Abstract: Ancestral food practices are not only a piece of cultural identity but also have a large role in intergenerational connection and physical health. With the introduction of global food markets and changing farming practices, Indigenous communities are suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition. This paper highlights the way ancestral food practices maintain cultural heritage and sustain the health of Indigenous communities.
Foods native to Colombia such as corn, arracacha, “mote,” and beans were historically noted as the main source of nutrition for indigenous communities. Due to the abuse of natural resources, the replacement of native crops, and the introduction of “Western: foods, ancestral foods and their methods have started to disappear (Amaya-Castellanos et al., 2022). As of 2020, Colombia reported 43.5% of its land area to be agricultural land, with 50.2% of Indigenous households using farming as their sole provider of sustenance (crops and/or livestock) (Amaya-Castellanos et al., 2022). This huge reliance on subsistence crops has made these environmental changes even more impactful. The largest consequence has resulted in a greater burden of food insecurity and malnutrition for Indigenous populations than non-Indigenous populations. This paper will outline the importance of ancestral foods and practices in community wellness and cultural survival.
The gastronomic heritage of a country seems trivial at first glance but reveals itself to be connected to various aspects of community such as wellness, culture, and environment. In a study conducted in Putumayo, Colombia researchers looked at the essential role food practices have on the cultural and physical health of the Inga indigenous population. The Ingas home of Aponte, Nariño began its first changed after its colonization in 1930. This brought along a huge shift in cultural values (fashion, spirituality, language, etc.) and an influx of consumer products (Amaya-Castellanos et al., 2022). With colonization came globalization, changing labor practices, environmental health, and trade. These changes are not inherently bad, simply an introduction of new modalities and commodities. The trouble results from an upturning of decades of tradition that held strong cultural significance and provided the community with an already healthy structure. Globalization in this context has most notably changed the Ingas day-to-day lives by harming agroforestry systems. The complex nature of traditional agroforestry began to decrease with the introduction of monocultures and cash crops incentivized by the government. With this came a decreased opportunity for food self-sufficiency and a disruption is family labor (Palacios Bucheli et al., 2021). Rural communities who have been able to work for and survive off of their own crops are now not producing a diverse portfolio and forced to require hired labor as younger generation migrate to urban areas (Palacios Bucheli et al., 2021). In addition, the environment suffers as biodiversity is reduced from the adoptions of agricultural specialization (monocultures and cash crops). These changes prove the dangers that come with globalization: economically, culturally, and environmentally.
Figure 1: Palacios Bucheli et al.
Looking more deeply at family dynamics, colonization and global markets do more than just harm family labor systems. The Amaya-Castellanos et al. study “Loss of ancestral food practices and perception of its effect on children’s health among Inga indigenous grandmothers, Nariño, Colombia” looks at the cultural and nutritional aspects of ancestral food loss. By studying the cooking and feeding practices in grandmothers and next-generation mothers in the Inga community, researchers found an increase in the use of nontraditional foods such as rice, bread, and pasta. The introduction of “tiendas” and access to newer/different foods are again not necessarily harmful. The issue arises when food intake is no longer controlled by limited, fairly nutritional foods. With buying power comes a shift in diet, leading to an increase in the consumption of high-energy low-nutrition foods (Amaya-Castellanos et al., 2022). Ancestral customs are not only essential for preserving cultural practice and knowledge but also important for health. Ancestral food practice does not need to be dismissed entirely but integrated into these new food systems.
Works Cited
Amaya-Castellanos, C. (.1,2 )., et al. “Loss of Ancestral Food Practices and Perception of Its
Effect on Children’s Health among Inga Indigenous Grandmothers, Nariño,
Colombia.” BMC Public Health, vol. 22, no. 1, Dec. 2022. EBSCOhost,
Palacios Bucheli, Vandree Julian, et al. “Indigenous Family Labor in Agroforestry Systems in the Context of Global Transformations: The Case of the Inga and Camentsa Communities in
Putumayo, Colombia.” FORESTS, vol. 12, no. 11, Nov. 2021, p. 1503. EBSCOhost,
https://doi.org/10.3390/f12111503.
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