Adrianne Xavier | Royal Roads University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Adrianne Xavier

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development

This article examines the extent to which Indige­nous-led food systems and sovereignty goals, fra... more This article examines the extent to which Indige­nous-led food systems and sovereignty goals, frameworks, and priorities are recognized, affirmed, and supported within the agri-food pub­lic sector. For this study, we focus on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), but the findings and analysis have implications for settler-Indigenous relations more broadly. First, we situate Indigenous food systems and sovereignties within the context of agri-food bureaucracies in Canada. We then present the research design, which involved 27 interviews with people working within or collaborating with OMAFRA on issues related to agricultural land use, programming, and development, and Indige­nous relations and food systems. The find­ings are categorized into five themes: differing needs, visions, and priorities; land access, conver­sion, and health; representation; consultation and consent in agri-food programming; capacity build­ing. The findings reveal major gaps in ...

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation

In this field notes section we explore our work as a collective of Indigenous and settler academi... more In this field notes section we explore our work as a collective of Indigenous and settler academics, food providers, and community-based organizers, including how we came together over several plates of nachos and a shared vision of deepening our relationships to land rooted in (non)(de)(anti)colonial and feminist perspectives. In this ‘field notes’ piece, we articulate what research based in relational accountability looks like for us, including the challenges and practices we have come across as we strive to make our work possible as a collective, and navigate a rather complex relationship with academia. We suggest that this work of relational accountability might also be considered ‘field work’ (or ‘feels work’ as some of our members refer to it).

BMC Public Health

Background Research on Indigenous food literacy within Canada has been focused on northern and re... more Background Research on Indigenous food literacy within Canada has been focused on northern and remote communities despite the fact there are considerable and unique barriers to food access, availability, and utilization in southern Indigenous communities. Food insecurity is also a prevalent issue among Indigenous Peoples living in these more populous regions. Study objectives included investigating the determinants of food choice among youth, along with perceived opportunities that would improve food environments individually and at the community level. Methods This community-based study used Photovoice to explore the perceptions and experiences of traditional foods and the determinants of food choice among youth in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River. Participants took photos of their local food environments, including where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared, and participated in semi-structured interviews to share the stories behind these images. Themat...

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation

The emerging literature on the Indigenous food movement identifies community involvement, family-... more The emerging literature on the Indigenous food movement identifies community involvement, family-centred food education and re-establishing a relationship with the land as essential to restoring sustainable food systems, land and water access. These processes of reclamation have similarly evolved through collaborative community processes and guiding practices described in this chapter that have taken place in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River. The evolution of social movements and relationships to reinforce patterns of support through the transference of knowledge has led to the “guidance” that continues to adjust and change. This unique form of guidance is not in the form of a westernized practice of creating formalized lists meant for general distribution with the intent of controlling food-based practices. In the community of Six Nations, guidance and practice are informed and conveyed by people and supported through established networks and relationships. This type...

Routledge Handbook of Food Waste, 2020

Amongst the individuals whose influence I would like to acknowledge are Raul Sebastian, Cesar Sar... more Amongst the individuals whose influence I would like to acknowledge are Raul Sebastian, Cesar Sarasara and Juan Reategui who inspired and encouraged my early work with Indigenous peoples in Peru; Alejandro Argumedo who in 1993 first challenged me to work on building bridges between customary law and dominant legal regimes; Maui Solomon who first told me I was on the right track; Aroha Mead who was quick to show me where I was off the track; and the late Del Wihongi who told me I was family. I am also indebted to Violet Ford,

