Atsalugpiaq awareness: Food agency of cloudberry subsistence to support Indigenous food sovereignty

Authors: Friedrichsen, Claire; CHURCH, LYNN - Nalaquq Llc; CLEVELAND, JACQUELINE - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; GLEASON, SEAN - Nalaquq Llc; KASSAMA, SIRE - Orise Fellow; CHURCH, MARY - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; CHURCH, WILLARD - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; MATHEW, FRANK - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; BAVILLA, MILES - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; HILL, GRACE - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; MERRIT, ELEANOR - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; JONES, WARREN - Qanirtuuq Incorporated; HUNTER, GRACE - Nalaquq Llc; MARK, LUCILLE - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; HUNTER, JONATHON - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; MARK, DORTHY - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; ROBERTS, MARGARET - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; ROBERTS, MATHEW - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; BEEBE, CATHERINE - Native Village Of Kwinhagak; MARK, JONATHON - Native Village Of Kwinhagak

Submitted to: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/3/2026
Publication Date: 5/4/2026
Citation: Friedrichsen, C.N., Church, L.M., Cleveland, J., Gleason, S., Kassama, S., Church, M., Church, W., Mathew, F., Bavilla, M., Hill, G., Merrit, E., Jones, W., Hunter, G., Mark, L., Hunter, J., Mark, D., Roberts, M., Roberts, M., Beebe, C., Mark, J. 2026. Atsalugpiaq awareness: Food agency of cloudberry subsistence to support Indigenous food sovereignty. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2026.153.002.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2026.153.002

Interpretive Summary: This study looks at the food practices of the Indigenous Yup’ik community of Kuinerraq, Alaska, and how these practices show “food agency.” Food agency means people or communities being able to choose and reach their own goals about what they eat and how they get their food. Most research in the past focused only on cooking and eating. But this study shows that gathering, hunting, fishing, and sharing food are also important parts of food agency. The research was done together with the community by Nalaquq LLC. Through stories and interviews with Alaska Native community members, the study found new parts of food agency, like values and ethics, taking action, using Indigenous knowledge and science, having the right attitude, and sharing with others. These ideas help give a better understanding of what helps people get enough food, especially in rural and Indigenous areas. The people of Kuinerraq are working to protect and pass down their way of life as the environment and society change. They are doing this so future generations can live well.

Technical Abstract: This study examines food agency of atsalugpiaq subsistence practices in the Indigenous community of Kuinerraq, Alaska. Food agency is the capacity of individuals or communities to define and achieve food and diet related goals. Past literature has limited the theoretical scope of food agency to cooking and consumption. This research expands the concept to encompass provisioning and procurement, addressing a theoretical gap in the literature. Through participatory co-developed research lead by Nalaquq LLC, oral histories with Alaska Native community members identifies new dimensions of food agency: ethics; action; Indigenous knowledge and science; attitude and mindfulness; and sharing and connection. These findings build upon and extend the existing framework of food agency that emphasizes individual skills, attitudes and structural barriers and offers a more holistic understanding of the drivers of food security in rural and Indigenous communities. Kuinerraq is committed to carry forward yuugnagpiallerput (living a proper Yup’ik life) in response to environmental and social change in order to ensure their future generation’s prosperity. The study highlights that efforts to build food security must center on supporting cultural enrichment, relational values, and lived practices rather than relying solely on externally imposed metrics and theoretical concepts. Subsistence practices are often not recognized as a form of agriculture. Kunierraq community members describe how subsistence is a form of agriculture stewarded through skill, ethics, ingenuity, intentional management of natural resources and science defining a sustainable form of agriculture.