National Food Day seems like a fabulous time to get to know our real national food. Not the hamburgers and hot dogs and pizzas that are considered by the culinary world as “American” cuisine. No, something with a bit more of a past.

The City of Lawrence has proclaimed Saturday, Oct. 22, Indigenous Food Day, and with good reason. Haskell Indian Nations University is kick-starting National Food Day (which isn’t until Oct. 24) with a two-day festival featuring speakers, activities and a feast of indigenous foods.

The Haskell Indigenous Food Festival will get things going with several events aimed at the day’s core values: reducing diet-related diseases, protecting the environment and the conditions of food and farm workers, supporting sustainable farms and promoting good health.

To start off the festival, Casey Camp-Horineck, a member of the Ponca Nation, longtime native-rights activist, environmentalist and actress, will speak at 7 p.m. Friday in the university’s auditorium. Starting at 1 p.m., Saturday at Stidham Union will be activities for adults and children, speakers and a guided wetlands walk. There will be a community feast at 6 p.m. Saturday featuring indigenous and indigenous-inspired foods. All events are free and open to the public.

The food festival is sponsored by the Haskell Green Campus Initiative, private donors and the Douglas County Community Foundation.