Friedrichsen 2019 Thesis
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TAKING UP THE PLOW (AGAIN)? EXPLORING THE RESURGENCE OF FIRST NATIONS FARMING AND FOOD PRODUCTION IN CENTRAL SASKATCHEWAN A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Environment and Sustainability In the School of Environment and Sustainability University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By PETER J. FRIEDRICHSEN Copyright Peter J. Friedrichsen, December, 2019. All Rights Reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the School of Environment and Sustainability 117 Science Place University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C8 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5C9, Canada i ABSTRACT The Canadian Prairies are known as a centre of agriculture and food production, but the experiences of Indigenous peoples are rarely included in this narrative. This research investigated the current state of First Nations farming and food production (FNFFP) in Central Saskatchewan. I explored the interest, ideas, and efforts of local First Nations to build their own food systems and to use food production as a driver of community development. Empirical data were gathered through: semi-structured interviews with the “Champions” who spearhead FNFFP initiatives in the region, along with the organizations that support them; an intrinsic case study of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation’s “food forest” initiative, drawing on participant observation and semi-structured interviews; and, the use of a document review and semi-structured interviews to learn how past (twentieth century) experiences shape the sector today. FNFFP Champions (including those from Muskeg Lake) were brought together to discuss initial research findings. While the sector’s growth has been restricted due to a lack of enabling government policies and programs, and the socio-economic challenges that First Nations face in the region, a significant number of communities are investing time, energy, and ideas into FNFFP initiatives. They do so for multiple reasons, including health, food security, and land-based education. With the help of Champions and supportive organizations (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous), First Nations are innovating to build capacity, overcome barriers, and use food, and the growing of food, as a vessel for broader community development and self-determination goals. KEY WORDS First Nations, food systems, farming, social innovation, rural, community-engaged research ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my supervisor Jim Robson for supporting me and my work throughout this project. Graduate school was a challenging but rewarding undertaking, and I would not be who I am today without your guidance. I could not ask for a better Supervisor. Thank you to my Advisory Committee members for your commitment to my work and sage advice. Your ideas and suggestions were valuable to me and I am glad I was able to meet you all in person. Thank you to Glenna Cayen and Canadian Feed the Children for inviting me to Muskeg Lake and introducing me to so many great people there. For me, Muskeg Lake and the food forest were the heartbeat of my work and I feel very fortunate to have met Glenna and that I am welcome at Muskeg Lake. Thank you to Muskeg Lake Cree Nation for allowing me to do research with your community and spend so much time there. I deeply enjoyed getting to know people there and spending time at events like Treaty Day and the unforgettable Family Literacy Camps. I also want to give special thanks to Gloria Greyeyes and Leona Cayen for their kindness. Thank you to all of the Champions who shared their time and experience with me. Special thanks to Patricia Ballantyne for including me at the Family Literacy Camps. Thank you to all of my “has-beanz” (Amanda, Beth, Jenna and Lindsey) for being the amazing “woms” you are. Your friendship, laughter and love were the best medicine for the harder days and I could not be more grateful to have shared the grad school journey with you. Thank you to my family for your love, support, advice and care packages. And thank you to Ryan for always supporting me and inspiring me to be my best. I will always be grateful for you. Special thanks to Anuja Thapa for her help with the maps featured in this thesis and for being a great listener and supportive when I needed to rant. Lastly, while my research never claimed to be decolonizing in itself, I did work diligently to find ways for my research to be useful for the Champions who participated in this work, particularly Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. In the future, I might look back and realize missteps or better decisions I could have made as a researcher. However, this was a very valuable experience for me and I know it will guide me, and hopefully others, to conduct better research with Indigenous communities in the future. iii The research was funded by Dr. James Robson (through a USask New Faculty Fund) and a SSHRC Insight Grant, ‘Ethno-biology Design and Food System Innovation for Indigenous and Local Communities in Canada and Bolivia’ (2015-2020, Davidson-Hunt PI). iv DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to Deanna Greyeyes, who passed away shortly after I met with her. She was an avid gardener, loving mother and grandmother. She will be missed yet remembered fondly. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE .................................................................................................................. i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES AND PLATES ............................................................................................. ix LIST OF TEXT BOXES ................................................................................................................ ix ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 Research context ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Purpose statement ............................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Research intent .................................................................................................................................. 3 1.5 Organization of the Thesis ................................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 4 2.1: First Nations and farming in the Canadian Prairies: A brief history ......................................... 4 2.1.1 Farming pre-contact (5000 BCE – 1350s CE) ............................................................................................. 5 2.1.2 The ‘little ice age’ and ecological imperialism (1350s – mid-1800s) ......................................................... 5 2.1.3 The Treaties and the reserve system (1800s-1930s) .................................................................................... 6 2.1.4 The modern decline and lull (1900s) ........................................................................................................... 9 2.1.5 A revival in First Nations farming and food production? (2000s-present day) ......................................... 10 2.2: What drives First Nations’ interest in farming and food production? ..................................... 13 2.2.1 Pathways to self-determination: