How #Indigenous #FoodSovereignty can improve #FoodSecurity

Sustainable Bites: Food and Our Future What can we do to help make our food systems more sustainable? UBC researchers share small steps that can make a big collective impact. 

March 24, 2025

"Indigenous households experience food insecurity at rates two to three times higher than non-Indigenous households in Canada. #Agroecologist Dr. #JenniferGrenz, an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Land and Food Systems, studies Indigenous food sovereignty and food systems, and how to revitalize them.

Did you know?

#Kwetlal, or #camas, a lily-like plant with a starchy bulb, was an important staple for #IndigenousPeoples along the #SalishSea.
Kwetlal was cultivated in Garry oak #ecosystems by #W̱SÁNEĆ and Quw’utsun Peoples, until #colonization nearly destroyed these unique food systems.

What does Indigenous food sovereignty mean?

" 'Indigenous food sovereignty is the reclamation and revitalization of our food systems,' says Dr. Grenz, who is Nlaka’pamux of mixed ancestry, whose family comes from the #Lytton First Nation. She grew up and lives on the coast of BC.

"The lands across #BritishColumbia, Dr. Grenz explains, were purposefully shaped since time immemorial for foods, medicines and technologies by the Indigenous Peoples who lived there until colonial settlers dispossessed them of their lands, culture and traditions.

" 'Indigenous food sovereignty is also about #CulturalResurgence: being able to access those foods and medicines again and find new ones as we face a changing climate,' said Dr. Grenz. 'Heal the people, heal the land. Heal the land, heal the people. I think that’s really what food sovereignty is about.'

"Revitalizing Indigenous food systems can help diversify and localize food systems in ways that could buffer against #FoodInsecurity in a changing climate.

"Dr. Grenz’s research team is working alongside Indigenous communities impacted by the 2021 heat dome and wildfires to understand the effects on culturally important plants.

" 'If you think of land as just vegetation and an aesthetic notion of what belongs, you’re going to have very different approaches and different outcomes to recovery than if you see that land as a food system, not just for humans, but for our animal, bird, fish and insect relations,' says Dr. Grenz. 'We’re working alongside communities to develop those Indigenized processes around wildfire recovery that honour Indigenous food systems, sustainability and resiliency.”'

How can #Settlers support the revitalization of Indigenous food systems?

"Learn about the histories of the lands you live on and what the traditional food systems were, what they are now and what they could be, says Dr. Grenz.

"Incorporating reciprocity into your relationship with the land is also important. 'Learn about the plants of those lands and find a way to invite them into your life. How can you take care of them, nurture them and steward them?' asks Dr. Grenz.

"One way might be to Indigenize your own back yard or community garden. Or learn about Indigenous food system protocols and the concept of '#HonourableHarvest.'

How can land-based learning support Indigenous food sovereignty?

"Land-based learning is an opportunity to get students and people out on the land—and start taking steps to give back while they are learning.

"At #UBCFarm, Dr. Grenz and students are starting two different Indigenous food systems to work as part of the agrarian food system that exists there — 'essentially bridging two food systems, #decolonizing and #Indigenizing our understandings of what foods are and how those two systems work together to benefit both.'

"In one, they are establishing a Garry oak ecosystem and growing camas, which is a traditional food system of the W̱SÁNEĆ  and Quw’utsun Peoples. Another type of #ForestGarden, similar to other Coast #Salish, #Tsimshian or #Haida food systems, will see the forest shaped by different plants like beaked #hazelnut, #elderberry, #salmonberry and #thimbleberry.

