Seven Fires youth learn fishing skills, serve elders a meal

Youth in the Seven Fires program spent two days learning how to catch, clean and cook fish before serving the meal they prepared to invited elders, turning a lesson on the river into a full circle of community care. The June 22 Menominee Nation update showed how the work moved from fishing to the kitchen and then to the elder table, with each step tied to the next.

Seven Fires One Community describes itself as a land-based, community-led initiative focused on feeding elders, teaching youth and carrying forward responsibilities rooted in Seven Fires teachings. The group says it began with a few fish deliveries to elders and has grown into a broader movement. Its volunteer opportunities now range from elder deliveries and fishing events to hunting support, youth mentorship, community cleanup and food prep and fish cleaning event setup.

The June 22 event fit that pattern closely. Young people learned the practical skills of fishing and food preparation, then used those skills to prepare a meal for elders. That sequence mattered because it showed cultural knowledge being practiced, not just discussed, and it made the meal itself the end product of the teaching.

Ben Perez has been central to that effort. On Jan. 29, 2026, Perez and supporters delivered fresh fish, wild rice and other foods to elders at the Aging & Long-Term Care community-based residential facility in Middle Village. By Feb. 9, the effort had taken the name Seven Fires, One Community. A Dec. 8, 2025 update also said Perez organized a community deer hunt that provided venison to elders, underscoring that the fish meal was part of a continuing pattern of care.

The broader setting helps explain why the work resonates across Menominee County. A University of Wisconsin overview of the Menominee food-system sovereignty initiative says the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin created its Department of Agriculture and Food Systems in 2018 to address access and health inequities through a community-led food system centered on food resilience, food sovereignty and health equity. In 2022, a statewide tribal elder food-box effort aimed to deliver about 25,000 food boxes to elders across all 11 federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin, placing the Seven Fires meal within a larger regional push to feed older relatives.

The Menominee Tribe’s own origin story begins at the mouth of the Menominee River, about 60 miles east of today’s reservation, a reminder that river-based harvesting and community responsibility have long been linked. The College of Menominee Nation, chartered by the Menominee People, describes itself as a land-grant institution that infuses learning with American Indian culture and prepares students for leadership. In that larger setting, feeding elders is the clearest measure of success: it shows youth have learned the skills and the responsibility that come with them.