Living Relations: Decolonizing Food Systems in Aotearoa New Zealand & Canada is a 20-minute documentary following Tayohserontye Nikki Auten of the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community and Jan Hania, Indigenous Māori elder of Aotearoa New Zealand as they meet in person for the first time with the Living Relations team.

Conceived in 2023 from a partnership among the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3ci) in Canada and the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre (NTRC), the Living Relations research project brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners from across Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand to strengthen Indigenous food sovereignty efforts through sharing stories and knowledge across cultures, continents, and generations.

As Nikki and Jan experience the wonder and wisdom of the Teme Augama Anishinaabe and Temagami First Nation lands on which the team gathers, they teach us different Indigenous ways of knowing, and invite us to open ourselves to connect with the land, water, and beings that comprise the world around us.

Last year, I was privileged to work with Dr. Carmen Robertson to film interviews with Anishinaabe artists and curators who were attending a weekend of storytelling called Visiting with Morriseau (check out all the interviews here or by clicking on the image above!).

With Morrisseau’s art in the background, these artists and curators shared their thoughts on Morriseau’s significance today. The videos were then prepared and edited for a really unique, interactive website all about Norval Morriseau’s work! Check out the website here: https://morrisseaustorylines.com/

I’m very glad I was able to contribute a small part to this incredible work.

The Living Relations project is a three-year, SSHRC-funded transnational research and knowledge mobilization project that seeks to amplify and build dialogue among Indigenous-led food system sustainability initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand and Canada. To do this, the project is sharing stories about Indigenous-led food system sustainability initiatives to show how such initiatives strengthen Indigenous food sovereignty and improve broader societal resilience.

The Living Relations project is comprised of several core partners, including the Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3ci) in Canada, the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre (NTRC) in Aotearoa New Zealand, the First Nation of Na Cho N’Yuk Dun in the Yukon Territory, the Indigenous-led non-governmental organization Plenty Canada, the Teme Augama Anishinaabe and Temagami First Nation, and the First Nations Technical Institute based in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. This diverse team of partners, organizations and Nations includes Indigenous expert advisors as well as researchers from Carleton University, the University of Canterbury, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Lakehead University, First Nations’ Technical Institute, University of Otago, Queen’s University, and York University among others.

This partnership brings together deep experience in sustainable agriculture, fisheries and food systems, law and governance, environmental protection, and Indigenous food sovereignty.