The students will be able to practice how to care for plants ordinarily thought of as forest plants, and 'learn how to reclaim traditional #LandStewardship practices to actually increase the production of those berries.' "

Source [includes video links]:
https://beyond.ubc.ca/how-indigenous-food-sovereignty-can-improve-food-security/

#SolarPunkSunday #FirstNations #Quwutsun #ClimateChange #Resilience #DecolonizeYourDiet #HonorIndigenousFoodSystems #LandBasedLearning #IndigenousFoodSovereignty #IndigenousFoods #BuildingCommunity #CommunityGardens #FoodForests

Hmm... No #Eel recipes in #SiouxChef book. I wonder if #SeanSherman covers that in the #TurtleIslandCookbook? Just put that in my wishlist!

https://seansherman.com/sean-sherman-new-book-turtle-island-foods-and-traditions-of-the-indigenous-peoples-of-north-america/

#DecolonizeYourDiet #IndigenousFoods #IndigenousCooking #IndigenousCookbooks

So, I picked out a few recipes for our Winter holiday feast... All from The #SiouxChef ! Seared duck breast with cider glaze (which utilizes juniper berries and sumac and maple syrup and sage), wild rice pilaf (with wild mushrooms and chestnuts and dried cranberries), and griddled maple squash (with our home-grown squash and local maple syrup). I'll be also trying out stews and soups and breads for later in the season. It's so cool to find recipes which utilize ingredients that we can obtain locally!

#SeanSherman #BethDooley #IndigenousCooking #IndigenousFood #LocalFood #AnimalProducts #TheSiouxChefsIndigenousKitchen #DecolonizeYourDiet #IndigenousKitchen

I ordered a used copy #TheSiouxChef cookbook (by #SeanSherman with #BethDooley) a few weeks ago. It just arrived, and by *used*, it had one tiny smudge on the inside back cover. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes! (And yes, I'll transcribe a few of them -- including the one shown, which is a Wild Rice with Roasted Chestnuts, Wild Mushrooms and Dried Cranberries recipe!

#Cookbooks #Recipes #SiouxChef #NativeAmericanRecipes #DecolonizeYourDiet #SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #AnimalProducts #IndigenousFoodSystems

The #SiouxChef is Reclaiming North America’s #Indigenous Cuisine

Sean Sherman, co-author of a new cookbook and co-founder of The Sioux Chef, explains why original North American foods and #NativeFoodways are vital to creating a healthy and #SustainableFuture

Sean Sherman
October 18, 2017

Excerpt: "Although hamburgers, pizza, and Coca-Cola are among the foods most often identified as 'American' cuisine, the truth is that over-sugared, over-salted, and fat-laden processed fare does not represent the true American diet. The original American cuisine arose from the vibrant and diverse indigenous cultures that thrived across the North American continent for thousands of years before #colonization.

"My grandparents were among the first generation to be systematically assimilated to 'American”' culture—I heard stories of children kidnapped and sent to boarding schools, their hair cut, their language forbidden. How I wish I had been taught more than the handful of recipes I learned as a child — #wasna (dried meat and berries), #taniga (tripe soup), #bapa (#bison jerky), and #wojape (#chokecherry sauce).

"When I was 13 years old, I began my working in professional kitchens, and by my early 20s, I had become an executive chef. I mastered the art of Italian, French, and Spanish cuisines until, at the height of my career, I knew I wanted to understand why there were so few #NativeAmerican restaurants across the U.S.

"As part of The Sioux Chef, I work with my partner #DanaThompson and a team of 10 chefs, plus a number of indigenous culinary partners across Indian country. Our vision is to create more than a restaurant—it will be a place where we can share our skills, knowledge, and passion, with the goal of spreading our work across the whole of North America. To help us achieve these ends, our new #NāTIFS non-profit will focus primarily on indigenous food education and access. Through NāTIFS, we have created a research-and-development team called the '#IndigenousFoodLab' to further our own research, document our work, and help us become better educators.

"We are also building a replicable model that will place an #IndigenousFoodHub in larger urban areas. The hubs will house a regionally unique indigenous restaurant that will not only make the indigenous foods available to the public, but also serve as a training center to educate students in the preparation, cooking, and preservation of #IndigenousFoods. They will also house education centers that offer classes based on the many curriculums we have been developing to help people identify, understand, and apply the knowledge of indigenous food systems."

