06/04/2026
Did you grow up eating traditional foods that were a part of Keetoowah family meals? If you are like many of us, you grew up enjoying those foods but wish that you had paid more attention to how it is prepared. The John Hair Cultural Center and Keetoowah Museum will give you the opportunity to gain experience cooking these special foods, and as a bonus, the class will feast on the fruits of their labors at each class.
“For many Keetoowah people, eating traditional foods is not just about the food. It’s the time spent together gathering it, preserving it, and the goodness of the heart and soul that went into cooking it. I invite you to join us in the kitchen and let the aroma of cooking some traditional meals take you back to grandma’s house before we had expensive processed or fast foods,” said Barbara Foster, museum assistant director.
The Getting Back to Basics Traditional Foods Series begins on June 27. These 4-hour classes are held on the last Saturday of the month, including June 27, July 25, and August 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Tahlequah at the Speedway. Each workshop is $25, or you may pay $75. for all three classes to reserve a spot in each class in the series. Each class is limited to ten participants.
In June, the menu will include wild onions, bean balls, poke salad, and potatoes. The menu in July will be hog meat, beans, grape dumplings, hot water cornbread, and water cress. In August, we will cook neckbone and hominy soup, Kanuchi, mustard or turnip greens, and frybread (not traditional).
If you have questions or would like to register for any of the Keetoowah Museum’s upcoming cultural classes or workshops, contact Barbara Foster at (918) 316-5352.
Photo cutline: Ashley Hopton drops dough into grape juice for grape dumplings while Rylee Grimmett waits her turn.
