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Today, on Indigenous Peoples Day, we are reflecting on the current uncertain times, in which Indigenous peoples’ rights are, yet again, up for debate. The BC Government’s recent proposal to amend key parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) has First Nations concerned that protections for their rights may be stripped away.
This is a reminder that the fight for Indigenous peoples’ rights is never over. As farmers and caretakers of Indigenous lands across Turtle Island, it is our responsibility to stand up for Indigenous rights, understand our own role in colonization, and work towards being in good relationship with Indigenous peoples and the land.
Young Agrarians (YA) wholeheartedly supports the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and is committed to the ongoing work required of a settler-founded organization to align YA’s goals with the declaration. Articles 24.1 and 25 are particularly relevant to YA’s work — we are committed to supporting Indigenous peoples’ rights to traditional medicines, health practices, and relationships with their lands. Our new Take Root webpage shares how YA is shifting programming towards supporting Indigenous Food Sovereignty and decolonial action.
Below are a few exciting events, learning opportunities, and resources that demonstrate some of the incredible work that is being led by Indigenous food sovereignty leaders, farmers, activists and advocates across Turtle Island.
WATCH
- Audrey Logan – Indigenous Agriculture on the Prairies Before the Fur Trade (Video Recording): Teachings by elder Audrey Logan (Dehydration Nations) on Indigenous agriculture, its history, and building community through food. The original recording was part of the education offered to participants in the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program.
- Miyo Mâmawi Atoskewin: Working together to Cultivate Soil Health on First Nations Lands (Video Recording): First Nations hold millions of acres of agricultural lands across the Canadian Prairies, most of it farmed by non-Indigenous farmers. In collaboration with First Nations, Dr. Melissa Arcand is investigating soil health on agricultural lands and reframing notions of agricultural land capability from an Indigenous perspective.
- Tea Creek Documentary: Against the backdrop of colonization and the climate crisis, Jacob Beaton, a passionate Indigenous entrepreneur, has embarked on a remarkable journey. His vision is to transform his family farm into a beacon of hope for Indigenous Food Sovereignty. In a world where connection to the land has been fractured, Jacob aims to revive the abundance that once defined Turtle Island.
- Singing Back the Buffalo: Award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard’s feature length Singing Back the Buffalo follows Indigenous visionaries, scientists and communities who are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined. This is a deeply uplifting story of humanity’s connections to buffalo, and how their return can usher in a new era of sustainability and balance.
READ
- Beyond Land Acknowledgements (Downloadable Toolkit/Guide): An online guide with actionable next steps for going beyond land acknowledgements. It is a good starting point for research about who’s land you live on is Native Land (native-land.ca) or Whose Land: (www.whose.land)
Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Ontario: A Study of Exclusion at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs: This report from the Yellowhead Institute examines how provincial agricultural policies and programs have excluded Indigenous peoples and offers recommendations for supporting Indigenous food sovereignty in Ontario.
Agriculture in the North: A New Strategy of Indigenous Land Dispossession?: Published by the Yellowhead Institute, this report critically explores northern agricultural development policies and their impacts on Indigenous land rights, governance, and self-determination.
Bringing Inuit Food Security and Sovereignty into Canadian Nation-Building Narratives: This Yellowhead Institute policy brief by Jessica Penney argues that Arctic sovereignty and nation building efforts should prioritize Inuit food security and food sovereignty, centering healthy communities and Inuit-led approaches over militarization and extractive development.
- Indigenous Agriculture and Agri-Food: The Path Forward (Full-length Report): Report by Farm Management Canada. “This report explores those needs across agricultural production, including aquaculture, Indigenous traditional and cultural harvesting, as well as those with on-farm processing and other related agriculture and agri-food activities.”
- Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel (Book)
- Lost Harvests by Sarah Carter (Book)
- Meet 5 Of The Female Farmers Growing Our Food (Short Article)
- The Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit: “The Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit was developed by a group of Black food systems leaders and market managers…to help offer ways for managers to put the concepts of anti-racism into practice and action within farmers markets. The work is intended to improve market experiences for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and BIPOC communities.”
- The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming by Natasha Bowens (Book)
- ‘They took our beads, it was a fair trade, get over it’: Settler colonial logics, racial hierarchies and material dominance in Canadian agriculture (Full-Length Report): “This research draws on studies of settler colonialism, racial hierarchy and othering to connect the ideological with the material forces of settler colonialism and show how material dominance is maintained through colonial logics and racially ordered narratives.”
LEARN
- kinSHIFT (Online Workshops): kinSHIFT is an Indigenous-led initiative supporting settlers who are committed to building respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples and places. Their experiential, arts-based workshops and programs allow participants to learn, practice, ask questions, and make mistakes in a safer environment, all while building a foundation for engaging meaningfully with Indigenous peoples.
- Indigenous Canada (Online Course): “Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada.”
- Indigenous Traditional Food Systems (Online Module): Learn from Elders and Indigenous communities across Alberta. In this free online module, you will find out the importance of returning to a Traditional Food System, how communities are returning to it, and what role you can play in supporting Traditional Food Systems.
- 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge (Webpage): Consists of daily email prompts and an online forum to explore and dismantle racism on all levels. The prompts take about 10-15 minutes a day to digest.
- Home on Native Land from RAVEN Trust (Online Course): A self-guided, online course about Indigenous Justice in Canada. Through a series of 10 videos, cartoons & lessons, you’ll take a walk down the back alley of history — and the frontlines of legal action.