Meegan Lim

Decolonize Granulated Sugar

This history is not so sweet. White sugar is one of the culprits contributing to increased heart disease & diabetes rates amongst Indigenous peoples in North America. In a study by the US Office of Minority Health in 2018, “American Indians/Alaska Natives were 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease than their white counterparts”. Chef Norma Condo is a Mi’kmaw chef from Gesgapegiag, QC. She strives to cook traditional Indigenous foods that are health-conscious to combat the high rates of disease present in Indigenous communities due to the high presence of unhealthy commodity staples. Featured on the front is her Algonquin Three Sisters Casserole with Indigenous Berry Salad, and on the side & back, you will find a reference to the Three Sisters Crops and a brief look into their history.

“'Grain of Salt' applies the idiom to the context of manipulated colonial history & reclaims it through four sculptures of commodity staples; showcasing the stories and food of Indigenous peoples across North America.”