For 'the original slow food people,' it's time to shine

The Wilton Rancheria, a California tribe, is top sponsor of a global culinary event

- STUART LEAVENWORTH

RAQUEL WILLIAMS, from left, Isabella Williams, Amanda Geisdorff and Daveen Williams demonstrated tribal cooking techniques at Wilton Rancheria's shaded arbor.

ANDRI TAMBUNAN For The Times

On a balmy day last week south of Sacramento, a group of women took turns grinding and preparing acorn flour, and then used fire-heated stones to cook it with water in woven baskets. It was a slow and sweaty process compared with how they prepare meals at home. They did it to pay homage to how their ancestors cooked and sustained themselves over the centuries.

But these women — members of the Wilton Rancheria — were not looking back, they were looking forward. This weekend, Sacramento will host a major international gathering affiliated with the “slow food” movement, and to the surprise of some, the Wilton Rancheria is the top sponsor of the three-day Terra Madre Americas. The event is expected to draw roughly 100,000 people for culinary demonstrations, panels on sustainable agriculture and food politics, live music, and of course, delicious food.

The rancheria, whose members are descendants of Northern California's Miwok and Nisenan tribes, has recently been building wealth from its local casino, and tribal members have been using that to both raise their stature and showcase their cultural heritage. The $500,000 the tribe is contributing to Terra Madre, they say, is aimed more toward the latter - including demonstrating the health and environmental benefits of traditional food practices.

"Native people are the original slow food people, right?" said Jesus Tarango, chairman of the Wilton Rancheria, which has more than 1,000 members. "My people have tried to live in balance and with a constant relationship with the land...Terra Madre, to me, speaks to my people."