Harvest Programs in First Nations of Subarctic Canada: The Benefits Go Beyond Addressing Food Security and Environmental Sustainability Issues

Abstract

By breaking down barriers that impacted the ability of subarctic First Nations people to harvest waterfowl, the Sharing-the-Harvest program provided a safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food (i.e., geese) to James Bay Cree communities while also helping to protect the environment by harvesting overabundant geese. However, the impacts extend beyond those described above. Thus, the objectives of the present paper are twofold: to document the food sharing networks of the Sharing-the-Harvest program; and to examine the benefits associated with the harvest program beyond food security and environmental sustainability issues, as revealed through semi-directed interviews. In the regional initiative, harvested geese were shared with all James Bay communities; sharing is an important part of Cree culture. Where detailed information was collected, the goose-sharing network reached 76% of the homes in one of the communities. Likewise, in the local initiative, the goose-sharing network had a 76% coverage rate of the homes in the community. Although decreasing food insecurity was an important focus of the harvest-sharing programs, there were other benefits, from an Indigenous perspective, of being on the land, as identified by the Cree harvesters through semi-directed interviews (e.g., the transmission of Indigenous knowledge, the strengthening of social networks, and the feeling of wellness while out on-the-land). Thus, by participating in the on-the-land harvest programs, the Cree gained benefits beyond those solely related to strengthening food security and contributing in part to environmental sustainability. The Sharing-the-Harvest protocol has the potential to be adapted and employed by other Indigenous (or marginalized) groups worldwide, to help improve health and wellness, while, also protecting the environment from overabundant and/or invasive species.

The Impact of Land-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Self-Reported Health and Well-Being of Indigenous Adults: A Systematic Review

“…For example, in the USA, resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline from the Lakota people was motivated by many factors, one of which being the Lakota cultural and spiritual practices related to the environment. Water in Lakota life is seen as a lifegiving force, referred to as “the first medicine” [ 62 ]. Therefore, in many studies examining Indigenous health, impacts on the environment are described as being synonymous to impacts on Indigenous health [ 6 , 9 , 32 , 48 ].…”

“…This is also becoming more apparent with the increasing awareness on the importance of traditional food systems, which contribute to many aspects of health and well-being [ 11 , 63 ]. One study which used a community-based program to harvest overabundant geese in subarctic Canada found the program strengthened food security, contributed to environmental sustainability, and strengthened social networks and feelings of wellness for participants while on the land [ 62 ]. Working closely with community members allows for more effective, and culturally relevant ways to address the health disparities which impact communities [ 50 , 54 , 65 ].…”

Health measures of Eeyouch (Cree) who are eligible to participate in the on-the-land Income Security Program in Eeyou Istchee (northern Quebec, Canada)

“…Ideally, Indigenous measures of health and well-being should have been collected (e.g. the vertical and horizontal transmission of Indigenous knowledge, the re-establishing and strengthening of social networks, and the general feeling of wellness out on-the-land [ 113 ]). Nonetheless, the relatively large overall sample sizes of this study for an Indigenous nation, and the evaluation of the longest continuously running on-the-land intervention globally is unique.…”

Treaty No. 9 and the Question of “Unceded” Land South of the Albany River in Subarctic Ontario, Canada

“…As noted by Armstrong (2008: Executive Summary): "For the Ojibway and Cree people [of northern Ontario], this notion of 'giving up' or surrendering land was a totally foreign concept." However, the act of sharing is foundational to James Bay Cree culture (Tsuji and Nieboer, 1999;Tsuji et al, 2020b), which is why signatories of Treaty No. 9 contend that they only agreed to share the land (e.g., "Sharing the Land: A Mushkegowuk Treaty Awareness Initiative," Mushkegowuk Council, 2021; Table S2) external to their reserve land (Macklem, 1997).…”