About

The 2025 Island Indigenous Foods Gathering

The 2025 Island Indigenous Foods Gathering (IIFG) is a community-led, youth-engaged, and culturally rooted event celebrating Indigenous knowledge, food sovereignty, and intergenerational learning. Hosted by the Quw'utsun Cultural Connections Society (QCCS) and Social Planning Cowichan, the gathering will take place from October 6 - 8, 2025, in Quw’utsun territory. This event provides a vital space for Indigenous peoples from across Vancouver Island to come together, share knowledge, and strengthen traditional food systems.

Background:

The Island Indigenous Foods Gathering has a history rooted in community dialogue and collaboration. Formerly known as the Vancouver Island Traditional Foods Conference, the event began as a one-day meeting to report back to community partners on research about contaminants in traditional marine foods, a project involving Dr. Peter Ross and Tom Child. Communities came together following the first gathering to continue the dialogue, and it evolved into a larger, annual event. A core tradition of the gathering is that it moves from community to community across the Island each year, allowing participants to experience different territories and celebrate the unique wealth of local Indigenous food systems.

The 2025 Gathering

The 2025 gathering, organized by the Quw'utsun Cultural Connections Society, builds on this legacy with a strong focus on reconnecting Indigenous youth and adults with their ancestral lands and empowering them through land-based experiential learning and cultural practice. Our work focuses on healing and cultural revitalisation, and we are guided by Snuw’uy’ulh, the sacred laws of the Quw'utsun' hwulmuhw. The planning of the gathering has been guided by our elders committee: Albie Charlie, Mena Williams, Lorraine Charlie, Ed Elliott, Juanita Elliott, Merle Seymour, Linda Modeste, Dorothy Jack, and Raymond Charlie. The project’s core team within QCCS includes Qwilipulwut Loha, Cheyenne Williams, Mariah Thomas, and Qwiahwultuhw Robert George.

BHetschko Salmon Ceremony April 3-24-8520_edited.jpg

This year’s gathering emphasizes:

Youth and Intergenerational Learning:

The gathering is designed to connect youth directly with Elders and local knowledge keepers. This intergenerational connection is central to ensuring traditional practices and wisdom are passed to future generations.

Land-Based Workshops:

The event will feature hands-on, land-based workshops where participants will learn to harvest, process, and prepare traditional foods.

Celebrating Food Sovereignty, and Building Community and Connections Between Nations:

The event promotes Indigenous food sovereignty, defined as the right of Indigenous peoples to define their own food systems according to their cultural traditions. It invites participation from 53 First Nations on Vancouver Island, with local youth, elders, and all Quw’utsun mustimuhw being invited to different components of the event.

Holistic Wellness:

In addition to nutritional health, the gathering supports mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Representatives from Tsow-Tun Le Lum will be present to provide support through practices like cedar brushings, and all volunteers are encouraged to take care of how they come into the space, and to do so with respect for each other, participants, and for the culture and teachings being shared.

By bringing together these interconnected values and initiatives, the Island Indigenous Foods Gathering aims to empower Indigenous people, promote cultural resilience, and cultivate a sense of stewardship, ensuring that the wisdom and practices of our ancestors continue to thrive.

Partners and Sponsors

We extend out heartfelt thanks to all our generous sponsors and partners. Your support is vital in helping us celebrate and share our knowledge and traditions between nations and generations. Thank you for investing in our community and this invaluable cultural experience!