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Historically and contemporarily, colonial policies and prejudices have deeply affected Indigenous food systems and thus Indigenous bodies. For Cree peoples in Manitoba, these policies include the criminalization of practicing traditional medicines, residential schools and land dispossession in the name of development. However, despite the challenges and interruptions to food and cultural systems, Cree Elders understand food to be sacred, and moreover, a healer. This qualitative study, grounded in Indigenous research methodologies, sought to investigate the role of food in Cree culture, through understanding how Elders incorporate food into their helping and healing practices. Using metaphor to make meaning of the Elder stories, this research articulates the role of food in Cree culture: through feeding oneself, one’s ancestors, and one’s community. The Elders revealed the rich depth of Cree food knowledges that underlie Cree culture, from star stories, language, and grieving ceremonies to knowledge of plant and food medicines. This dissertation is an exploration of Cree guidance for revitalizing and rebuilding Cree food systems as part of a larger Indigenous food sovereignty framework.

Background: This dissertation documents a journey of an Anishinaabekwe student into the space where western and Indigenous methodologies meet. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRCC) Call to Action #19, challenges all levels of government to close the gap in measurable maternal and child outcomes. This study employs a decolonizing framework to examine the impact of the federal policy of evacuating women residing in rural and isolated First Nation communities in Manitoba to urban centres to deliver their babies. The overarching goal was to demonstrate how a decolonizing framework and positioning traditional Knowledge Keepers and knowledge at the forefront can inform quantitative research. Approach and Methods: Decolonizing elements embedded within an Indigenous framework framed the retrospective cohort study by employing an Indigenous framework, a Council of Grandmothers/Knowledge Keepers/Grandmother Advisor to guide the research. A cohort comprising low-risk women residing in Manitoba First Nation communities who delivered a baby between the years 2005-2015 was assembled to compare women who travelled for birth and were subject to the “Out for Confinement” (OFC) policy (the practice of sending women out of their communities for birth) to those women who did not. Population-level administrative data housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy were analyzed using logistic regression models to assess the association between the OFC policy on maternal, infant and child outcomes. Results: Utilizing an Indigenous framework, this study generated evidence that the present-day colonial OFC policy harms Indigenous women, families, and communities. The OFC policy was associated with increased inadequate PNC (OR 1.64, 1.51, 1.79 CI) and small for gestational age births (OR 1.25, 1.02, 1.50 CI) and decreased breastfeeding initiation (OR 0.55, 0.50, 0.61 CI) and maternal psychological distress diagnoses (OR 0.43, 0.36, 0.51), after adjusting for various con

The purpose of this review is to summarise past Inuit health and wellness studies in Manitoba and the Kivalliq region of Nunavut to provide a snapshot of the types of studies available and identify the gaps in knowledge. Research to date has largely been disease-based and often provides comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Distinct Inuit experiences are rarely written about from an Inuit perspective. However, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national organisation of Inuit in Canada, and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada have been leaders in strengths-based community research and publications that address priorities determined by the Inuit, including the 2018 Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami document National Inuit Strategy on Research (132).

Indigenous women are increasingly returning to culturally based birthing practices to assert their sovereignty over their bodies and their birthing experience generally. The impact of colonization on birthing experiences for First Nations women in Canada has been profound and extends into generations of families. First Nations women across Canada have traditionally birthed in their communities surrounded by families and community, observing many traditions around pregnancy and birthing including placenta burying and belly button ceremonies. These traditions and this circle of care and support resulted in resiliency, strength and a connection to the land and family. In Manitoba, Indigenous women are becoming trained and engaged in supporting their fellow Indigenous relatives and community members as Indigenous doulas or birth workers. This paper describes the experiences of the first cohort of Indigenous doulas trained in Winnipeg, Manitoba by the Manitoba Indigenous Doula Initiative (MIDI), also known as Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag, and describes the specific contributions and impacts of Indigenous doulas who support Indigenous women during pregnancy and birth. Through qualitative interviews, our participants described various understandings of their work, purpose and their impacts on the women and families they support. Four recurring themes which emerged across the interviews included: prior negative birthing experiences, clashes with mainstream health and social services, the understanding of doulas as advocates, and empowerment and disempowerment. These themes all spoke to ongoing challenges Indigenous women continue to face during their pregnancies and births in mainstream healthcare systems, as well as highlighting the key forms of support that doulas can provide to ensure the self-determination and well-being of the women they work with.

As a concept and in practice, Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) offers insights into the social, cultural, and environmental challenges of a deficient food system. The associated poor health outcomes of this system include infant and child health issues such as early childhood caries and childhood obesity, and are a grave concern in many First Nations communities. Extant research has failed to consider the role of infant feeding traditions as an element of Indigenous food sovereignty. Breastfeeding and country food (also called traditional food or cultural food) consumption among infants has been long practiced in First Nations communities, resulting in healthier infants. The research described in this article originated with a research project called the Baby Teeth Talk study (BTT). This is a community-based trial which is testing a pre-natal/post-natal behavioural and preventive intervention for early childhood caries (ECC) among pregnant First Nations women and their infants in urban and on-reserve communities in Ontario and Manitoba. In Norway House Cree Nation, located in northern Manitoba, research participants shared stories on the methods used by caregivers for oral health care, including breastfeeding promotion. This paper reviews the literature relating to IFS, breastfeeding, and the introduction of country food to infants. Through the voices of grandmothers in one community in northern Manitoba, Canada, we connect the introduction of country food and breastfeeding to the larger IFS movement and positive health outcomes for infants, and improve the conceptualization and practice of IFS.

