Chiminissing 100-Mile Market: Preserving Traditional Growing Knowledge while Feeding the Community

By Tiffany Ruffett July 7 2012

A few centuries ago, the wave of immigration to this land brought a tremendous amount of upheaval and displacement for every Indigenous Nation on Turtle Island in the years which followed.  

Contrary to what we were once taught, the Indigenous People of this land were advanced agriculturalists and generally food secure through hunting, trapping, fishing, gathering, farming and trading practices.  

Many of the common foods we eat today are crops originally domesticated, cultivated or harvested by the Indigenous People of the “New World”.  These “New World” foods include corn, beans, squash, potato, tomato, chili pepper, cashews, peanut, cocoa (chocolate), vanilla, gourds, maple syrup, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapples, avocado and sunflowers, among many other items.  These crops were introduced around the world and some quickly became the staple diet of many People globally. 

Meanwhile here in Canada, restrictions and conditions placed upon the Indigenous People quickly brought about food insecurity and hunger became common.  Indigenous farmers often found themselves unable to grow their crops on the newly-created reserves on lands which tend to have poor growing conditions.   Those Indigenous farmers who were successful and had extra harvest were often denied permission to leave the reserve to attend market or trading posts.  Similar restrictions on travel affected hunting and gathering practices, again reducing the food sources of the People.   Through a succession of government policies over time, food insecurity has become common on many First Nation/ Indian Reserves and remains to this time.

Today, many People living on the Christian Island Reserve have come to rely on purchased food items with limited income.  Island residents are generally required to travel to town every week or so to purchase food items; or pay higher prices if purchased locally in the one general variety store in business on the Island.  In the warm season, the 2 hour travel time (return) to town consists of a vehicle and boat, while winter travel brings further challenges.  With rising costs of food and transport along with alarming rates of diabetes and heart disease, community members have begun to seek alternatives to their food system.

In an effort to address food access issues, residents of Christian Island in conjunction with 100 Mile Huronia and Karma Marketplace, will be hosting the “Chimnissing 100 Mile Market”.  Aiming to support local farmers and businesses while increasing local access to fresh and healthy foods for residents and cottagers, the market will run every Monday in July and August at the Waterfront Pavilion on Christian Island. Community members are invited to participate and sell their produce, baked goods, arts/crafts or other market items. 

In addition, community members of Beausoleil First Nation have started the “Chimnissing Gitigan”; a community-supported agricultural project with a focus on food security, sovereignty and ensuring traditional growing knowledge is passed to the next generations.   Volunteer members contribute their time to collectively grow a variety of food and traditional medicinal items; all items of which are shared upon harvest amongst the members who participate. Members have the opportunity to learn or share skills, reduce their grocery bills and supplement their diets with fresh healthy foods, while working collectively to preserve many traditional and historical seeds.

This year, apple trees were added in a Mother’s Day Tree Planting Ceremony, officially starting the Chimnissing Community Orchards.  Through funding assistance provided by TreeCanada and generous contribution by the late Gordon Leonard of Huronia Nurseries, Chimnissing Community Garden members of all ages and capabilities had 112 trees welcomed with ceremony, planted, staked, and watered within a few short hours.  A little over a month later, the trees have blossomed and many already have small apples. “Gord”, the Red Delicious tree named in memory of our late friend, stands tallest in the orchard and serves as a beautiful testament of what may be accomplished when we work in the spirit of unity, caring, sharing and respect.

We are already aware that many children in Canada do not have enough to eat, and we have also recently been made aware of the shocking food prices in the North through the “Feeding My Family” awareness campaign.  When we, as responsible citizens, live in a country with an abundance of food sources and are aware there are fellow citizens without enough to eat, we must seriously examine the question of why a healthy basic diet is still unobtainable for so many.  Through innovative approaches and collective efforts, we must ensure no citizen in our own country goes hungry.