Indigenous Food Systems Network

Published on Feb 11, 2014

Decolonizing the Mind: Healing Through Neurodecolonization and Mindfulness -

Author, educator, medical social worker and citizen of the Arikara (Sahnish) and Hidatsa Nations in North Dakota, Michael Yellow Bird, MSW, Ph.D. works with indigenous communities, teaching about healing the trauma of colonialism. On January 24, 2014 he spoke about his experiences at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, sharing his ideas about how to do go about doing this through techniques of mindfulness, thought and behavior which he refers to as neurodecolonization.

Dr Vandana Shiva at Mount Allison University in 2012

Aboriginal peoples are among the most food insecure groups in Canada, yet their perspectives and knowledge are often sidelined
in mainstream food security debates. In order to create food security for all, Aboriginal perspectives must be included in food
security research and discourse. This project demonstrates a process in which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal partners engaged in
a culturally appropriate and respectful collaboration, assessing the challenges and barriers to traditional foods access in the urban

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We are not being heard.pdf

Members of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, joined by prominent environmental advocates, went out to Burrard Inlet today to participate in a prayer ceremony for the earth and protest against oil sands development, as well pipeline expansions and tanker traffic along the coast. Participants rowed their boats near the terminal of American pipeline giant Kinder Morgan, which intends to triple the capacity of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline and potentially quadruple oil tanker traffic around Burrard Inlet.

The Haida recognize that nature and culture are intrinsically connected, and that the protection of the natural and cultural values on Haida Gwaii is essential to sustaining their culture. The Haida have always had Guardian Watchmen who protected the land and sea from harm. Guardians and Watchmen now work in fisheries, forestry, heritage and parks programs to support the Council of Haida Nations’ priority to protect the Aboriginal rights and title of Haida people.

Peruvian indigenous farmers have been angered by a government research
agency that has claimed it owns intellectual property (IP) rights over
more than fifty traditional varieties of potatoes bred in the Peruvian Andes.
The potatoes were bred not by government researchers but by indigenous farmers, who consider the claims to be an affront to their culture,knowledge and resources. In letters to the government, meetings, and a protest in the city of Cusco, the
farmers have insisted that the claims be dropped entirely.

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INIA final.pdf

Canada’s state and corporate wealth is largely based on subsidies gained from the theft of Indigenous lands and resources. Conquest in Canada was designed to ensure forced displacement of Indigenous peoples from their territories, the destruction of autonomy and self-determination in Indigenous self-governance and the assimilation of Indigenous peoples’ cultures and traditions.

Hi Flora
PicI am writing you today to ask that you send off a quick letter before November 7th to the federal government about a trout-filled lake on BC's Chilcotin Plateau west of Williams Lake. If the feds take the action we are asking them to take, they will be saving the lake and whole lot of time and money as well.
The lake I am talking about is Fish Lake. If that name sounds familiar it should.

Our program to advocate for indigenous peoples affected by multilateral development banks is a cornerstone of the work at the Indian Law Resource Center. This project began in the late 1970s when the Center represented the Yanomami people of Brazil. The Yanomami lived a peaceful and self-sufficient life, with no ties to the global economy, until Brazil received money from the World Bank to build a road through their territory. The road unleashed chaos within the Yanomami communities. Road workers brought malaria and many Yanomami died because they had no resistance to the disease.

Network Environments for Aboriginal Research - British Columbia (NEARBC) is a website and list serv service hosted by the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research. It focuses on Aboriginal children, youth, adults, and Elders' health across BC and further afield. There you can find news, events, job opportunities, and an abstracts database, and you can also subscribe to the e-news which is published every Friday.