Review of First we eat: Food sovereignty north of 60

• Published in: Canadian Food Studies 2023-03, Vol.10 (1), p.154-157
• Main Authors: Littlefield, Catherine, Ballamingie, Patricia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: community food connections; first we eat; food literacy; neoliberal food system; self-sufficiency; susanne crocker
• ISSN: 2292-3071; 2292-3071
• DOI: 10.15353/cjds.v10i1.575

Suzanne Crocker’s 2020 film First we eat documents her and her family’s efforts to spend an entire year eating only food that can be grown, gathered, and hunted around Dawson City, Yukon, in the traditional territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Living 300 km south of the Arctic Circle, Crocker’s experiment was spurred by a landslide that disrupted the supply of imported foods into the territory, serving as a wake-up call to food system vulnerability, including increasing and unpredictable climate impacts. First we eat offers an educational glimpse into local northern food systems and food sovereignty that generates reflection on the importance of connecting and learning through communal food networks. In addition to community food connections, the food literacy, self-sufficiency, creativity, change, and challenge involved in eating locally for one year reflect the disconnect between consumers, producers, and land in contemporary food systems. The Crocker family learns a great deal about food harvesting, production, processing, and storage, much of which reflects the knowledge embedded in local and Indigenous food practices. First we eat serves as a starting point for discussions about food security, localizing food systems, and food sovereignty, as well as critical reflection on how Indigenous land, food sovereignty, and knowledge are central to these discussions. Crocker’s ambition to eat entirely locally for one year inspires reconnection with food, land, and community, encouraging viewers to explore how they might become more engaged with their local food system. Dans le film First we eat, sorti en 2020, Suzanne Crocker documente les efforts de sa famille pour se nourrir, pendant une année entière, uniquement d’aliments cultivés, récoltés et chassés autour de la ville de Dawson, au Yukon, sur le territoire traditionnel des Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. L’expérience de Crocker, vivant à 300 km au sud du cercle arctique, a été motivée par la perturbation de l’approvisionnement alimentaire sur le territoire en raison d’un glissement de terrain. C’est à ce moment qu’a émergé une prise de conscience de la vulnérabilité de leur système alimentaire, notamment à cause des effets croissants et imprévisibles des changements climatiques. First we eat présente un regard pédagogique sur les systèmes alimentaires locaux du nord et sur la souveraineté alimentaire qui nous invite à réfléchir à l’importance de tisser des liens et d’apprendre grâce à des réseaux alimentaires communau