On Saturday, November 8, over 8,000 people attended the second annual Frybread Fest in Director Park. Frybread Fest was created to celebrate and uplift indigenous voices, creativity, and community. The event was hosted by Downtown Portland Clean & Safe in partnership with the Portland Indigenous Marketplace. Portlanders and out-of-town visitors alike showed up to celebrate and honor the brilliance and resilience of our Indigenous community in the heart of downtown Portland during Native American Heritage Month.
What is Frybread?
When indigenous communities were forced onto barren reservation lands, they were deprived of access to varied, healthy ingredients. Using just flour, lard, and water, they created something sustaining and delicious. Frybread now represents the ingenuity, resilience, and unity of indigenous people. This year’s Frybread Fest featured four different frybread vendors; twenty Portland Indigenous Marketplace artists and vendors; a traditional drum circle performance and contemporary indigenous jazz band performance; beadwork, language, and food demonstrations; and community elders, leaders, and storytellers.
Event Highlights
Indigenous Marketplace and Food Vendors
This year’s Frybread Fest featured four frybread vendors who offered free frybread to the first 200 visitors. Food vendors also sold Native coffee and lemonade from Warm Springs to accompany the frybread. Twenty artists and entrepreneurs from the Portland Indigenous Marketplace sold items including beadwork, regalia, art, jewelry, and more.
Community Outreach and Resources
Community partners from a variety of organizations hosted booths at the event to share information, resources, and interactive activities. These partners included NARA NW (Native American Rehabilitation Association), NAYA Family Center, the Multnomah County Library, and the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Search and Hope Alliance.
Musical Performances
Frybread Fest featured two performances from the following local indigenous musical ensembles:
- Wen’ipt is an indigenous-led contemporary jazz group that celebrates Native artistry through music and storytelling, honoring the long tradition of Indigenous musicians in jazz.
- Turquoise Pride is a local Native drum group which performs at community powwows and cultural gatherings, sharing powerful songs at the heart of Indigenous tradition.
Cultural Demonstrations and Storytelling
A number of artists, educators, and elders shared stories, practices, and skills:
- Local legend and Shoshone-Bannock leader Ed Edmo shared his captivating poetry and stories of the Pacific Northwest. Edmo is one of the faces of the A Place Called Home mural at the Portland Airport.
- Traveling from the Warm Springs Reservation, Whitney Jackson (Wílaps Ayat / Sturgeon Woman) shared her deep knowledge of traditional lifeways along the Columbia River–from fishing for salmon and sturgeon to preserving traditional foods. She showed her award-winning wind-dried salmon and eel and shared about her work teaching and revitalizing the Ichishkíin language at the Warm Springs Language School.
- Becca Lynn, granddaughter of the founder of the Miss Indian Northwest Pageant and current Executive Director of the program, is a dedicated community leader and talented regalia artist. She’ll shared about her work with Miss Indian Northwest and showcased her beautiful beadwork and regalia.
- Karen Kitchen, an educator, singer, and community leader of the Osage nation, told stories and led participants in song. Through her work with Portland Public Schools’ Title VII Indian Education Project, Karen supports Native youth by fostering cultural learning, creativity, and connection. Her stories and songs uplift, inspire, and bring people together.
Thank you to all of the vendors, artists, organizations, and community leaders who helped make this year’s Frybread Fest a resounding success! And thank you to the many visitors who stopped by Director Park to enjoy frybread, listen to indigenous music, attend cultural demonstrations, and enjoy a beautiful day downtown. We look forward to another Frybread Fest next year!
Event Photos
Frybread Fest photo credit: Elle Hygge
