Tribe's chefs go beyond traditions

By Mara Zepeda

MASHPEE -- On this Sunday afternoon at the Mashpee Wampanoag Pow Wow, a bustling staff of relatives and "pow wow kids looking for work," as Sherry Pocknett calls them, congregate, awaiting instructions. They're in an airy, shaded outdoor kitchen, outfitted with two grills, a stove, refrigerator, and hand-woven baskets brimming with corn, squash, peppers, and kale. Pocknett, a Wampanoag chef, is preparing the cooking of her tribe.

Mention Wampanoag foodways, and clambakes and Thanksgiving spring to mind. But the Wampanoag culinary contributions extend beyond these traditions. Pocknett, 47, whose tribe won federal recognition last winter, is determined to preserve the cuisine. She started Sly Fox's Den, a food stand named after her father, which she takes around the country, touring pow wows and bazaars sponsored by Cultural Survival, a Cambridge-based organization that promotes indigenous cultures.

In Mashpee, Pocknett's daughter Jade, 18, sets out coolers of strawberry lemonade and iced sassafras tea. People find the sassafras intriguing. "Where do you buy this?" a customer asks. "We pick it," Pocknett replies, pointing to the knotty upright branches simmering away, releasing an earthy incense over stands serving hamburgers, hot dogs, and fried clams.

There's more here: http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2007/07/25/tribes_chefs_go_beyond_traditions/