My name Rachel Greening (Dickens), and my traditional name is sag̱u ts’imuu xsgyiik. I am Ts’msyen (Tsimshian) on my fathers’ side and belong to the Gispaxlo’ots Tribe, La̱xsgyiik Clan of La̱x Kw’alaams. My mother immigrated from Hong Kong in the 1970s, and has been formally adopted into the Gispaxlo’ots Tribe. I was born and raised in Prince Rupert, where I currently live with my young family.
Food is central to both my personal and professional life. I actively engage with Indigenous food systems through harvesting, cooking, preserving, trading, eating, and sharing. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, I work alongside nuučaan̓uɫ (Nuu-chah-nulth) peoples, supporting those living with type 2 diabetes. I am also the President and Co-Founder of mułaa, Rising Tide, a Nuu-chah-nulth youth surf team dedicated to fostering wellness, empowerment, and self-determination among Indigenous youth.
I am also grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with a number of Indigenous-led organizations, including ISPARC (Indigenous Sports, Physical Activity and Recreation Council), BCCAFC (BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres) and NIDA (National Indigenous Diabetes Association), who are all actively promoting wellness through a decolonized lens. I also work with non-Indigenous organizations, including Diabetes Canada and the British Columbia Ministry of Health, to address oppressive ideologies that continue to burden Indigenous health.
As a Ph.D. Candidate at UBC in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, my research explores how engagement with Indigenous food systems can support diabetes care, and resilience for individuals, families and communities. My work centers Indigenous understandings of health and wellness, moving beyond individualistic biomedical models to approaches grounded in relationships, reciprocity, and self-determination. Through advocating for Indigenous food sovereignty and social justice, I hope to support pathways toward wellness for current and future generations.
Through this platform, I share recipes featuring Indigenous foods and diabetes-supportive meals. I’ve also included some resources I’ve supported, and some of my favourite Indigenous resources for those looking to expand their understanding of Indigenous relations in Canada.