Indigenous food gathering nourishes culture and climate resiliency
Nitanis Desjarlais and her son Chico Seitcham harvesting traditional foods like urchins and seaweed in Nuu-chah-nulth territory on western Vancouver Island. Photo by Melody Charlie @FirstNationPhotographer
By Rochelle Baker
First Nations from across Vancouver Island are gathering this week to celebrate and strengthen traditional food sovereignty and deepen Indigenous communities' response to climate change and other emergencies.
The landmark Island Indigenous Food Gathering near Port Alberni, B.C., involves hundreds of members from the Nuu-chah-nulth, Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations from both coasts and the length of the island, said organizer Nitanis Desjarlais.
The Indigenous-led event on Thursday and Friday will allow participants to network, strategize and exchange knowledge and stories around traditional foods and practices, said Desjarlais, a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Food and Nutrition Sovereignty Network.