Understanding Indigenous Food Sovereignty through an Indigenous Research Paradigm

The Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) movement offers insight into food-related challenges that confront Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The philosophy of IFS is holistic in nature and sees food as encompassing all facets of being – the mental, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. Thirty-two interviews were conducted across western Canada to better understand Indigenous food sovereignty practices. Indigenous research methodologies offer further insight into IFS studies, in part, through an epistemology centered on experiential knowledge, relational accountability, respect, and reciprocity. The values of these methodologies are reflected in this research regarding IFS, and provide an important and appropriate context for this work. In particular, metaphor, as a research tool, helps to further the understanding of IFS by acknowledging the harmony that can and should exist between food and nature

Beyond Food Security: Understanding Access to Cultural Food for Urban Indigenous People in Winnipeg as Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Access to safe, affordable and nutritious food is an obstacle facing many Indigenous people in the inner city of Winnipeg, which is known for having vast food deserts. While food security is an urgent social, economic, cultural and health issue for Indigenous people in urban areas, and particularly those living in inner city areas, there are some unique elements of food security related to cultural values. Access to cultural food in urban communities is a challenge for Indigenous people. This paper discusses the results of some preliminary research conducted which explored the experiences and meanings associated with Indigenous cultural food for Indigenous people living in urban communities and the larger goals of what is being called “Indigenous Food Sovereignty” (IFS) with regards to cultural food specifically. When Indigenous people have the skills to practice IFS, a whole range of positive benefits to their social and economic well-being can unfold. Three themes which emerged from this research include (1) growing, harvesting, preparing and eating cultural food as ceremony, (2) cultural food as a part of connection to land through reciprocity and (3) re-learning IFS to address food insecurity in the city."Th is project was generously funded by the Urban Aboriginal Knowledge Network (SSHRC), Manitoba Research Alliance (SSHRC), Government of Manitoba Ministry of Indigenous Aff airs, University of Winnipeg Major Research Award, University of Winnipeg Partnership Development Grant, and the University of Winnipeg Discretionary Grant."http://cjur.uwinnipeg.ca/index.php/cjur/article/view/

First Foods as Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Country Foods and Breastfeeding Practices in a Manitoban First Nations Community

As a concept and in practice, Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) offers insights into the social, cultural, and environmental challenges of a deficient food system. The associated poor health outcomes of this system include infant and child health issues such as early childhood caries and childhood obesity, and are a grave concern in many First Nations communities. Extant research has failed to consider the role of infant feeding traditions as an element of Indigenous food sovereignty. Breastfeeding and country food (also called traditional food or cultural food) consumption among infants has been long practiced in First Nations communities, resulting in healthier infants. The research described in this article originated with a research project called the Baby Teeth Talk study (BTT). This is a community-based trial which is testing a pre-natal/post-natal behavioural and preventive intervention for early childhood caries (ECC) among pregnant First Nations women and their infants in urban and on-reserve communities in Ontario and Manitoba. In Norway House Cree Nation, located in northern Manitoba, research participants shared stories on the methods used by caregivers for oral health care, including breastfeeding promotion. This paper reviews the literature relating to IFS, breastfeeding, and the introduction of country food to infants. Through the voices of grandmothers in one community in northern Manitoba, Canada, we connect the introduction of country food and breastfeeding to the larger IFS movement and positive health outcomes for infants, and improve the conceptualization and practice of IFS."This research was funded through the New Investigator Award for Aboriginal scholars through the Network Environment for Aboriginal Health Research (NEAHR) through the Canadian Institute of Health Research. We would like to acknowledge the support of the Manitoba NEAHR program in assisting with the logistics of this project. Funding was also provided through Northern Scientific Research Program."https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/24