Vol. 15, No. 3, Spring 2002

Editor's Notes

Jacquelyn Ross

Food, good nutrition, and physical activity have been central to our life balance in Native America for as long as we can collectively remember. Diabetes is a most unwelcome intruder, an indication of severe disruption in our patterns of diet and culture. I confess an initial reticence to concentrate on these topics, diabetes in particular, in Vitamin A(yyy), since there are excellent health programs and professional organizations with a focus devoted to such areas. Wouldn’t it be presumptuous for us to step into their territory?

Certain things started to happen, however. We had a specific request from a reader who wanted to know more about diabetes. Then Lori Sisquoc told us of a colleague who was sifting through 55,000 pieces of primary source material to do research on student health in the early days of Sherman Indian High School. And News was temporarily blessed with an intern who was also a medical student. She was a guest at a most memorable meal in Sonoma County, which then led to new insights and friendships. Also, word came of a massive effort in the western states to help Indian health clinics improve care for their diabetic patients. Finally, the generosity exhibited at a recent seed exchange reminded me of how a local food project grew into a major community resource for Native people, the astounding Native Seeds/SEARCH.

It was this unexpected confluence—a request for information, a doctoral thesis, a dinner, health clinic infrastruc-turing, and a handful of black tepary beans—that resulted in these pieces that indicate, once again, the virtue of the old ways in our modern age. We hope that you enjoy and find valuable the fruits of this effort