Colournary
My Mother's Rice
'This division of labour has sanitised rice farming from its original being. It has created, as Marx would put it, a division between the manual forces of labour and the spiritual forces of labour. This means that my people, and many other peoples whose lives were so deeply woven with the cycles of this little grain; are no longer "in direct contact with the conditions of their own existence" (Weil)...Life is no longer – "I am fed and I grow and in turn I feed the land" but instead a struggle for infinite growth; the incessant pestilence of profit.'
The 'Ota Ika and Memories of My Grandfather and Tonga
Grandfather Mahe passed away before I could meet him and over the years my father would share stories about him. 'You know Mahe Lahi spent hours out at sea, fishing so we could eat,' Dad would explain. 'We didn’t have much, but he always made sure he came home with fish or seafood to eat. Whatever he had, he shared with his sister and their families too.' Like Grandfather Mahe, many families in Tonga relied on a healthy ocean to feed their families.
Sela Atiola writes about how the dish 'Ota Ika keeps her and her family connected to their Tongan history and culture.
Recipes from Colournary
Colournary is a food magazine that celebrates and amplifies the voices of First Nations, Black and People of Colour through the lens of food and culture. Visit their online recipes page, which includes their Scratch Meals series, centred around affordable, achievable homecooked meals.