First Foods Festival
The First Foods Festival is an annual event, hosted by Whitman College Native American Outreach, to celebrate the cultural heritage and history of the tribes of the Walla Walla Valley.
2025 First Foods Festival
Saturday, November 8
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
The 2025 First Foods Festival will feature interactive and informational tables with Kooskooskie Commons, Mary Harris, Althea Huesties-Wolf, Blue Mountain Land Trust, CTUIR Water Resources Program, and CTUIR First Foods Protection Program. This event will also feature the recently released film “These Sacred Hills” followed by a panel discussion with members involved with making this film including Elaine Harvey, Jeremy Takala, and Bronsco Jim, Jr. This event will end with amazing First Foods hors d'oeuvres by Chef Nimal Amarasinghe and team courtesy of Bon Appétit at Whitman.
Read coverage of the inaugural First Foods Festival, held in November 2024.
Pre-Festival Events
Friday, November 7
First Foods Friday
Cleveland Commons
11 a.m. Education talk
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (lunch service) and 5–7 p.m. (dinner service)
NWPB and Whitman College Present: The American Revolution
Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom
6 p.m. Screening of the new Ken Burns documentary, “The American Revolution,” followed by presentations and reflections from local voices, including J.D. Tovey (CTUIR Executive Director) and Joel Satterwhite (Whitman College Šináata Scholar). Fill out the RSVP form to guarantee your seat.
The Five First Foods
There are five types of food traditionally called "First Foods" by the Walúulapam (Walla Walla), Weyíiletpuu (Cayuse) and Imatalamłáma (Umatilla) people. These are water, wild game, berries, roots and fish. Historically, the tribes traveled on a yearly food-gathering cycle visiting hunting camps, fishing spots, gathering areas and trading camps throughout northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington, although their travels stretched eastward into Montana, north into Canada, west to the Pacific Coast and as far south as Nevada.
In addition to celebrating the First Foods at the annual festival, Bon Appétit hosts a First Foods station monthly in Cleveland Commons.
