In my previous blogpost regarding my field
placement, I shared that I chose to re-adjust my placement plan and do
something different. Some other students did the same as I did while others
chose to continue their plans while adjusting to COVID-19 rules. Like I had
previously mentioned I had initially planned to work in my home community of
Fisher River Cree Nation. I was going to create a food guide. This guide was to
map our food system and provide information on how to eat nutritionally and
traditionally in ways that are accessible, affordable, and easy. I had hoped it
could be a guide to revitalizing Fisher River’s unique food culture as they are
a Cree community living amongst a sea of Anishinaabe communities.
Unfortunately, that did not happen.
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| Corn growing m my yard in Fisher River |
There were several reasons why I chose to
not do my initial plan during the pandemic. One of the larger ones was that my
community chose to close its borders to nearly everyone except for on-reserve
members, which I found to be a valid choice. The other major reason I chose not
to do my placement there during the pandemic was because of the topic. I was
looking at food sovereignty and food security and I didn’t think it was fair or
right that I, even as a community member, go to Fisher River during a time of
uncertainty and do research about the food system.
If there is anything that MDP has taught me over my two years in the program, it’s the importance of doing research the right way. Fisher River is fortunate enough to be a thriving Indigenous community with capable and amazing community members, but it doesn’t exempt them from the myriad of issues surrounding Indigenous communities and the struggle for food sovereignty and security. Who was I to come into the community, someone who hadn’t lived on-reserve for nearly 10 years, and begin to question the food system during a time like this? Or ask questions about how people access and afford their food during what could arguably be called an economic crisis? Where access to affordable foods might be difficult. Not only that, commercial fishing, a huge source of income and food in the community, was halted across Manitoba. As soon as I realized these things, I called it off. I spoke with Shailesh and voiced my concerns, and thankfully (as much as we both would like to do this project), he agreed that this was not the right time.
Doing research on/in/with Indigenous communities during times like these means that as a researcher, even an Indigenous one, we need to think about the consequences, impacts, and realities of what our research does. Honestly, even without the pandemic, we need to consider these things. Even with our community partners being open, willing, and excited to work on this project, we need to understand and consider the impacts any research we do. I encourage other researchers, students, organizations who want to do research with Indigenous communities to think about what this pandemic is doing to Indigenous communities, and consider “is this the right time to be doing research”?
If there is anything that MDP has taught me over my two years in the program, it’s the importance of doing research the right way. Fisher River is fortunate enough to be a thriving Indigenous community with capable and amazing community members, but it doesn’t exempt them from the myriad of issues surrounding Indigenous communities and the struggle for food sovereignty and security. Who was I to come into the community, someone who hadn’t lived on-reserve for nearly 10 years, and begin to question the food system during a time like this? Or ask questions about how people access and afford their food during what could arguably be called an economic crisis? Where access to affordable foods might be difficult. Not only that, commercial fishing, a huge source of income and food in the community, was halted across Manitoba. As soon as I realized these things, I called it off. I spoke with Shailesh and voiced my concerns, and thankfully (as much as we both would like to do this project), he agreed that this was not the right time.
Doing research on/in/with Indigenous communities during times like these means that as a researcher, even an Indigenous one, we need to think about the consequences, impacts, and realities of what our research does. Honestly, even without the pandemic, we need to consider these things. Even with our community partners being open, willing, and excited to work on this project, we need to understand and consider the impacts any research we do. I encourage other researchers, students, organizations who want to do research with Indigenous communities to think about what this pandemic is doing to Indigenous communities, and consider “is this the right time to be doing research”?
I look forward to working on this project
in the future and being back home on the land. For now, I will continue to do
work and learn about what research is and needs to be.
Yours, Taylor
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| My yard in Fisher River |
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