By Kim McGibbon, Registered Dietitian, Thunder Bay District Health Unit
Spring is in the air here in Northern Ontario and as the snow begins to melt we get excited for the chance to see things begin to grow, including things we can eat. Fiddleheads, spruce tips and dandelion greens become available and provide tasty treats every spring in the boreal forest. Whether or not you have foraged or tasted these foods, they have been gathered here in our area for hundreds of years, by those who lived here before settlers came to this land. This tradition of harvesting and eating with the land connects us to the knowledge and practices that have sustained people here for generations. To share some of this knowledge a 13 Moons Traditional Harvesting guide was created in partnership with Elders, knowledge keepers and a variety of community partners to showcase a way of eating with the seasons.
The Understanding Our Food System (UOFS) project is a participatory, community-engaged and action focused project led by the TBDHU in partnership with 14 First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario with a goal of working towards Indigenous food sovereignty. The UOFS project is part of the TBDHU’s ongoing efforts to support Indigenous people in leading work that is meaningful to their communities, knowing that Indigenous food sovereignty is a necessary condition for healthy communities. The goal of the UOFS project is to support communities to determine their own food systems through community-led initiatives and projects. The present goals were developed through a community food sovereignty assessment conducted in 2022, where over 150 community members, including traditional harvesters, fisher people, trappers, youth, Elders, administrators, and council members from 9 of the 14 communities, shared their input on what they feel would help support them in their own food sovereignty work.
The Understanding Our Food Systems project is working on the themes from the community food sovereignty assessment and has recently rolled out a curriculum document using the traditional harvesting resource (13 Moons calendar) for Kindergarten, Grade 1 and 2, students. The curriculum includes lesson plans, activities, templates, resource links, recipes, and more! The content for these wonderful resources was provided by Shy-Anne Bartlett, the Manager of Indigenous Education at Superior-Greenstone District School Board and Red Rock Indian Band member. This curriculum can be downloaded from our website and you will find it in the ‘resources for educators’ section. This resource is a way to expand on the learning of Indigenous food systems and the 13 Moons by bringing the teachings to children in the communities around our region and beyond.
The UOFS team has also worked alongside a local artist, Shelby Gagnon, to create a colouring book that highlights foods from the land based on the 13 Moons resource. You can print off individual sheets or the whole resource from our website. We also have hard copies so please reach out to Kim on the Healthy Living team if you would like these to use these in your classroom. Additionally, the UoFS website features numerous videos on traditional foods and the 13 Moons calendar, which includes an interactive component to help you learn which foods were traditionally eaten at different times of the year. Learn more about our work on our website: www.understandingourfoodsystems.com.
For further information on nutrition related topics visit “Healthy Eating” in the Healthy Living Section of TBDHU.COM. Kim McGibbon is a Registered Dietitian with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and an executive committee member of the Food Action Network of Northwestern Ontario. She can be reached at kim.mcgibbon@tbdhu.com or call 807-625-5956.