Original story:
https://civileats.com/2017/10/18/the-sioux-chef-is-reclaiming-north-americas-indigenous-cuisine/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/jFFbO

#DecolonizeYourDiet #SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanMonth #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #DecolonizeYourDiet #AnimalProducts #BuffaloHarvest #IndigenousFoodSystems

The Enduring Harvest: Reshaping Food Systems on Turtle Island

Posted on November 13, 2025

"On Turtle Island, the land now largely known as North America, traditional food harvesting is far more than a means of sustenance; it is the very bedrock of cultural identity, spiritual connection, and sovereign resilience for Indigenous peoples. For millennia, before the arrival of European colonizers, communities across this vast continent thrived on intricate systems of hunting, fishing, gathering, and agriculture, guided by a profound understanding of the land and its cycles. This #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge (#TEK), passed down through countless generations, represents a sophisticated science of sustainability, reciprocity, and interconnectedness that continues to shape modern efforts to reclaim and revitalize Indigenous foodways.

"The concept of Turtle Island itself is rooted in creation stories shared by many Indigenous nations, where a giant turtle forms the foundation of the world. This narrative underscores an inherent and sacred relationship between people and the land—a relationship that mandates stewardship rather than domination. Traditional harvesting practices are not merely about taking from the land, but about participating in a continuous cycle of giving and receiving, ensuring the health of both the ecosystem and the community.

A Tapestry of Traditional Foods

"Across Turtle Island, the diversity of traditional food systems reflects the continent’s varied ecosystems. In the Pacific Northwest, the #salmon run is not just a seasonal event but the pulse of life itself. Nations like the #NezPerce, #Kwakwakawakw, and #Haida have relied on salmon for thousands of years, developing complex fishing techniques, preservation methods, and ceremonies that honor the fish as a sacred relative.

" 'Salmon is our first food, our medicine, our economy, and our culture,' states a representative from the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. However, the construction of #dams, #logging, and #IndustrialPollution have severely impacted salmon populations, disrupting a lifeline for these communities. Despite these challenges, nations are actively working on habitat restoration, dam removal advocacy, and culturally informed fisheries management to bring the salmon home.

"On the vast plains, the #bison (or buffalo) was once the lifeblood of nations such as the #Lakota, #Cheyenne, and #Blackfeet. Millions roamed freely, providing not only food but also shelter, tools, and spiritual guidance. Every part of the animal was utilized, embodying a profound respect for its sacrifice.

"European #colonization, driven by a deliberate policy to destroy Indigenous economies and cultures, led to the near extinction of the bison, reducing their numbers from an estimated 30-60 million to a mere few hundred by the late 19th century. Today, through initiatives like the InterTribal Buffalo Council, Indigenous nations are reintroducing bison to tribal lands, a powerful act of cultural and ecological restoration. 'Bringing the buffalo back is bringing our people back,' remarks Ervin Carlson, former president of the InterTribal Buffalo Council. "It’s healing, it’s hope, it’s sovereignty."

Read more (archived version):
https://archive.ph/BLZiA

#SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanMonth
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #DecolonizeYourDiet #AnimalProducts #BuffaloHarvest

#Wisconsin - #TribalFoodSovereignty resources

"#NativeFoodSovereignty is the right of #AmericanIndians, #AlaskaNatives and #NativeHawaiians to produce their own #TraditionalFoods on their own lands to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. #NativeAmericans had #FoodSovereignty for thousands of years before the first European contact in the Americas. Food systems have dramatically changed to the detriment of Native peoples’ health."
-First Nations Development Institute

Written by Erin Peot

"We are exploring the development of a statement that acknowledges this land’s #FirstNations people. This statement would be used to open discussions and educate the public we work with about First Nations peoples’ rights and the contributions First Nations have made and continue to make throughout this land now known as #Wisconsin."

Learn more (includes resources):
https://foodsystems.extension.wisc.edu/articles/tribal-and-native-food-sovereignty/

Related video, "Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Wisconsin," by Dan Cornelius, a UW Madison CIAS presentation, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJq4bBpU2sg

#SolarPunkSunday #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanMonth
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #Chippewa #Potawatomi #HoChunkNation #DecolonizeYourDiet

Decolonizing Your Diet Has a Whole Host of Amazing Benefits

#health #diet #nutrition #food #decolonize #decolonizeyourdiet

https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a42027231/decolonize-your-diet/