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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • APRIL 2017


Strengthening our relationships with land, food and people Reconciliation is about spiritual health, connection


by TAMARA LEIGH NANAIMO – A strong


connection to the land and community has long been a recipe for farm success. At the Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC) conference in Nanaimo in late February, keynote speaker Nicholas Peterson kicked off the conference by sharing his story of reconnecting with his culture, land and community. Peterson grows organic seed garlic with his family at Nicola Valley Produce near Merritt. He is currently a councillor with the Lower Nicola Indian Band but he was not raised in his indigenous culture or community. “On my mother’s side, I am


First Nations from the Lower Nicola Indian Band. Mom went through the residential


school system and wasn’t proud of who she was,” Peterson explains. “My father is from Salt Lake City, Utah. My grandfather invented a potato seed cutter, so I travelled with dad to farms around the world and was able to see the farmers and how their cultures and customs worked.” In 2010, Peterson moved


to Canada and started to farm. It wasn’t until he was elected to council in 2013 that his eyes were opened to the issues in his own community and the losses that were suffered because of losing their traditional connection to the land. “The first step in the


reconciliation process is acknowledging where we are and that injustices have happened in the past. It’s a huge step forward in the reconciliation process,” he says. “I am really blessed with so many opportunities, but it comes from the sacrifice and pains that came before me.” Rather than focus on the


history of injustice, however, Peterson offered the growers in attendance some thoughts on the importance of the spiritual aspect of health. “I’m not talking about


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religion but about the connection we have with everything around us, and taking a moment to nourish the spirituality in us and the people around us,” he says. Building on that


connection, he says, brings a greater sense of understanding and relationship between the farmer, the land, the harvest and the community. He tells the story of his own realization of that connection with salmon – how the ancestors of the salmon he catches fed his ancestors, and how that fostered a sense of responsibility in him to ensure the future health of the rivers that sustain them. “Sustainability comes when


we really understand our relationship with the fish,” he says. Extending the metaphor to farming, he adds, “As we raise animals humanely and nurture the soil, are we doing all we can, not just to produce quality food, but produce quality lives for the people around us?” When asked how food can become a tool for reconciliation, Patterson offered his perspective as both a farmer and community leader.


NICHOLAS PETERSON SUPPLIED PHOTO “First Nations want to


protect the environment and we want to create opportunities for First Nations. If there’s any way you can create an internship or create a spot for First Nations


youth in your community, get the local First Nations community involved in your farm as much as you can, and you’ll find they become a great asset,” he says. “I didn’t grow up on the


reserve. I didn’t grow up where my mom grew up and if I did, I’d probably be a totally different person. I think we take some of the people from reserve and give them apprenticeships or internships on farm, help them reconnect to their own relationships with the land. That’s an important step in healing.”


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