Indigenous Food Sovereignty

From February 4th to the 5th 2019 we gathered for the Pacific Food Sovereignty and Traditional Knowledge Conference hosted by Takahiwai Marae, Northland Aotearoa.

We were reminded at this gathering by our elders that the treasures that the gods gave us to sustain our lives, the gifts of the Sky Father and Earth Mother like the tuna (eel), plants and fish, fauna and forests still belong to us, as Te Tiriti o Waitangi also affirms.

We, as Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa, the Americas and the world have been given the responsibility to take care of these sacred treasures, to protect and care for them, to learn from them and use them in a way that ensures their health and survival so that our future generations will also be strong and healthy.

We were also reminded by our youth about the fears they have for their futures as a result of the changes they are seeing in our natural environment.

Our traditional knowledge, Indigenous sciences, and evidence-based ancestral practices are still alive and strong. These include the interconnected understandings about our star navigation systems, lunar calendars, deep and shallow fresh and sea waters, seasons, wind, weather, high and low tides, high and low energies, and the natural migration patterns of birds, fish, sea mammals and other living things. These interlinked elements make up our traditional food systems.