Food is about more than what people eat.
For Indigenous Peoples on Vancouver Island, food affects physical, emotional and mental health, as well as Indigenous identity. However, decisions about food systems are often out of their hands. In an era of truth and reconciliation, fixes for these broken links can have a deep effect on peoples含羞草研究社� lives.
Island Health Indigenous Health Dietitian Jessie Newman says that food sovereignty is 含羞草研究社渁bout Nations reclaiming decision making power within the food system.含羞草研究社�
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含羞草研究社淚 make sure that I含羞草研究社檓 having conversations with people in leadership, with knowledge keepers, with Elders. Any time decisions are made we need to have Indigenous Peoples at the table,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淓very Nation has different obstacles and challenges and finding those out is important.含羞草研究社�
Newman is Haida, Heiltsuk, and Kwakwaka含羞草研究社檞akw. She knows how traditional foods can link to ancestors, heal, and help rekindle the sense of identity that many Indigenous people struggle with.
含羞草研究社淭he greatest benefit is that they really connect us to our ancestors and loved ones who have passed,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 quite emotional, especially for me. Seafoods really give me that feeling of a connection to my father who has passed, and my uncles and my grandfather. All of those memories that I have around those foods are really special.含羞草研究社�
However, thanks to the residential school system, many of those links are broken.
含羞草研究社淚f you go back to residential school and that disconnect from culture, a lot of people don含羞草研究社檛 have the knowledge of how to harvest our foods,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淭he lack of knowledge around cultural practices is one of the biggest issues within our communities.
含羞草研究社淭hat really speaks to identity as well. A lot of Indigenous people really struggle with a loss of identity or a lack of identity due to that disconnect from culture brought about through residential school含羞草研究社� When you含羞草研究社檙e eating these kinds of foods, it gives me the sense of 含羞草研究社榯his is who I am and this is what I含羞草研究社檓 meant to be eating含羞草研究社卟菅芯可鐧 Our foods are so powerful.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淎 lot of Indigenous people, they含羞草研究社檝e been through so much trauma. Their mental health might not be the best,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚f I can create situations where our People have greater access to their foods, then I am doing something positive that is going to have an impact.
Food sovereignty has increased throughout the region, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every community has a different situation and different needs. The Kwakwaka含羞草研究社檞akw communities are displaced from their traditional territories, making access to traditional foods difficult.
含羞草研究社淭he fact that none of these nations are actually located on their traditional territories where they would be harvesting these foods is probably the biggest barrier,含羞草研究社� Newman said.
含羞草研究社淎nother big barrier is that a lot of Nations might not have the money to focus on this. The way that funds are dispersed into communities are like 含羞草研究社榶ou need to spend this money on this, you need to spend this money on that.含羞草研究社� Some Nations find or redistribute funding to hire knowledge keepers to do work around food sovereignty and food security,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淣ot every Nation does this or has the capacity to do it, but there are some Nations in the northern area like in Tsa含羞草研究社橷ana where they含羞草研究社檝e actually taken the initiative through funding from our Indigenous Health program and hired somebody. They really honoured the knowledge of the local food champions to do the work. If every community has somebody doing that, then we would be much better off.
When it comes down to it, Newman says her goal is for Indigenous Peoples to have access and control over their food systems.
含羞草研究社淭here are so many reasons it含羞草研究社檚 not happening. Some of it is climate change, some of it is environmental. What would really work is if our government gave us access to our land back and gave us control over our land, how it含羞草研究社檚 managed and how the resources are managed,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檇 have access to our traditional territories and be able to harvest our foods whenever we want, and manage it in a way that will be sustainable含羞草研究社� that含羞草研究社檚 the ultimate goal.含羞草研究社�
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