Indigenous food sovereignty: Reclaiming food as sacred medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand and Peru

Ko te whenua te herenga o ngā iwi taketake ki o rātou whanaunga o te taiao. Ko te tapu o te whenua me te hiranga o te whenua ki ngā mahi ahuwhenua ētahi o ngā āhuatanga e taunaki ana i te kaitiakitanga o te tangata me ōna whanaunga o te taiao. Ko tā mātou rangahau, he whakataurite i nga mātauranga, kōrero tuku iho me ngā kupu whakarite taiao o te iwi Māori me te iwi Quechua. Mā kōnei ka tātari mātou i te hiranga o ngā mahinga kai ki ēnei iwi taketake e rua. Ko te mātauranga taiao o ēnei iwi e rua te aho matua e taunaki ana i ō rāua tikanga whakarauora kai, whakarauora mātauranga taketake me te taiao hoki. Mā tēnei, kua kitea e mātou te hiranga o te kai ki te tino rangatiratanga, te kaitiakitanga o ēnei iwi taketake.

For Indigenous peoples, land is both an agricultural and sacred space where both human and nonhuman relations work together as stewards. This study pioneers a comparative study of the traditional ecological knowledge systems (TEK) of Maori and Quechua peoples. Drawing from talking circles with Maori and Quechua people, and narrative and metaphors from these traditions, this research shows that TEK is at the heart of Quechua and Maori peoples’ food values. Further, we highlight the vital role that TEK plays in framing practices and processes that drive the restoration of Indigenous peoples’ food systems, cultural knowledge and environmental health today. This study demonstrates that food can play a fundamental role in asserting collective self-determination, for moving beyond colonial approaches to food, and ultimately for pursuing environmental justice.