IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v22y2025i2p181-d1579011.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cree Food Knowledge and Being Well

Author

Listed:
  • Tabitha Robin

    (Department of Applied Biology, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada)

  • Michael Anthony Hart

    (Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

Abstract

This paper explores the crucial role of Cree elders’ knowledge in revitalizing Indigenous food sovereignty, focusing on food as a cornerstone of Cree identity, spirituality, and wellbeing. Based on a study of Cree elders in Manitoba in 2020, this paper highlights the depth of Cree food knowledge, intertwined with spiritual practices, language, and land ethics. Using an Indigenous research paradigm, ten Cree elders were interviewed and shared their experiences of traditional communal practices, the detrimental impacts of colonialism on food systems, and the spiritual connections between food, land, and community. The elders emphasized the need for education and the preservation of Cree languages, which encode critical knowledge for sustaining food practices. Through their stories, elders illustrated how food sovereignty is not merely about physical sustenance but involves maintaining sacred relationships and responsibilities to the land and all its inhabitants. This research underscores the importance of Cree knowledge in reclaiming and sustaining Indigenous food systems, essential for the health and resilience of Cree communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Tabitha Robin & Michael Anthony Hart, 2025. "Cree Food Knowledge and Being Well," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:2:p:181-:d:1579011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/2/181/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/2/181/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lisa Jordan Powell & Hannah Wittman, 2018. "Farm to school in British Columbia: mobilizing food literacy for food sovereignty," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(1), pages 193-206, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Megan Grubb & Christian R. Vogl, 2019. "Understanding Food Literacy in Urban Gardeners: A Case Study of the Twin Cities, Minnesota," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Elvira Molin & Michael Martin & Anna Björklund, 2021. "Addressing Sustainability within Public Procurement of Food: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-21, December.
    3. Mercado, Geovana & Nico Hjortsø, Carsten, 2023. "Explaining the development policy implementation gap: A case of a failed food sovereignty policy in Bolivia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    4. Sarah McManus & Donna Pendergast & Harry Kanasa, 2025. "The Intersection Between Food Literacy and Sustainability: A Systematic Quantitative Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-32, January.
    5. Daniel Gaitán-Cremaschi & Diego Valbuena & Laurens Klerkx, 2024. "The roles and dynamics of transition intermediaries in enabling sustainable public food procurement: insights from Spain," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(4), pages 1591-1615, December.
    6. Jennifer E. Gaddis & June Jeon, 2020. "Sustainability transitions in agri-food systems: insights from South Korea’s universal free, eco-friendly school lunch program," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(4), pages 1055-1071, December.
    7. Raquel Rosas & Filipa Pimenta & Isabel Leal & Ralf Schwarzer, 2022. "FOODLIT-Trial: Protocol of a Randomised Controlled Digital Intervention to Promote Food Literacy and Sustainability Behaviours in Adults Using the Health Action Process Approach and the Behaviour Chan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-14, March.
    8. Sarah Riggs Stapleton, 2019. "Parent activists versus the corporation: a fight for school food sovereignty," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(4), pages 805-817, December.
    9. Xiangping Jia, 2021. "Agro-Food Innovation and Sustainability Transition: A Conceptual Synthesis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-24, June.
    10. Palumbo, Rocco & Adinolfi, Paola & Annarumma, Carmela & Catinello, Giuseppina & Tonelli, Marco & Troiano, Ersilia & Vezzosi, Stefania & Manna, Rosalba, 2019. "Unravelling the food literacy puzzle: Evidence from Italy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 104-115.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:2:p:181-:d:1579011. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.