# How to Eat with Awareness and Purpose (w/ Sean Sherman) | How to Be a Better Human | TED

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0IpMqUZKbs
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/p0IpMqUZKbs
Generated: 2025-11-24T17:45:30.595+00:00

---
## Quick Overview

Chef Sean Sherman and ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk discuss the importance of decolonizing food systems by centering Indigenous ingredients, history, and culture, exemplified by preparing a dish featuring bison marinated with native spices like sumac and maple sugar, alongside foraged ingredients like wild oregano and chokecherries.

**Key Points:**
- Chef Sean Sherman opened the restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis in 2021 with the philosophy of showcasing Indigenous food systems of North America by removing colonial ingredients (dairy, wheat flour, cane sugar, pork/beef).
- Ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk highlights that plants like Yarrow (*Achillea millefolium*, Ojibwe name: *Ajiidamooaazow*) are resilient, medicinally important (used by Achilles to treat wounds), and grow ubiquitously, even in urban areas.
- Sherman prepares a dish featuring bison marinated with indigenous flavors like sumac and maple sugar, served over hand-harvested wild rice from Minnesota, to demonstrate the richness of native cuisine.
- The concept of 'decolonizing' food involves consciously supporting Indigenous producers and relearning the history and culture tied to local food sources, contrasting with the historical erasure of Indigenous practices.
- Black Elk emphasizes that traditional Indigenous diets were often nutrient-dense and sustainable, contrasting with modern industrialized diets, and notes that foraging was historically often banned for Native peoples.
- The conversation moves from foraging to cooking, where Sherman seasons the bison and incorporates native greens like Burgaemont (*wahpé yathápi*) and Hyssop (*wahpé bdaská*), alongside chokecherries (*wipazukha*) and fireweed flowers (*ša phéstona*).

![Screenshot at 00:30: Chef Sean Sherman is shown in his kitchen at Owamni, preparing ingredients that represent the revitalization of Indigenous food systems, contrasting sharply with the typical grocery store fare the host initially mentioned.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/p0IpMqUZKbs/00-00-30.png)

**Context:** This video features an interview and cooking demonstration with Sean Sherman, an Oglala Lakota chef who founded the restaurant Owamni in Minneapolis, and Linda Black Elk, an ethnobotanist. The discussion centers on the movement to decolonize food by reclaiming, preserving, and celebrating Indigenous foodways, which involves consciously removing ingredients introduced through colonization and focusing on native plants, cultural history, and sustainable harvesting practices.

## Detailed Analysis

The video explores the concept of decolonizing food systems through the work of Chef Sean Sherman and ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk. Sherman established Owamni in Minneapolis in 2021, built on the philosophy of showcasing Indigenous foodways by deliberately excluding ingredients introduced by European settlers, such as dairy, wheat flour, cane sugar, and conventionally raised beef/pork. The host, Chris Duffy, speaks with Sherman about how this intentional focus on native ingredients tells a deeper story about culture and history. Linda Black Elk joins the discussion, highlighting the resilience and medicinal value of native plants like Yarrow (*Ajiidamooaazow*), which Achilles reportedly used for wounds, noting that these plants are present even in urban environments like the park next to the restaurant. Sherman demonstrates preparing a dish using bison sourced from a local Lakota tribe in South Dakota, marinated with native spices like sumac and maple sugar, served over wild rice harvested in Minnesota. He also incorporates foraged greens like Burgaemont (*wahpé yathápi*) and Hyssop (*wahpé bdaská*), chokecherries (*wipazukha*), and fireweed flowers (*ša phéstona*). Sherman emphasizes that this approach is not accidental but a conscious effort to create culturally relevant, healthy food and reclaim knowledge that was historically suppressed through assimilation policies like boarding schools, where Native children were forbidden from practicing their traditions or harvesting their own food.

### Introduction and Owamni's Philosophy

- The host introduces the context of moving beyond the grocery store to understand food origins
- Sherman explains Owamni's philosophy is to showcase Indigenous foods of North America by removing colonial ingredients (dairy, wheat, cane sugar, pork/beef)
- The restaurant has gained significant acclaim.

### Foraging and Plant Knowledge

- Linda Black Elk defines an ethnobotanist as someone who teaches the relationship between people and plants
- Black Elk identifies Yarrow (*Ajiidamooaazow*), noting its historical use for wound treatment, and points out its resilience in urban settings like the park near the restaurant.

### Cooking Demonstration

- Sherman prepares bison marinated with sumac and maple sugar, served over wild rice sourced from Minnesota
- He adds greens like Burgaemont (*wahpé yathápi*) and Hyssop (*wahpé bdaská*), and fireweed flowers (*ša phéstona*) to the dish.

### Cultural and Historical Context

- Sherman connects the food to his personal history growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where access to traditional foods was limited due to historical erasure and assimilation policies
- He stresses the importance of controlling the food system for the future of Native communities.

![Screenshot at 00:05: The host mentions being surprised about the existence of a giant lemon tree outside his home, setting up the discussion about where food truly comes from.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/p0IpMqUZKbs/00-00-05.png)
![Screenshot at 00:31: Chef Sean Sherman, an Oglala Lakota chef, is introduced as the owner of Owamni, a restaurant focused on Indigenous cuisine.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/p0IpMqUZKbs/00-00-31.png)
![Screenshot at 02:59: Linda Black Elk identifies Yarrow \(\*Hanté Ša\* in Lakota\) growing in an urban park, explaining its medicinal uses, referencing Achilles.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/p0IpMqUZKbs/00-02-59.png)
![Screenshot at 07:31: Sherman plates the bison steak, seasoned with sumac and maple sugar, served over wild rice, illustrating the decolonized menu.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/p0IpMqUZKbs/00-07-31.png)
![Screenshot at 12:43: The host tastes the foraged Yarrow, expressing surprise at its complex flavor profile, noting a bitterness at the end.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/p0IpMqUZKbs/00-12-43.png)