Written by: Mannat Malhan
Designed by: Andria Sahar
For many Indigenous Peoples around the world, hunting is far more than a method of obtaining food. It is a living system that connects land, culture, governance, spirituality, and community wellbeing. In discussions about food security, hunting is often misunderstood or reduced to a recreational activity. In reality, it is a foundational practice that has sustained Indigenous nations for thousands of years and continues to play a vital role in food sovereignty, ecological balance, and cultural survival.
Indigenous food security is distinct from mainstream definitions of food security. While dominant systems often focus on access to affordable calories, Indigenous food systems emphasize relationships: relationships with the land, animals, water, ancestors, and future generations. Hunting is one of the clearest expressions of these relationships. It provides nutrient-dense, culturally-significant foods while reinforcing the knowledge systems that guide sustainable land stewardship.
Across the Arctic, Inuit communities rely on hunting to maintain both physical health and cultural continuity. Country foods such as caribou, seal, and whale are rich in protein, iron, and essential fatty acids. These are nutrients that are often lacking in expensive store-bought foods flown into northern communities. In Nunavut, for example, store food prices can be double or triple those in southern Canada. Hunting often helps offset this economic burden while ensuring access to foods that Inuit people and cultures have relied on over millennia. Similarly, in many First Nations communities across North America, hunting remains essential to household and community food-sharing networks. Among the Anishinaabe, moose hunting is not only about sustenance but about responsibility. Meat is distributed to Elders, single-parent households, and families who cannot hunt themselves. This system ensures that food security is collective rather than individual, reinforcing values of reciprocity and care that are central to Indigenous governance.
Hunting also supports ecological knowledge that cannot be replaced by industrial food systems. Indigenous hunters are often the first to notice changes in animal behaviour, migration routes, and population health. In Alaska, Yupik hunters have observed shifts in caribou movements linked to climate change decades before such changes were formally documented by scientists. This knowledge contributes to adaptive management strategies that protect both wildlife and human communities. In Australia, Aboriginal hunting practices demonstrate how food security and ecosystem health are deeply intertwined. Traditional fire-assisted hunting, often called cultural burning, creates mosaic landscapes that support biodiversity and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. These practices, once suppressed through colonization, are now being recognized for their role in sustaining food systems and protecting land. Hunting in this context is not extractive; it is regenerative.
Colonial policies have repeatedly disrupted Indigenous hunting systems, with severe consequences for food security. Forced relocations, land dispossession, and restrictive hunting laws have limited access to traditional territories. In the United States, the banning of salmon fishing methods used by Pacific Northwest tribes led to malnutrition and economic hardship. These impacts were not accidental, but part of broader efforts to dismantle Indigenous self-sufficiency and governance. Despite these challenges, Indigenous communities continue to revitalize hunting practices as acts of resilience and resistance. Food sovereignty movements emphasize the right of Indigenous Peoples to define their own food systems according to their cultural values and ecological knowledge. Hunting is central to these movements because it affirms sovereignty over land, animals, and decision-making processes.
Hunting also plays a vital role in intergenerational knowledge transfer. Skills such as tracking, reading weather patterns, preparing meat, and offering gratitude to animals are learned through experience, not textbooks. When youth accompany Elders on hunts, they are taught patience, humility, and respect. These lessons extend beyond food procurement, shaping how young people understand their place in the world. In many Indigenous languages, words related to hunting encode ethical teachings. Among the Cree, the concept of taking only what is needed and using all parts of an animal is embedded in language and ceremony. This contrasts sharply with industrial meat production, where animals are commodified, and ecological costs are externalized. Indigenous hunting systems demonstrate that ethical food production is possible when guided by relational accountability. Importantly, hunting contributes to mental and spiritual well-being. Studies in Indigenous health have shown that time on land and engaging in cultural practices reduce stress and strengthen identity. For communities facing high rates of food insecurity, diabetes, and depression as a result of colonial trauma, hunting can be a pathway to healing.
As global food systems face increasing instability due to climate change, pandemics, and economic inequality, Indigenous hunting systems offer valuable lessons. They show that food security is not achieved through domination of nature, but through respect, adaptation, and long-term knowledge. Supporting Indigenous hunting rights, therefore, is not only a matter of cultural preservation, but of sustainability.
Ultimately, hunting is important because it sustains life in its fullest sense. It feeds bodies, nourishes cultures, protects ecosystems, and affirms Indigenous sovereignty. Recognizing and supporting hunting as an essential component of Indigenous food systems is a necessary step toward a more equitable and resilient future for everyone.
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