The Turtle Island Association is aligned with the Slow Food ethos to promote good, clean, fair food for all, with a focus on the First Foods of the Native Peoples of Turtle Island: Canada, U.S., and Mexico.
Turtle Island Association addresses health and well-being, land use and farming, food policy, and the protection and revitalization of rare heirloom food varieties, including traditional knowledge and practices related to them.
Fishing is one of the traditional practices of indigenous peoples that holds great cultural significance, and is under great threat from many quarters, including industrial fishing and climate change. In 2018, Slow Food San Francisco hosted the second North American Slow Fish gathering, strengthening a growing relationship with Slow Food Turtle Island Association (SFTIA).
Slow Fish is also transnational. The Syilx/Okanagan Nation is a transboundary tribe with traditional territory in Washington State and Canada. Over the last 25 years, the Nation has spearheaded efforts to bring Okanagan sc’win (sockeye salmon) in the Columbia River basin back from the brink of extinction. Now the Syilx/Okanagan people are rejuvenating Indigenous fishing and food sharing practices for this important staple.
