Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Food Relations, and Diabetes: Embodying Reciprocity through Lessons and Stories from a Nuu-chah-nulth Gathering
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55016/wkjq1x91Keywords:
Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Indigenous Food Systems, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Indigenous Health, Diabetes, Reciprocity, Food Relations, Traditional FoodAbstract
For Indigenous Peoples, culturally informed beliefs, values, and practices that safeguard health are embedded in deep-time relationships with traditional territories and food systems. While Western industrialized societies have a long documented history with chronic diseases, Elders speak of lived memories of Indigenous Peoples being free of chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes, when in relationship with pre-contact food systems. Today, Indigenous Peoples of all ages experience higher rates of type 2 diabetes due to a history of colonialism. This paper uses the method of storytelling, centering two Indigenous Peoples’ lived experiences of diabetes and food relations presented at a Nuu-chah-nulth gathering, shared with, and reflected upon by two Indigenous scholars working in Indigenous food sovereignty. By looking to ancestral stories of strength and survival, Indigenous practices of reciprocity, gifting, and sharing, alongside contemporary lived experiences, this paper reflects on how Indigenous food sovereignty and diabetes care are inextricably linked.
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