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation, 2018

Urban and reserve-based First Nation families in southern Ontario frequently experience food inse... more Urban and reserve-based First Nation families in southern Ontario frequently experience food insecurity as well as more limited access to traditional, more nutrient dense foods from the local environment. Healthy Roots was initiated in the community of Six Nations to promote traditional food consumption. A small number of participants eating only locally available foods reported better-controlled blood glucose, positive weight change and increased traditional food knowledge. New relationships and partnerships were also developed. Our Sustenance, a community organization that was responsible for the local farmers market, community gardens, good food box program, and other community programs, joined the Healthy Roots Committee to continue advancing the knowledge and activation of the community-based initiatives such as the development of a Haudenosaunee Food Guide. Healthy Roots may serve as a model and inspiration to other Indigenous communities looking to reconnect to their local en...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous ... more Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples within Canada have expressed a desire to consume more traditional foods; however, there are a number of barriers to doing so. Southern and urban communities face unique challenges associated with traditional food consumption. To address these concerns and build on community interests in a Haudenosaunee community in Southern Ontario, a participatory research project was initiated. This community-based study utilized Photovoice methodology to explore the perceptions of and experiences with traditional foods among local youth. Participants ranging in age from 15–22 (n = 5) took photos of their local food environments, including locations where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared during two seasons of the year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect participants’ stories behind 8–10 self-selected images. A thematic analysis was subsequently utilized to id...

Food Leadership, 2017

Six Nations is another name for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy; Haudenosaunee means ‘people of the... more Six Nations is another name for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy; Haudenosaunee means ‘people of the Longhouse’ (Ramsden, 2006). The Haudenosaunee people are a major Indigenous group in North America, who are commonly known as the Iroquois. The six Haudenosaunee nations included in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy are the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. Although Six Nations territory spans what is now called Canada and the United States, this chapter focuses specifically on the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, Canada, one of the largest reserves in Canada.

This story is a recollection and discussion of the personal, social and historical creation and o... more This story is a recollection and discussion of the personal, social and historical creation and operation of the Our Sustenance program; an Indigenous food sovereignty and security initiative at the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Southern Ontario, Canada. This dissertation includes a discussion of Indigenous food connection as a framework for understanding the social, cultural, and community connections to food, food knowledge, and how that fits into operating a food security initiative. Growing food connects to culture, language, community building, and social inequities within a positive experience that creates trust and knowledge transfer. The themes of this discussion include Indigenous ways of knowing, food knowledge transfer, community building, and the creation and inclusion of food sovereignty, security, and the promotion of health and well-being for all facets of whole-person health. The Six Nations specific research also discusses the potential for the use of ...

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development

This article examines the extent to which Indige­nous-led food systems and sovereignty goals, fra... more This article examines the extent to which Indige­nous-led food systems and sovereignty goals, frameworks, and priorities are recognized, affirmed, and supported within the agri-food pub­lic sector. For this study, we focus on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), but the findings and analysis have implications for settler-Indigenous relations more broadly. First, we situate Indigenous food systems and sovereignties within the context of agri-food bureaucracies in Canada. We then present the research design, which involved 27 interviews with people working within or collaborating with OMAFRA on issues related to agricultural land use, programming, and development, and Indige­nous relations and food systems. The find­ings are categorized into five themes: differing needs, visions, and priorities; land access, conver­sion, and health; representation; consultation and consent in agri-food programming; capacity build­ing. The findings reveal major gaps in ...

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation

In this field notes section we explore our work as a collective of Indigenous and settler academi... more In this field notes section we explore our work as a collective of Indigenous and settler academics, food providers, and community-based organizers, including how we came together over several plates of nachos and a shared vision of deepening our relationships to land rooted in (non)(de)(anti)colonial and feminist perspectives. In this ‘field notes’ piece, we articulate what research based in relational accountability looks like for us, including the challenges and practices we have come across as we strive to make our work possible as a collective, and navigate a rather complex relationship with academia. We suggest that this work of relational accountability might also be considered ‘field work’ (or ‘feels work’ as some of our members refer to it).

BMC Public Health

Background Research on Indigenous food literacy within Canada has been focused on northern and re... more Background Research on Indigenous food literacy within Canada has been focused on northern and remote communities despite the fact there are considerable and unique barriers to food access, availability, and utilization in southern Indigenous communities. Food insecurity is also a prevalent issue among Indigenous Peoples living in these more populous regions. Study objectives included investigating the determinants of food choice among youth, along with perceived opportunities that would improve food environments individually and at the community level. Methods This community-based study used Photovoice to explore the perceptions and experiences of traditional foods and the determinants of food choice among youth in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River. Participants took photos of their local food environments, including where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared, and participated in semi-structured interviews to share the stories behind these images. Themat...

