When We Gather (Ostadahlisiha): A Cherokee Tribal Feast

This lyrical picture book written by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee) and illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw) describes one Cherokee child’s family tradition of gathering wild onions for a big community meal, a significant tradition among several southeastern tribes and Nations.

Nothing welcomes spring like a wild onion dinner!

As the dirt warms and green sprouts poke up, a Cherokee girl joins her family in the hunt for green onions. Together, they pick enough to bring to a feast, which is cooked with love and shared by their community. Idalisdayvhvga! Let’s all eat!

Written with simple, sensory lyricism by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee) and featuring warm, vibrant art by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw), this picture book celebrates the spring tradition of wild onion dinners—and the community and comfort that are shared when we gather.

Andrea L. Rogers is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts with an MFA in creative writing. Andrea lives and writes in the Boston Mountains in Arkansas.

Madelyn Goodnight is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Her work reflects her love of childhood. She holds a degree from Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is the illustrator of The Pear Tree; Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi!; and Rock Your Mocs.