The Cross Border Food Security of Vuntut Gwitchin Food Security

Due to a combination of factors, the Vuntut Gwitchin (Old Crow, Yukon) are facing significant challenges in accessing and securing traditional foods for household consumption. While commercial foods have become more readily available, the nutritional quality is far inferior to traditional wild foods. Maintaining access to reliable and nutritious food sources is a part of a larger social and political system in which food procurement occurs. Enforcement of the Canada and the United States border has affected the Vuntut Gwitchin’s ability to access traditional food sources – including the harvesting, sharing and receiving of these traditional foods. Household interviews and surveys in Old Crow were conducted and describe the extent to which food sharing occurs between Old Crow and Gwich’in Communities in Alaska and the Northwest Territories; identifies the social and political barriers that are impeding food sharing from occurring and argues that the issue of food security relate directly to indigenous sovereignty and the rights of the Gwitchin to define their own policies and strategies for the production, distribution, and consumption of sustainable and healthy food sources.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Environment and Sustainability (M.E.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environment and Sustainability

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Jeans, Tobi

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Natcher, David C.
• Innes, Robert A.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Walker, Ryan
• Abonyi, Silvia

• Food Security, Canada/USA border, aboriginal, Vuntut Gwitchin Territory, Yukon Territory

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2012-08-668

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/ETD-2012-08-668