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation

The emerging literature on the Indigenous food movement identifies community involvement, family-... more The emerging literature on the Indigenous food movement identifies community involvement, family-centred food education and re-establishing a relationship with the land as essential to restoring sustainable food systems, land and water access. These processes of reclamation have similarly evolved through collaborative community processes and guiding practices described in this chapter that have taken place in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River. The evolution of social movements and relationships to reinforce patterns of support through the transference of knowledge has led to the “guidance” that continues to adjust and change. This unique form of guidance is not in the form of a westernized practice of creating formalized lists meant for general distribution with the intent of controlling food-based practices. In the community of Six Nations, guidance and practice are informed and conveyed by people and supported through established networks and relationships. This type...

Routledge Handbook of Food Waste, 2020

Amongst the individuals whose influence I would like to acknowledge are Raul Sebastian, Cesar Sar... more Amongst the individuals whose influence I would like to acknowledge are Raul Sebastian, Cesar Sarasara and Juan Reategui who inspired and encouraged my early work with Indigenous peoples in Peru; Alejandro Argumedo who in 1993 first challenged me to work on building bridges between customary law and dominant legal regimes; Maui Solomon who first told me I was on the right track; Aroha Mead who was quick to show me where I was off the track; and the late Del Wihongi who told me I was family. I am also indebted to Violet Ford,

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation, 2018

Urban and reserve-based First Nation families in southern Ontario frequently experience food inse... more Urban and reserve-based First Nation families in southern Ontario frequently experience food insecurity as well as more limited access to traditional, more nutrient dense foods from the local environment. Healthy Roots was initiated in the community of Six Nations to promote traditional food consumption. A small number of participants eating only locally available foods reported better-controlled blood glucose, positive weight change and increased traditional food knowledge. New relationships and partnerships were also developed. Our Sustenance, a community organization that was responsible for the local farmers market, community gardens, good food box program, and other community programs, joined the Healthy Roots Committee to continue advancing the knowledge and activation of the community-based initiatives such as the development of a Haudenosaunee Food Guide. Healthy Roots may serve as a model and inspiration to other Indigenous communities looking to reconnect to their local en...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous ... more Traditional foods contribute to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples within Canada have expressed a desire to consume more traditional foods; however, there are a number of barriers to doing so. Southern and urban communities face unique challenges associated with traditional food consumption. To address these concerns and build on community interests in a Haudenosaunee community in Southern Ontario, a participatory research project was initiated. This community-based study utilized Photovoice methodology to explore the perceptions of and experiences with traditional foods among local youth. Participants ranging in age from 15–22 (n = 5) took photos of their local food environments, including locations where foods were acquired, consumed, prepared, or shared during two seasons of the year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect participants’ stories behind 8–10 self-selected images. A thematic analysis was subsequently utilized to id...

Food Leadership, 2017

Six Nations is another name for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy; Haudenosaunee means ‘people of the... more Six Nations is another name for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy; Haudenosaunee means ‘people of the Longhouse’ (Ramsden, 2006). The Haudenosaunee people are a major Indigenous group in North America, who are commonly known as the Iroquois. The six Haudenosaunee nations included in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy are the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. Although Six Nations territory spans what is now called Canada and the United States, this chapter focuses specifically on the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario, Canada, one of the largest reserves in Canada.

This story is a recollection and discussion of the personal, social and historical creation and o... more This story is a recollection and discussion of the personal, social and historical creation and operation of the Our Sustenance program; an Indigenous food sovereignty and security initiative at the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Southern Ontario, Canada. This dissertation includes a discussion of Indigenous food connection as a framework for understanding the social, cultural, and community connections to food, food knowledge, and how that fits into operating a food security initiative. Growing food connects to culture, language, community building, and social inequities within a positive experience that creates trust and knowledge transfer. The themes of this discussion include Indigenous ways of knowing, food knowledge transfer, community building, and the creation and inclusion of food sovereignty, security, and the promotion of health and well-being for all facets of whole-person health. The Six Nations specific research also discusses the potential for the use of ...