August 9, 2012 International Day of the World's Indigenous People Food Systems

Symbol for the Indigenous People of the World was created by Rebang Dewan, a Chakma boy from Bangladesh. It features two ears of green leaves facing each other and cradling a globe resembling planet earth. Within the globe is a picture of a handshake (two different hands) in the middle and above the handshake is a landscape background. The handshake and the landscape background are encapsulated by blue at the top and bottom within the globe. In the graphic above, I attempted to recreate the symbol using foods.

"Together, let us celebrate and recognize the stories, cultures and unique identities of indigenous peoples around the world. At the same time, let us work to strengthen their rights and support their aspirations.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

International Day of the World's Indigenous People

The focus of this year’s International Day is "Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices". The theme aims to highlight the importance of indigenous media in challenging stereotypes, forging indigenous peoples' identities, communicating with the outside world, and influencing the social and political agenda. 

Global UN Forum Marks Decade-long

Effort to Promote Rights
of Indigenous People

It is also a reminder of the responsibility of individuals as consumers, to understand that there is a story and a personal experience behind every food, piece of cloth, textile or artwork from an indigenous individual or community.

Native American Tribe Turning to
Traditional Indigenous Food Groups
to fight Diabetes

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (Rome 2009) prepared a documentary, called the Food Systems of Indigenous Peoples.

This book seeks to define and describe the diversity in food systems, nutrition and health in 12 rural case studies of Indigenous Peoples in different parts of the world as a window to global Indigenous Peoples’ circumstances.

A procedure for documenting Indigenous Peoples’ food systems was developed by researchers working with the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE) at McGill University, Canada, and the FAO. The procedure was adapted and applied in case studies located in Canada, Japan, Peru, India, Nigeria, Colombia, Thailand, Kenya, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The collective intent of this documentation is to show the inherent strengths of the local traditional food systems, how people think about and use these foods, the influx of industrial and purchased food, and the circumstances of the nutrition transition in indigenous communities. This research was completed with both qualitative and quantitative methods by Indigenous Peoples and their academic partners in the context of the second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, and the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted in 2007 by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Resource:
Indigenous Food for Better Health