In Canada, Métis cultural restoration continues to advance. Food practices and protocols, from the vantage point of Métis women who were traditionally responsible for domestic work, qualify as important subjects worthy of study because food and food work are integral components of family health and well-being. This qualitative grounded theory study explored Métis cultural food in Manitoba, Canada, with the intent to honour Métis women. Twenty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with Métis residents of urban Winnipeg and southern rural Manitoba. Results indicate that women were traditionally the keepers of culinary knowledge and practices in Métis families, and were highly resourceful in feeding large families and often other community members. Traditional foods were often land-based (wild and cultivated), and frequently enhanced by market foods. There is a strong sense of history, pride, identity, and desire for revitalization through cultural activities such as food; however; there is a gap in associated knowledge translation or “teachings”. While some Métis families are rooted in their culture and practices related to Métis foods, others are not as connected to the foods and recipes they grew up with. There is, however, a desire to reestablish family recipes and food protocols, and increase access traditional foods which are perceived as beneficial for Métis people. Results of this thesis will provide Manitoba Métis people with opportunities for critical reflection on food and their identity as Métis; food origins; the role of food in our lives; and how ecological and political structures affect the production and consumption of food. In addition, this project will provide educators with an alternative discourse as it relates to food. Rather than focusing on nutrients and contemporary foods available in retail stores, culturally-based food education provides an important holistic approach to overall health and well-being that is self-affirming and strength-base

The Baby Teeth Talk Study (BTT) is a partnership-based research project looking at interventions to prevent early childhood caries (ECC) in First Nations populations in Canada. Community-based researchers (CBRs) conducted preventive and behavioral interventions that targeted expectant mothers and their newborns, over a 3-year period. The work of the CBRs requires a great deal of training and skills to administer the interventions. It also requires a broad set of strategies to meaningfully engage participants to make health-promoting changes in their behavior to prevent ECC in their children. After implementing the intervention, BTT CBRs participated in interviews to explore the strategies they employed to engage participants in the prevention of ECC. CBRs perceived two key strategies as essential for meaningful engagement with BTT participants. First, CBRs indicated that their shared experiences through motherhood, First Nations identity, age, and childhood experience provided a positive foundation for dialog with participants that lead to build trust and rapport. Second, supportive interpersonal and culturally based communication skills of the CBR provided further foundation to engage with participants from a strength-based approach. For example, the CBRs knew how to effectively communicate in ways such as being gentle, non-intrusive, and avoiding any perception of judgment when discussing oral health behavior. In First Nations health research, CBRs can provide an essential link in engaging participants and the community for improvements in health. Researchers should carefully consider characteristics such as shared experience and ability to understand cultural communication styles when hiring CBRs in order to build a solid foundation of trust with research participants.

Background: Breastfeeding is a gift from mother to child and has a wide range of positive health, social and cultural impacts on infants. The link between bottle feeding and the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) is well documented. In Aboriginal communities, the higher rates of ECC are linked with low rates of breast feeding and inappropriate infant feeding of high sugar content liquids. Methods: The Baby Teeth Talk Study (BTT) is one project that is exploring the use of four interventions (motivational interviewing, anticipatory guidance, fluoride varnish and dental care to expectant mothers) for reducing the prevalence of ECC in infants within Aboriginal communities. This research explored cultural based practices through individual interviews and focus groups with older First Nations women in the community. Results: Participants in a First Nations community identified cultural based practices that have also been used to promote healthy infant feeding and good oral health. A wide range of themes related to oral health and infant feeding emerged. However, this paper focusses on three themes including: breastfeeding attitudes, social support for mothers and birthing and supporting healthy infant feeding through community programs. Conclusions: The importance of understanding cultural health traditions is essential for those working in oral public health capacities to ensure there is community acceptance of the interventions.

Food sovereignty has recently emerged as a means of addressing food-related problems that confront many Indigenous and rural communities around the world. It moves beyond access to food, and is grounded in the idea that people should self-determine their food systems and cultural traditions. This is particularly important for Indigenous people who still face threats to their food systems linked to colonialism. I explore Indigenous food sovereignty by examining 24 community-located food initiatives across western Canada. Outcomes were summarized using a circle metaphor describing four key elements of Indigenous food sovereignty: history, connection to the land, relationships and identity. A related Indigenous Food Gathering was also held, focusing on reflection, the importance of cultural identity to Indigenous food sovereignty and informing the thesis through a personal narrative. Moving forward requires a shift in how Indigenous food relationships are understood, incorporating Indigenous worldviews and perspectives as part of a larger resurgence movement.

The nuances within the youth of the Norway House Cree Nation along with the escalation in drugs, gangs and violence have led to climbing incarceration rates within the youth population. This has resulted in social devastation in the community over the last few decades. Statistics alone do not provide individual or community perspectives, or the nuanced understanding that insider qualitative research provides. In-depth interviewing provides personal accounts from the youth, community members, and respected Elders, and helps to provide insights on the complexity of community life that are absent from statistical accounts. By the time this thesis is defended, another noose will tighten, another fatal gunshot will be fired, and another youth will overdose on drugs or another suicide attempt might succeed. For many who manage to escape death, they will continue to face a life of abuse, poverty, and an uncertain future that may lead to a lifetime of incarceration, and premature death. This is the reality for too many youth of the Norway House Cree Nation. The community looks directly to their leaders not only to guide the economic development of the community, but at a very personal level. Our youth are very astute and observant; community leaders must demonstrate positive and healthy behaviour within the leadership in order for positive youth outcomes. Ekosani!