Gaagige Zaagibigaa (GZ) is a grassroots organization committed to fostering self-determination for First Nations communities and families in Northern Ontario through transformative foodway initiatives.
We cultivate reciprocal relationships, provide funding interventions, and offer support to strengthen First Nations community and household foodway initiatives. Self-determination of foodways are crucial for First Nations empowerment, revitalization, reclamation, resilience, and wellness. GZ is dedicated to decolonizing administrative processes, establishing lasting capital resources, and assisting communities and households in developing resilient food systems that work for First Nations communities and households.
Our Mission
GZ is focused on promoting self-determined First Nations wellness and relationships through foodways. We aim to strengthen self-determination in communities by providing sustained funding with a decolonized approach. Our support extends to individuals, households, communities, and various projects. We support a diverse range of projects related to food self-determination, autonomy, and security, cultural reclamation, youth kinship, knowledge sharing, health and wellness, and community building.
Our mission is to uplift First Nations communities and households on their paths to developing resilient, self-reliant food ways and systems through their unique aspirations, on their own terms.
What Is Food Self-Determination?
Food Self-Determination provides a pathway to reclaiming the connection with ancestral guidance, securing land rights for hunting and fishing, and harvesting medicines that we have since time immemorial. This approach acts as a method of healing, a remedy contributing to First Nations wellness.
First Nations foodways and systems have been shaped by generations of relationships to the land and other than human kin. Despite colonization these relations have persisted through reciprocity and mutual respect. Self-determination of foodways involves honoring these relationships which connect all past, present and future generations through the collective intention of health and wellness for people, families, communities and the lands and waters.
Food Self-Determination can manifest by incorporating traditions into daily actions. This includes activities like:
It emphasizes the autonomy and empowerment of communities and individuals to determine and control their own food-related practices, policies, and systems. This approach highlights the right of communities and individuals to shape their food landscapes in a manner that aligns with their cultural, social, and economic priorities, fostering independence, revitalization, reclamation, resilience, and overall health and wellness.
Apply for GZ’s Self Determination Household Support Program:
