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Abstract
Gitxaala and Wapekeka First Nations are two rural and remote Indigenous communities experiencing high levels of food insecurity and consequent dietary-related disease. The communities have diets comprising of both locally procured and market-based food, but are increasingly dependent on low-quality and minimally available market food. The article describes the food security challenges in these distinct regions of Canada and the efforts community members are making to get regular access to nutritious foods. The article subsequently illustrates how each community's local food initiatives are making nutritious foods more readily available, as well as fostering a sense of community pride.
Resumé
Les premieres nations Gitxaala et Wapekeka constituent deux communautés rurales autochtones éloignées, qui subissent une insécurité alimentaire élevée et, par consequent, ont un taux élévé de maladies liées aux carences alimentaires. Leurs régimes mêlent aliments locaux et achetés, mais toutes les deux dependent de plus en plus ďaliments achetés de basse qualité difficilement disponibles. Dans ľarticle, on décrit les défis de la sécurité alimentaire dans ces regions differentes du Canada et les efforts entrepris par ses habitants afin d'avoir un acces solide å une alimentation saíne. On montre par la suite comment ces initiatives, dans chaqué communauté, rendent plus accessible divers aliments sains, tout en cultivant un sentiment de fierté locale.
Introduction
Prior to European Contact, Indigenous peoples' food systems were intricately connected to local ecosystems, and survival depended on knowing and working with what the land offered (Morrison, 2011). However, after the arrival of Europeans, the ways in which Indigenous people accessed food changed, which has led to an ever-increasing dependence on mass-produced, market-based foods. This process of moving away from land-based diets to more highly processed, energydense market foods is described as the nutrition transition (Samson & Petty, 2006; Popkin, Lu, & Zhai, 2002). In addition to the high levels of food insecurity among Indigenous peoples, the nutrition transition has also contributed to a multitude of social, economic, and health disparities (Damman, Eide, & Kuhnlein, 2008; Kirmayer, Simpson, & Cargo, 2010; Kusumayati & Gross, 1998; Popkin, Adair, & Ng, 2012; Popkin, Lu, & Zhai, 2002; Robidoux & Mason, 2017). It must be understood that the nutrition transition was not experienced evenly among Indigenous peoples but depended on the amount of influence Euro-Canadians...