indigenous diets Flashcards
united nations definition of Indigenous people’s
historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies that developed on their territories; consider themselves to have distinct social, economic or political systems, language, culture, and beliefs; have strong linkages to territories and surrounding natural resources; and form at present non-dominant groups of society
how many indigenous peoples worldwide
390 million.
indigenous people in Canada 3 groups
diversity of cultures + languages.
inuit: arctic
metis: mostly western canada- own group, scottish/french men marrying aboriginal women. mostly prairies.
FN: traditional lands coast-to-coast. half in cities, half on reserves
what’s a reserve?
land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band.
aboriginal ancestry on Canadian census -
2 million. 6.2% of popln reported aboriginal ancestry.
FN largest group, Metis, Inuit.
define food systems
systems of harvesting, cultivation, processing, storage, trade + consumption
indigenous food systems
specific to geographic region. pre-date large-scale industrial agriculture. primarily manual practices, subject to change over time
who is “responsible” for documenting indigenous food systems
people are writing books these days. but mostly elders keep the traditions alive
seal hunt + traditional food gathering of tlingit FN.
- > healthy enviro = healthy eating?
- > fat-soluble vitamins in seal fat?
- > harm to those who eat seal
- > seal skin used? seal oil?
- > seal contribute to community?
- > only as healthy as food we eat. human activity affect quality of water thus food
- > vit A+E. high in iron.
- > seal eat verything - pollutants accumulate in seal.
- > skin: clothing. oil: fat is healthy, flavour, food item, rendered down. traded.
- > share. hunting, gathering is sacred. connect to who they are. guardians of land
contaminants in food derived from Indigenous food systems
- organochlorine pesticides concentrate in mammal fat
- toxins like cadmium. organ meat
- mercury in fish + seafood.
why are some pesticides called persistent?
slow to degrade in environment.
what is pcb?
polyunchlorinated biphenyl. persistant. accumulates in body fat, breast milk, can cross placenta.
Canada’s super food
seal - non-indigenous eat too.
seal of menu in Toronto. sparked outrage..
why protect indigenous food systems?
eat fresh or minimally processed foods = better for health. .
risk losing important info about indigenous food + systems. moral imperative to protect small poplns
traditional indigenous diets
extracting and processing food from land, water, air, using hunting, trapping, fishing, gathering + agriculture. . diverse - lots of nutrients + energy
number of plant + animal species used for food
550+ plant, 527+ animal
health-promoting subsistence lifestyles
cooking fish, horticulture of corn, squash, beans
hunting + gathering connecting to culture.
-> for FN is hunting only about food?
no, about community + gathering.
traditional food = social support, connect to land, food symbolism
what is pemmican?
dry pounded meat
bird eaten by FN in quebec?
canada goose
fish eaten by aboriginal - what vit?
omega-3 fatty acids. vitD, vitA.
help against stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer.
head + bones = calcium
what is ooligan grease?
fish rot/ferment, boil it = oil forms, saved.
source of vit A and Omega-3 FA.
benefit of smoking/drying salmon?
may increase nutrients, keeps for the winter
wild rice in prairies
seed of grasses. shallow water. traditionally eaten, nutty flavour, chewy texture.
