Reimagining Futures Through the Lens of Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Knowledge Systems

• In Event: Indigenous Perspectives on Knowledge that Colonialism Tries to Forget and Indigenous Peoples Seek to Remember

Abstract

Food is more than just sustenance; it is a vital vessel of knowledge that firmly anchors us in our history, culture, and identity. Food is essential to child development and learning outcomes and is an important social determinant of health. For Indigenous communities it serves as a powerful reminder of the profound connections between people, land, and traditions, enabling us to reclaim and preserve a collective memory that honors Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Food sovereignty practices are important in combatting food insecurity which is experienced globally by hundreds of thousands of children and their families who are from impoverished, marginalized, war ravaged and stigmatized communities, many of which are also Indigenous communities. Through more than a decade of ethnographic and transdisciplinary research focusing on Indigenous science/knowledge, foodways, and environmental justice in Peru, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Turtle Island, my work investigates how Indigenous peoples act as seed keepers, food producers, and champions of sovereignty and self-determination. The findings illustrate how these communities are resiliently reconstructing food systems in the face of colonial legacies and environmental degradation. This research highlights the crucial role of food as a transformative tool for reimagining our futures, deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge and creativity. By embracing these insights especially in schooling we can work towards revitalizing human-nature relationships and fostering cultures of well-being to address urgent challenges such as climate change and food insecurity.

Author

• Mariaelena Huambachano, Syracuse University