MISSOULA — All Nations Health Center hosted the annual “Connect to Culture” event on Saturday, celebrating Indigenous culture and promoting health and wellness at Missoula’s Zootown Arts Community Center.
“Connect to Culture creates access to culture, traditional foods and incentives to help promote physical activity to enhance overall wellness for the indigenous population navigating life in Missoula,” said Valene TalksDifferent, a health promotion specialist with All Nations Health Center.
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This year, they brought Indigenous speakers and artists from all across Montana, including Supaman, as Indigenous rapper and dancer.
“He's going to perform and kind of motivate the people in the crowd to be physically active in a cultural way,” TalksDifferent said.
The event also featured presentations on nutrition, dancing and singing lessons and an art class on dentalium fashioning. Fashion designers Angela Howe and Yolanda OldDwarf, behind the labels Choke Cherry Creek and Sweet Sage Woman, put on a kids' fashion workshop and show.
“I have about 20 youth who are going to be modeling for the fashion show today,” said Howe. “I love to see the kids, especially the kids, walk out there and just light up and have fun while they're doing it.”
Howe said she hopes the fashion show and event inspire the kids and help them connect.
“They’re going to hear from a lot of entrepreneurs,” she said. “We'll be able to talk to them about that, so it might be something that they're going to think about and just to learn about entrepreneurship, business and just have fun.”
But, the event’s mission goes well beyond just one day. About 100 people, both Indigenous and not, attended the event, learning about all types of wellness. It was put on with funding help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Tribal Practices for Wellness in Indian Country program.
“Indigenous people have disproportionately higher rates of disparities across the board, which make it difficult to prioritize health overall and take care of ourselves,” TalksDifferent said.
TalksDifferent, with All Nations Health Center, told MTN she hopes this educates, inspires and empowers.
“I want them to take that power they gain from this program and the incentives that they get from this program with them to help navigate life in an easier way, because I know a lot of us are away from our hometown reservations and are just away from our families,” she said.
TalksDifferent also hopes “Connect to Culture” gave people a chance to get outside and get active. The event had prizes to help with that, offering gear that usually comes with a big price tag, like bikes, fishing gear and smart watches.
“It brings community together and helps empower one another, especially our youth,” she said. “Doing programs like this makes my heart happy because seeing everyone come together as a community, it's very powerful and it shows our resilience.”
