Initiatives

A core part of this project will be the development of a knowledge book of traditional foods that is accessible to the community, families, and individuals. This knowledge book will be developed through community engagement, research, and collaboration with knowledge keepers and Elders. It’s meant to be with community, by community, for community.

The knowledge book would include 1) steps to prepare/cook traditional foods, 2) maps of foods already accessible throughout Alberta (ex. Berries, roots, etc) 3) other medicines that can be used 4) the history of these traditional foods and the importance they hold in the culture and the importance of bringing them back to our regular diets and lives.

A piece of the knowledge book part of this initiative would be developing hampers/bundles that would accompany recipes/steps for preparing traditional foods, with a focus on providing these hampers/bundles to Elders (free of charge) who live in-reserve and the city and lack access to healthy foods and transportation to getting food.

Another piece of this project is wanting to train youth in cooking and preparing traditional foods, equipping the upcoming generations with these skills. The goal is to work with the community to bring in interested youth into the project and the initiatives, working towards capacity building so that these youth and the nation are equipped to work towards food sovereignty.

The goal in the future is to expand this project into a food truck that will be used to advocate and share these ideas of food sovereignty in urban and rural/in-reserve settings, as well as delivering food hampers to Elders on an ongoing and regular basis.