MANITOWANING—The pulse is a beautiful thing. This year, Debajehmujig Storytellers joined the United Nations General Assembly in celebrating 2016 as the International Year of Pulses, focussing on pulses as part of the annual Seed Swap.
As near and dear to the heart as they are, these pulses have nothing to do with the pulmonary system that sends blood coursing through the veins, except most tangentally. The pulses referred to by the UN and Debaj are beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas, declared as the cornerstone of global nutrition for millennia.
As usual, Debaj took to the task by waxing theatrical, holding a pulses pageant that featured among its number the lentil, green beans, black-eyed peas and… jelly beans?
Well, the jelly beans were eventually disqualified for the sweetest of most obvious reasons, being a candy and not members of the pulse family.
“We felt the seed swap would make a great opportunity to highlight the important role pulses play in global nutrition,” said Debaj Artistic Director Joe Osawabine. “We would have liked to see the coffee bean and the cocoa bean in the pageant as well but, well, they aren’t pulses either are they?”
Debajehmujig Storytellers have a long history of incorporating humour and a distinctly Native tongue-in-cheek approach to serious subject matters and this occasion was no different, with pulses providing plenty of food for puns.
The bean is one of the three sisters of traditional Anishnaabe nutrition (along with corn and squash) and they have always played an important role in maintaining healthy lives amongst indigenous populations in the Americas.
Pulses are a good source of protein. For instance, lentils offer double the protein per serving of quinoa and they are also an excellent source of fiber, containing four times more fiber than brown rice. Pulses are also rich in antioxidants, iron and folate and are a good source of potassium. As an added bonus, pulses are naturally free of sodium, cholesterol and gluten.
In fact, the key message of the 2016 International Year of Pulses is that pulses are highly nutritious—their little seeds are packed with nutrients and provide a “fantastic” source of protein.
This year’s Seed Swap featured the usual collection of heritage offerings, but also came with a new twist. People were invited to bring samples of their own preserves to trade with others.
“This is all in keeping with our positioning as a land-based theatre company,” noted Mr. Osawabine. “As Anishinaabe people we are solidly attached to the land, it is a part of us, and what could be more fitting a celebration of those connections?”
The pageant took a hilarious swipe through all things gastronomical, ending with a fitting tribute to the legume known as the green lentil.
