Come spend an evening with Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum at the PALM House in Evanston, to celebrate our 48th Annual Benefit. We will reflect on the progress made across the region to uplift Great Lakes Indigenous cultures and will be joined in conversation with our guest of honor, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of <\/span>Braiding Sweetgrass<\/span><\/i>. As our premiere fundraiser, this immersive evening offers the best of Native American cuisine and entertainment.<\/span><\/p>\n Date:\u00a0<\/b>Saturday, November 8, 2025<\/p>\n Time: <\/b>5:00pm VIP Reception, 6:00pm – 9:00pm Gala<\/p>\n Guest of Honor<\/b>: Robin Wall Kimmerer, author<\/p>\n Location:\u00a0<\/strong>Palmhouse, 619 Howard Street, Evanston, IL 60202<\/p>\n Robin W<\/strong>all Kimmerer<\/strong>\u00a0is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants<\/em>, which has earned Kimmerer wide acclaim. Her first book,\u00a0Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses<\/em>, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing, and her other work has appeared in\u00a0Orion<\/em>,\u00a0Whole Terrain<\/em>, and numerous scientific journals. In 2022,\u00a0Braiding Sweetgrass\u00a0<\/em>was adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith. This new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth\u2019s oldest teachers: the plants around us. Robin\u2019s newest book,\u00a0The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World<\/em>\u00a0(November 2024), is a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world.<\/p>\n Robin tours widely and has been featured on NPR\u2019s\u00a0On Being\u00a0<\/em>with Krista Tippett and in 2015 addressed the general assembly of the United Nations on the topic of \u201cHealing Our Relationship with Nature.\u201d Kimmerer is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, whose mission is to create programs which draw on the wisdom of both indigenous and scientific knowledge for our shared goals of sustainability. In 2022 she was named a MacArthur Fellow.<\/p>\n As a writer and a scientist, her interests in restoration include not only restoration of ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. She holds a BS in Botany from SUNY ESF, an MS and PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin and is the author of numerous scientific papers on plant ecology, bryophyte ecology, traditional knowledge and restoration ecology. As a writer and a scientist, her interests in restoration include not only restoration of ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. She lives on an old farm in upstate New York, tending gardens both cultivated and wild. https:\/\/www.robinwallkimmerer.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Schedule of Events<\/p>\n Menu\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Cedar Smoked Lake Trout and Pickled Onions<\/span><\/p>\n Roasted 3 Sisters Hash<\/span><\/p>\n Roasted Corn and Squash pudding<\/span><\/p>\n Arlie Doxtator has been known as an Indigenous professional chef for nearly 40 years in the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin. Over the past 20 years, he has conducted research on many of the Indigenous foods of the <\/span>Lotinuhsyoni<\/span><\/i>, also known as the People of the Long House, with an emphasis on Oneida Nation-specific foods and cooking techniques, particularly cooking in <\/span>Lotinuhsho=ni<\/span><\/i> Clay pots.<\/span><\/p>\n He has worked wth the Oneida Cultural Department and world-renowned Mohawk clay pot makers, and others from the Six Nations, to reintroduce their Indigenous foods and cooking<\/span><\/p>\n techniques to his people and shares his journey of <\/span>Shiakwa>shutlan\u00e9 yukwakkwa><\/span><\/i> reconnecting to our foods. He has mentored younger generations of Original Peoples\u2019 chefs and culinarians and advocated for those who have taken the call to secure food sovereignty in Indigenous Nations across Turtle Island. You can find him working in the gardens, presenting at Native food summits, or cooking alongside some of the best cooks in <\/span>Lotinuhsyo=ni=Conderacy<\/span><\/i>, preparing meals for the recitation of The Great Law of Peace and the constitution of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and doing outreach work for the Oneida Nation.<\/span><\/p>\n Mikiya Alloway<\/b><\/p>\n Menu\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Apple Cider Braised Buffalo<\/span><\/p>\n Fall Harvest Wild Rice Pilaf\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carrot & Apple Salad\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chef Mikiya Alloway Is a breakout indigenous culinary artist representing the Potawatomi\/Menominee\/Oneida and Winnebago nations. Her spirit name, Wawasmok, means ‘lightening,’ which aptly reflects her passionate and energetic personality.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earning her degree from Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in 2023, Mikiya’s technique for infusing traditional culture into her craft has propelled her into a successful and popular catering business.<\/p>\n In 2023, Mikiya became the founder and owner of Wild Plume, a unique culinary experience that incorporates cultural and ancestral ingredients into innovative recipe development. Her unique recipe development approach, combining traditional culture with modern techniques, has garnered attention for private and intimate gatherings and large events of over 350 attendees, demonstrating her ability to deliver exceptional fine dining experiences at scale.<\/p>\n Mikiya draws inspiration from her Native American roots and is especially passionate about empowering Indigenous youth in the culinary industry. Broadly, she aims to demonstrate a pathway Make a charitable donation to support the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum and celebrate the work of Robin Wall Kimmerer and others to promote Indigenous land stewardship practices and traditional ecological knowledge.<\/p>\n Interested in becoming a sponsor to showcase your commitment to cultural responsiveness and help uplift and elevate Indigenous voices? We have a plenty of options for sponsors to participate in our 48th Annual Benefit and become one of our committed partners.<\/p>\n We offer sponsorship opportunities ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, each tailored to demonstrate your dedication to increasing the visibility of Indigenous perspectives and environmental sustainability. To discuss how we can tailor a sponsorship package that aligns with your objectives, please contact Joseph Gackstetter at jgackstetter@gichigamiin.org.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Brandi Berry Benson<\/strong> Chickasaw<\/em><\/p>\n Schedule of Events<\/p>\n As a classically trained violinist, fiddler, and composer, Brandi masters musical genres from baroque to bluegrass. She is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and will share her new music, Story of Pa I Sha<\/a>, a musical work based on the stories of her heritage, beginning with her great-grandmother, Pa I Sha. Brandi is on the faculty of Northwestern and DePaul Universities and directs the Bach & Beethoven Experience.<\/p>\n Brandi serves on the faculty of Northwestern and DePaul Universities, where she works with the Baroque Music Ensemble and teaches Baroque Performance Practice and Ornamentation, respectively.\u00a0For more information about the Bach & Beethoven Experience, visit\u00a0bbexperience.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oka Homma Singers<\/strong><\/p>\n Oka Homma – a Chicago-based Drum group, presents intertribal songs of the Southern Plains. Oka Homma formed in March 2023 to contribute to a resurgence of arts engagement needed to mobilize and build community. In addition, the Drum aims to re\/introduce cultural practice amongst Chicago\u2019s intergenerational Native American community. Through song, these singers share a small taste of southern plains culture with the Midwest populace. Lead Singer: Niyol Spencer (Mississippi Chata\/Din\u00e9).<\/p>\n48th Annual Benefit<\/h3>\n
Featured Chefs<\/b><\/h3>\n
Arlie Doxtator<\/h3>\n
for the next generation of chefs to embrace their traditional culture and make their mark in the culinary world.<\/p>\nThank you to our Sponsors:<\/h3>\n
48th Annual Benefit<\/h3>\n
Sponsorship:\u00a0<\/h3>\n