PORT TOWNSEND — Traditional foods, local cider and feeling connected: These topics will come together Friday night.
In the October First Friday Speaker Series talk at 7 p.m., Mackenzie Grinnell, a Jamestown S’Klallam tribal citizen, will delve into what it means — for him — to belong to the land.
His talk, hosted by the Jefferson County Historical Society, will be online via JCHSmuseum.org under the Education and Programs menu. Advance registration is necessary on the website, and admission is a suggested $10 donation.
In addition to livestreaming, the program will be recorded and made available on the website for later viewing.
Grinnell works with his tribe’s Traditional Foods & Culture Program, which recently won the North Olympic Land Trust’s 23rd annual nəxʷsƛ̕əy̕əkʷáʔnəŋ of the Year award. The Klallam word nəxʷsƛ̕əy̕əkʷáʔnəŋ, meaning gatherer of food, is used instead of farmer to reflect the program’s focus on traditional practices.
Grinnell, whose Klallam name is ƛ̕ əw’cen, said he looks forward to talking about what it means to belong to a place.
“Part of that is being indigenous,” he said, “and learning from my grandma,” Jamestown elder Elaine Grinnell.
“It’s also about being part white,” and starting a business, Two Hooligans Cider.
At their plant in Sequim, Grinnell and his business partner Jaiden Dokken make cider with gleaned apples from across the North Olympic Peninsula.
All year, the First Friday Speaker Series has highlighted an “art of making” theme; Grinnell’s talk will bring a relatively new cider company into the mix. He will also explore ways to build a more welcoming community through the sharing of local cider and of traditional foods.
The historical society describes the discussion as an evening of juxtaposition — of cultures and experiences.
“Hopefully we can all walk away with more curiosity and a sense of agency to make our community a place we can all belong,” the historical society invitation reads.
“I hope people come and ask questions,” Grinnell added.
“We all live here, and we all need to figure out how to live together — and come together, like we used to.”
The final First Friday Speaker Series program, set for Nov. 5, will spotlight boatbuilding and functional art with Bruce Blatchley. For details about this and other historical society offerings, see JCHSmuseum.org or phone 360-385-1003, or visit the Jefferson Museum of Art & History at 540 Water St.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
