We hope that everyone has been enjoying the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) “Food is Medicine" Wellness Campaign this year. There are so many ways to begin or continue your journey this month, whether that be testing out new recipes, engaging in the three-part webinar series or planting and harvesting seeds in preparation for the summer. However you have participated this month we only hope that you have fun and find something that works for you!
On March 5, we kicked off the campaign with the first of a three-part Food is Medicine series on Zoom. In collaboration with the Indigenous Sport and Recreation Council (I-SPARC) we hosted Jacob Beaton, a Tea Creek Indigenous food sovereignty leader. To read more about Tea Creek and watch their documentary, check out last week's
article.
Our second webinar in this innovative food security and food sovereignty series is honoured to welcome special guests from the
Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Family Society.
The Warrior Model
In the summer of 2015, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ community of Hitacu on the West Coast of Vancouver Island asked community members for their perspective about the wants, needs and dreams of their Nation's men. Men wanted to learn on the land and from the land. They were also looking for brotherhood with other men in their Nation. Although initially launched for adult men, only boys and teenagers attended during the first two years of the program, so it was their vision that shaped what has become the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Warrior program.
Over the last eight years the program has grown steadily in popularity, and the group continues to meet one night per week in Hitacu and one weekend per month in remote parts of Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ territory. On weeknights, Warriors learn a variety of skills and provide support to Elders and community members with yard work around their homes and wherever else they may be needed. Weekend training not only provides the young men with opportunities to apply the traditional knowledge and survival skills that they have learned on weeknights, but also to nurture their ability to lead small teams of younger Warriors.
In addition to this and other great workshops they hosted, the team travels throughout all of Nuu-chah-nulth to bring medicine-making and food preservation workshops to Warrior youth and their communities. Pitch-salve workshops, pouring candles, soap making, and canning foods are all fun ways to learn new skills together and create gifts to be shared with one another. Supplies, equipment, and ingredients are left in the village so that the youth warriors and supporting community can continue to hone their new skills and teach others.
Today the program model is hosted in several Nuu-chah-nulth communities, weaving traditional and mainstream leadership and wellness teachings and practices together on the land to build capability, cultural pride and confidence in young men. The young men who were 12 and 13 years old in the beginning are now 18 and 19 and help teach this program model to other Nations.
The program model continues to be guided by the youth voice, and they have created a consistent and safe space for all healthy community members to rebuild their cultural and personal pride by sharing their skills and stories.
Virtual Q&A
Come join us for an hour and 30 minute conversation to hear from the Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Family Society on the great food sovereignty work the youth program has done regarding the lands and waters within their communities. This is your opportunity to ask questions and begin or continue your own Food is Medicine journey! For more information, their website is:
www.warriortoolkit.com.
Zoom Link to Join:
Register through the individual Zoom link provided below. Registration is required, and the event information will be sent via email upon registration. If you have questions about registration, please contact
food@isparc.ca .
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tuQ5g7b-SbihtQ9mK06vAw
We encourage you and your families to try new foods, create new recipes, and enjoy spending time with loved ones to nourish your wholistic wellbeing.
Here are some additional ideas for this month's Food is Medicine Wellness Challenge:
- Try one of the delicious recipes from the FNHA's and Indigenous Sports Activity and Recreation Council's (I-SPARC's)
Food is Medicine Cookbook. Post your creation on social media and tag us @FNHA or share it
here.
- Sit with an Elder or knowledgeable community member and learn more about the traditional foods and medicines in your territory, and how to harvest them in a good way.
- Eat more fruit, vegetables and wild berries. Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as healthy as fresh foods and are often cost-effective and accessible.
- Take part in harvesting activities on the land, such as fishing, hunting, trapping and canning. Check out FNHA's Traditional Food Fact Sheet and the Canning Guide for wise practices and helpful tips!
- Read (and listen to!) FNHA's newest publication explores how traditional foods, medicines, nutrition and food security are common themes to First Nations communities across all five regions of British Columbia. The
Common Language Project Report 2023, is grounded in a wholistic approach to health and wellness and delves into how food is relational to First Nations people.
Wishing everyone a mindful March full of nutritious food and good medicine! We look forward to seeing you on March 10 for the Virtual Webinar.
