Taylor Wilson (she/they) is an Ojibwe, Cree, and Filipina scholar from Fisher River Cree Nation (Treaty 5), with connections to Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1), Fairford First Nation (Treaty 2), and the Ilocano region of the Philippines. She grew up between Fisher River and Winnipeg (Treaty 1) and currently lives and works on the traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation in Vancouver while completing her PhD in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia.
Her research examines the revitalization of Cree agricultural knowledges as pathways to Indigenous food sovereignty, ecological justice, and community wellbeing. Grounded in Indigenous methodologies, relational accountability, and anti-colonial frameworks, her work integrates historical and land-based approaches to understand how colonial agricultural policies disrupted Indigenous food and health systems, and how communities are reclaiming these relationships today.
With experience in community-based research, evaluation, and ethics, Taylor’s work centres Indigenous self-determination and data sovereignty to support self-determined programming and systems change. She describes herself as a learner, listener, and helper, guided by the teachings of her grandparents, mentors, and the lands that continue to shape her responsibilities to community and future generations.
Deeper Than a Plow: Revitalizing Cree Agricultural Knowledges for Food Sovereignty and Resurgence
My doctoral research explores how revitalizing Cree agricultural knowledges can strengthen food sovereignty, cultural resurgence, and community health in Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN), located in Treaty 5 territory in northern Manitoba. This project asks how restoring pre-colonial agricultural and land stewardship practices can support ecological and political resurgence in the face of ongoing settler-colonial disruption.
The study begins from the understanding that Cree agriculture was never lost—it was interrupted. Colonial policies such as the “peasant farming” restrictions and the unfulfilled “cows and plows” treaty provisions sought to dismantle Indigenous food systems and economic self-sufficiency. Yet FRCN’s historical petitions for farmland, community gardens, and ongoing food sovereignty work show resilience and adaptation. By centering the voices of Elders, knowledge keepers, and community members, this project seeks to document these histories and practices, revitalize language and place-based teachings, and co-create tools that support community health and food security.
The objectives are threefold: 1) Document and interpret historical and oral records of Cree agricultural and food practices in FRCN and Treaty 5. 2) Revitalize and mobilize these knowledges through community-led initiatives such as gardens, workshops, and language signage. 3) Inform broader systems change by linking Cree agricultural resurgence to policy and education frameworks that support Indigenous food sovereignty in Canada.
The anticipated impacts are both local and structural. Locally, the research will generate a living archive of agricultural knowledge, strengthen community food initiatives, and nurture intergenerational learning. Nationally, it will contribute to Indigenous research ethics, food policy, and environmental governance. Ultimately, this work reframes food sovereignty not only as an ecological or economic issue, but as a path toward self-determination, healing, and renewed relationships between people and land.
