Arctic Forum: Food

Day 1, 29/9

09:30 Optional event
– Visit the forest and learn about and forage for local foods
11:45 Mingle lunch
12:45 Welcome + keynotes 1 and 2
- Welcome address and keynotes 1 and 2
14:00 Workshops, part 1
- The workshops will follow the themes listed below. We discuss and make plan for meals.
17:00 Keynote 3
18:00 Dinner

Day 2, 30/9

9:00 Keynotes 4 and 5
10:00 Workshops, part 2
- Prepare meals which will feed into lunch.
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Presentations of workshop findings and panel discussion
– With guests from Canada and Australia.
16:00 Formal ending of the Forum
16:30 Optional social gatherings:
– Exchange between Indigenous guests sharing visions from three continents
– Visit at the Forest and Sámi museum

Dr. Adrianne Lickers Xavier

Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies, McMaster University, Canada

Doctor Adrianne Xavier's research interests include Indigenous food security, Indigenous land connections and rematriation, Indigenous food ways, and Indigenous ways of knowing. She teaches in the areas of Contemporary Indigenous Issues, Indigenous Food Security and Food Systems, Indigenous Food Sovereignty, Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Methodologies. Her community is the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, where she works to grow the understanding and capacity around food security and sovereignty. She is the newest lead of the Indigenous Mentorship Network for Ontario focusing on the support of students, faculty and Indigenous research in the broad spectrum of Indigenous Health.
More about Adrianne Xavier

Prof. Christina Storm Mienna 

Associate professor of Odontology at the Faculty of Medicine at Umeå university
Director of Várdduo - Centre for Sámi Research at Umeå university

Christina Storm Mienna has a longstanding experience in Sámi and Arctic research, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous health. She is a North Sámi scholar, born and raised in a Sámi family in Kiruna in Arctic Sweden, has a PhD in medicine, in Clinical oral physiology, and is a senior consultant dentist specialized in orofacial pain and TMJ disorders at Region Västerbotten. Storm Mienna is currently the scientific co-leader of an interdisciplinary project regarding health, and she is also the Swedish project leader for the Interreg Aurora Sápmi funded cross-border project, MÁHTUT – Sámi knowledge and practices in the era of the green transition. Storm Mienna has numerous special commissions in Sápmi and the Arctic. She serves as a board member of the Research committee at Sámi Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Mental Health and Substance Use (SANKS) and the Research ethical committee at Sámi University of Applied studies in Norway. Additionally, she represents Sweden in the Arctic Council's SDWG Arctic Human Health Expert Group (AHHEG).  She is also deputy at the board of Sámi University of Applied Studies. She is the representative for Sweden in IASC Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement appointed by the Swedish Research Council. Furthermore, she is a member in Nordforsk working group on guidelines for Indigenous research.
More about Christina Storm Mienna

Prof. Laure Saulais

Professor at the Department of Agri-Food Economics and Consumer Sciences, Laval University, Canada

Professor Laure Saulais oversees graduate programs in Consumer Science and specializes in behavioral economics and consumer sciences. She is also a researcher at the Centre Interuniversitaire en Analyse des Organisations (CIRANO) and the NUTRISS Research Center within the Institute for Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF). Her research explores the demand-side perspective of food system sustainability with the aim of supporting the transition towards more sustainable food consumption models. Her current projects focus on food procurement decision-making within institutional foodservice, and on the roles of food sustainability literacy and information on individual consumers’ food choices.
More about Laure Saulais

Patricia Ellis, OAM

Business Enterprise Owner/Operator, Minga Aboriginal Cultural Services.

Patricia Ann Ellis, OAM, is a Brinja Yuin and Walbunja elder and cultural knowledge holder, recognised for her extensive contributions to the Indigenous community. Awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2023, she has received multiple accolades for Aboriginal cultural promotion, advocacy and leadership. Patricia runs Minga Aboriginal Cultural Services, offering cultural experiences and education. With 41 years at New South Wales' Technical and Further Education (TAFE NSW), she has significantly advanced Aboriginal language learning and cultural awareness.

Patricia's roles include leadership positions in local and national Aboriginal organisations, consultant to local, state and national government on Aboriginal issues, she chaired the Eurobodalla Shire Council Aboriginal Advisory Committee, and was joint management coordinator of the handback of two National Parks to Aboriginal ownership.

Patricia is a published author, lifelong community advocate, proud mother and grandmother, held in the highest regard by Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, organisations and public authorities as a cultural knowledge holder.
Patricia Ellis, on being awarded the OAM 
Minga Aboriginal Cultural Services

Susanne Jonsson

Chef, MSc, Research project assistant Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå University

Susanne Jonsson is a chef, author, and entrepreneur deeply passionate about sustainable food systems and celebrating Sámi culinary heritage. With studies on well-being at Yale University and a Master's degree in Gastronomy from Umeå University, Susanne combines academic rigor with hands-on experience, promoting community, joy, and pleasure in food. Her master thesis on moose meat became a best-selling book, and her seven books have sold in over 100 000 copies.
She has developed and hosted several TV and radio shows including Go’kväll at SVT, the slow-tv show Susannes Skafferi, and Áhkkus Mat (Grandma’s food) where Sámi children cook traditional dishes for their grandparents. Susannes books and cultural works have received numerous awards.

Susanne is currently exploring the notion of Terroir in relation to Sámi cultural heritage, food territories and landscapes. She supports Professor Danielle Wilde in conceptualising Arctic Food Citizenship; contributes to the Px7 research project, which reconceptualises food practices in relation to cancer and health outcomes; and acts as an external consultant on the Norrbotten Polar Terroir project. Rooted in her Sámi, Swedish, and American background, Susanne brings a unique perspective to the intersection of food, culture, and resilience in the Arctic.
More about Susanne Jonsson