The Nuxalk and their Indigenous Foods

In recent decades Indigenous Peoples globally have experienced rapid and dramatic shifts in lifestyle that are unprecedented in history. Moving away from their own self-sustaining, local food systems into industrially derived food supplies, these changes have adverse effects on dietary quality and health.

The Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE) based in McGill University, Canada, responded to requests from indigenous leaders from around the world to help stop loss of traditional food system knowledge with research and community-driven activities that bridge the generations.

This series of videos presents highlights from 12 indigenous community areas in 9 countries, and is intended to contribute to the evidence base used to make global policies to protect Indigenous Peoples’ food resources and promote good health.

Located in the fjords, on the central west coast of British Columbia, Canada, the Nuxalk Nation participated in research to document the many animal and plant species in their local, cultural food system. Despite daunting environmental challenges traditional knowledge of Elders was used by community members to develop a broad range of education activities with local and market foods to improve health status, particularly for iron, folate and vitamin A.