National Indigenous Peoples Day, marked each year in Canada on June 21, honours the heritage and culture of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people — and that, in part, means celebrating the delicious traditional foods from Indigenous groups across the country.
Les Doiron, Nu-chah-nulth Tribal Council vice-president and member of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (YOU-slew-with-AT) First Nation, hopes more people will embrace traditional foods — in part because of the sugar content in settler cuisine, as he worries about diabetes and other health conditions caused by unhealthy diets.
“Traditional food is, I mean, it’s the lifeblood of all of our people,” he said.
Doiron stressed the importance of deer, birds, moose, elk and sea life in the traditional diet.
“My mother would eat anything that came out of the ocean,” he said.
“Wildlife — that was the Costco back in the day.”
But now, he said, with many Indigenous people living in urban settings, it can be difficult to get access to fresh meat and seafood.
According to Statistics Canada, more than 800,000 Indigenous people were living in urban settings across the country in 2021, up 12.5 per cent from five years prior.
That’s almost half of the total of 1.8 million Indigenous people living in Canada total, according to census data.
Leading up to Indigenous Peoples Day, CBC’s The Early Edition learned about the significance of some traditional Indigenous foods.
Salmon sandwiches
Chief Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance, said salmon is not just a menu choice, it’s a big part of Indigenous history.
Wild Pacific salmon are used for social and ceremonial purposes for many First Nations in B.C., he said.
“For me it brings a lot of comfort, identity, oneness,” he said, adding that visits with family often mean big feasts with salmon sandwiches — or “fish shangwiches,” as Chamberlin says with a smile — and soup.
“It’s just such a grounding meal.”
Chief Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance, talks about the history and importance of salmon sandwiches to First Nations in B.C.
Bannock
Bannock is a fry bread that’s typically made from wheat flour, oil or butter, baking powder and water.
Chef and restaurant owner Sharon Bond-Hogg, a member of the Nooaitch First Nation, said bannock was introduced in the early days of the fur trade, when ingredients were brought to reserves.
“My ancestors had to figure out ways to survive off … these ingredients,” she said.
Bannock, she said, has become a symbol of Indigenous people’s survival.
Chef Sharon Bond-Hogg explains why bannock, a simple flour-based fry bread, is so important to Indigenous cuisine, and how it helped her launch her restaurant business.
Nillii Gaii
Nillii Gaii (ni-LEE guy-EE) is wild game that’s been dried by wood stove heat or smoke and has a little bit of seasoning, according to traditional chef and Indigenous food educator Stephanie Baryluk.
“It’s something we’ve always done,” she said, adding that her mother and grandmother often made it. She said she’s been eating it since she started teething — chewing on a piece her mom made that was tougher, so that pieces couldn’t flake off.
Baryluk, who is Teetl’it Gwich’in from Teetl’it Zheh in the Northwest Territories, said these days some people eat it with avocado, but traditionally her family ate it with salt or butter.
“It’s just a part of who we are,” she said.
To help celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day, local chef and Indigenous food educator Stephanie Baryluk talks about the traditional caribou dried meat, called Nillii Gaii.