Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food”
Harvesting mammals, fishes, birds, eggs, and plants underpins Inuit culture across Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homeland in Canada). Climatic and nonclimatic drivers affect Inuit access to these items and have cascading effects on social determinants of Inuit health. A holistic understanding of the diversi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Arctic Science |
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| Online Access: | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0007 |
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| author | Natalie Ann Carter Nicolien van Luijk Jackie Dawson Colleen Parker Kayla Grey Jennifer Provencher Chantel Emiktaut Natasha Simonee Gloria Song Sonia Wesche |
| author_facet | Natalie Ann Carter Nicolien van Luijk Jackie Dawson Colleen Parker Kayla Grey Jennifer Provencher Chantel Emiktaut Natasha Simonee Gloria Song Sonia Wesche |
| author_sort | Natalie Ann Carter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Harvesting mammals, fishes, birds, eggs, and plants underpins Inuit culture across Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homeland in Canada). Climatic and nonclimatic drivers affect Inuit access to these items and have cascading effects on social determinants of Inuit health. A holistic understanding of the diversity and seasonality of harvesting is needed to support Inuit food sovereignty and security. Our goals were (a) to develop a broader understanding of the diversity and seasonality of harvesting country food across varied geographic contexts in Arctic Canada, and (b) further document the significance and benefits of country food as part of Inuit food sovereignty and systems across a range of communities. Knowledge holders in 14 communities spanning three Inuit regions shared knowledge and perspectives surrounding species harvested seasonally and species’ significance. Results demonstrate the range of overlapping yet diverse country food systems across Inuit regions, the seasonality and temporality of harvesting, and include a “survey” of species related to Inuit culture. This study highlights the cultural significance and benefits (nutritional, medicinal, mental health, connection to culture, and language) of country food; and reinforces that harvesting, processing, sharing, and eating country food are fundamental aspects of Inuit culture, wellbeing, and food sovereignty. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-97f9f1e6bcb84153b274db24bacbd3af |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-97f9f1e6bcb84153b274db24bacbd3af2025-02-03T12:00:12ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602025-01-011111510.1139/as-2024-0007Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food”Natalie Ann Carter0Nicolien van Luijk1Jackie Dawson2Colleen Parker3Kayla Grey4Jennifer Provencher5Chantel Emiktaut6Natasha Simonee7Gloria Song8Sonia Wesche9Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaWWF-Canada, Inuvik, NWT, CanadaDepartment of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Ottawa, ON, CanadaIndependent Researcher, Coral Harbour, NU, CanadaIndependent Researcher, Pond Inlet, NU, CanadaFaculty of Law, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaHarvesting mammals, fishes, birds, eggs, and plants underpins Inuit culture across Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homeland in Canada). Climatic and nonclimatic drivers affect Inuit access to these items and have cascading effects on social determinants of Inuit health. A holistic understanding of the diversity and seasonality of harvesting is needed to support Inuit food sovereignty and security. Our goals were (a) to develop a broader understanding of the diversity and seasonality of harvesting country food across varied geographic contexts in Arctic Canada, and (b) further document the significance and benefits of country food as part of Inuit food sovereignty and systems across a range of communities. Knowledge holders in 14 communities spanning three Inuit regions shared knowledge and perspectives surrounding species harvested seasonally and species’ significance. Results demonstrate the range of overlapping yet diverse country food systems across Inuit regions, the seasonality and temporality of harvesting, and include a “survey” of species related to Inuit culture. This study highlights the cultural significance and benefits (nutritional, medicinal, mental health, connection to culture, and language) of country food; and reinforces that harvesting, processing, sharing, and eating country food are fundamental aspects of Inuit culture, wellbeing, and food sovereignty.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0007Inuit food sovereigntyharvestingseasonalcountry foodInuit Nunangat |
| spellingShingle | Natalie Ann Carter Nicolien van Luijk Jackie Dawson Colleen Parker Kayla Grey Jennifer Provencher Chantel Emiktaut Natasha Simonee Gloria Song Sonia Wesche Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food” Arctic Science Inuit food sovereignty harvesting seasonal country food Inuit Nunangat |
| title | Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food” |
| title_full | Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food” |
| title_fullStr | Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food” |
| title_full_unstemmed | Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food” |
| title_short | Niqivut (our food)—dimensions of Inuit country food harvesting and significance in Arctic Canada: bountiful, seasonal, “soul food” |
| title_sort | niqivut our food dimensions of inuit country food harvesting and significance in arctic canada bountiful seasonal soul food |
| topic | Inuit food sovereignty harvesting seasonal country food Inuit Nunangat |
| url | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0007 |
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