OVERVIEW
In Canada, settler-colonialism has worked acutely and systematically to disrupt and alter Indigenous peoples’ relationships with land in an effort to secure and maintain resources, power, and control.
Thus, it is impossible to engage in food systems praxis without acknowledging the historical and ongoing theft of land, broken treaties, and anti-Indigenous racism. Since the arrival of European settlers to what is now referred to as North America in the 16th
century, Indigenous peoples have been violently removed from their lands, displaced from their food systems, and forced to assimilate into the dominant settler colonial culture. The diverse Indigenous traditions around food have been treated with contempt
by settler governments and viewed as detrimental to colonial notions of progress and development.
In a new JAFSCD
article, "The
Indigenous Food Circle: Reconciliation and Resurgence through Food in Northwestern Ontario," authors Charles Z. Levkoe, Lana Ray, and Jessica Mclaughlin address a major
gap in research and practice surrounding Indigenous food sovereignty in the context of Indigenous and settler relations, especially within an urban Canadian context. The paper focuses on the establishment of the Indigenous Food Circle in Northwestern Ontario
and its efforts to address issues of sustainable food systems, social justice, and Indigenous food sovereignty.
KEY FINDINGS
Considering the ongoing strain on Indigenous-settler relationships in the region, the Indigenous Food Circle presents a unique opportunity to demonstrate ways that food can be used as a tool for reconciliation
and resurgence. The Indigenous Food Circle is built on the idea that Indigenous peoples should have control of their food systems, and it is rooted in the theory and practice of food sovereignty, emphasizing self-determination and a reconnection to land-based
food systems. While only in the beginning stages, the Indigenous Food Circle is committed to confronting colonial histories, learning from other Indigenous food sovereignty efforts, and engaging in action that transforms relationships.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
The work of the Indigenous Food Circle demands deeper engagement and education with settler organizations to further understand attempts at reconciliation and support them in applying a decolonizing
approach to servicing and working with Indigenous people. However, we caution that the success of the Indigenous Food Circle requires more than simply goodwill from other allied organizations. It demands confronting the ongoing legacy of colonialism, land
dispossession, anti-Indigenous racism, and violence, and engaging in action that transforms these relations. It means embracing the discomfort that comes with recognizing the prevalence of settler colonialism and developing respectful and just relationships
followed by action.
