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

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 Māori and Quechua peoples. Drawing from talking circles with Māori and Quechua people, and narrative and metaphors from these traditions, this research shows that TEK is at the heart of Quechua and Māori 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.