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ABSTRACT
Aboriginal peoples in Canada continue to undergo dietary transitions. Diets once consisting of traditional foods are being replaced by lower quality store foods, which scientific and local perspectives accredit to the dramatic emergence of obesity and related diseases in Aboriginal communities. Our research team documented the extent of traditional food consumption in two First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario. A combination of surveys and in-depth ethnographic research revealed the complexities of maintaining a healthy diet. Results show that traditional food is not accessible to all individuals and healthy store foods are expensive and often not in stock.
"The Medicine is in the Land. "(Kasabonika Elder, Kasabonika 2008).
Introduction
It has been well documented (Szathmáry, Ritenbaugh et al. 1987; Murphy, Schraer et al. 1995; Kuhnlein and Receveur 1996; Blanchet, Dewailly et al. 2000) that Aboriginal peoples in Canada have and continue to undergo dietary transitions. Diets that were once reliant on off-the-land food sources are to varying degrees being replaced by lower quality western based store bought food items, which scientific and local perspectives accredit to the dramatic emergence of obesity and obesity related diseases in Aboriginal communities (Batal, Gray-Donald et al. 2005; Kuhnlein and Receveur 1996; Robidoux, Haman et al. 2009). With funds from the Northern First Nations Environmental Contaminant Program, our research team, made up of researchers from the fields of toxicology, physiology, nutrition sciences and ethnology, set out to document the extent to which off-the-land foods are consumed in two remote First Nations communities in northwestern, Ontario. While the overall objective of this research program is to document the associated benefits and risks of local food sources, the focus of this paper will be on off-the-land dietary practices and their general persistence in contemporary life. Unlike other studies that base dietary assessments on standard 24 hour recalls and/or brief dietary surveys/questionnaires, this research combined surveys with in-depth ethnographic research that reveal the complexities not only about traditional food consumption, but the manner in which researchers document these practices.
Community Profiles
Wapekeka First Nation (Angling Lake) is located 26 km Northwest of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) and 451 km northeast of Sioux Lookout in northwestern Ontario (Figure 1 ). The latitude and longitude of the reserve is 53 N49' and 89...