What Does Food Sovereignty Mean to the Homalco Community?

Colonization and urbanization have had devastating impacts on Indigenous food systems, the repercussions of which are still salient today. However, research shows that food sovereignty has the potential to strengthen Indigenous communities and improve health outcomes. This thesis explores how the idea of food sovereignty is conceptualized by the Homalco Nation in the city of Campbell River and what opportunities and barriers exist in realizing this model of food sovereignty. For this research, I engaged in open-ended conversations with Homalco community members in order to hear their food stories. Participants’ stories demonstrated the significance of land, specific foods, customs and values for Homalco food sovereignty and served to highlight key barriers and opportunities relating to this conceptualization of food sovereignty. This research contributes to the larger body of literature surrounding urban Indigenous food sovereignty by providing insight into what this idea may look like at the community level.