Conference under the theme “Sovereignty Equals Free Press,” Sicangu Co participated on day 1 in a compelling panel dedicated to reshaping narratives around food reporting. This session acknowledged that mainstream food journalism often remains confined to industry-specific or lifestyle angles, which fall far short of challenging the dominant industrial agriculture system. Instead, the panel emphasized why centering Indigenous foodways, practices, and sovereignty is essential not only as an alternative, but as a living, thriving narrative rooted in resilience, cultural knowledge, and sovereignty
During that panel, Sicangu Co shared a short clip of the video, "SICANGU OYATE | Reclaiming Identity," part of the Liberation Agriculture film series produced by Regenerosity and A Growing Culture. The video beautifully ties together Lakota worldview and history reminding viewers that, in Lakota creation stories, buffalo and people are one and the same. The U.S. government's decimation of the buffalo was an intentional act aimed at disrupting the sacred bond between the Lakota and their lifeways. Healing, as the video explains, lies in remembering that restoring the buffalo and revitalizing our homelands to reclaim Wicozani, "the good way of life," encompassing holistic health, economic self-sufficiency, cultural revitalization, sustainable housing, food sovereignty, climate resilience, and shared prosperity.
The themes discussed at the Indigenous Media Conference closely mirror the spirit of our own Tour de Rez here on Rosebud. Just as the panel highlighted how Indigenous foodways provide living alternatives to industrial agriculture, Tour de Rez showcased how our community is already putting these values into practice. From homesteads to family farms, each stop on the tour reflected unique ways of caring for the land, feeding our families, and sharing knowledge which demonstrates that food sovereignty is not just an idea but a lived commitment.
Both the film Sicangu Oyate | Reclaiming Identity and the Tour de Rez remind us that food is central to who we are as Sicangu Lakota people. Our ancestors lived in balance with the buffalo and the land, and today our community continues that legacy by teaching one another, trading produce, and inspiring healthier ways of eating. Whether it’s on a national stage or right here at home, these efforts are all connected because each garden, each farm tour, and each buffalo on the prairie brings us one step closer to reclaiming Wicozani, “the good way of life.”
You can watch the video below:
