Author Talk: Gyetk Coastal Fusion and Ancestral Knowledge from a Ts’msyen Kitchen
Date & Time
Thursday, September 30, 2026
6:30 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
This event is in the past.
Tickets
Join authors Spencer Greening and Rachel Greening for a discussion of their new book, Gyetk: Coastal Fusion and Ancestral Knowledge from a Ts’msyen Kitchen. In this talk, the authors will discuss some favorite sections of the book.
Gyetk (pronounced gy-e-tk and meaning “to feed the people”) immerses readers into the rich food traditions, knowledge, and relationships that have sustained the Ts’msyen (Tsimshian) people for millennia along the Pacific Northwest Coast. Drawing from the authors’ lived experiences practicing a land-based lifestyle, as well as their backgrounds in Indigenous food sovereignty, health and well-being, and cultural research, Gyetk weaves together modern culinary fusion, traditional knowledge, and scholarly insight. Through 60 beautifully photographed recipes, the book follows the Ts’msyen seasonal round, weaving together ancestral foodways, traditional ecological knowledge, dietetic perspectives, and thoughtful harvesting practices — inviting readers to feast in relationship with the natural world.
About the Authors
Rachel Greening (Sag̱u Ts’imuu Ssgyiik) was born and raised in Ts’msyen territory in Prince Rupert, B.C. She is Ts’msyen from Lax Kw’alaams of the Gispaxlo’ots Tribe, Eagle clan, and Cantonese. Through her personal, processional, academic and life, Rachel is deeply engaged in Indigenous food sovereignty and traditional food systems. As a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator, Rachel works alongside many First Nations, including Ts’msyen and nuučaan̓uł Nations, supporting diabetes care through relational approaches that centre culture, community, and traditional foods. Her PhD in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia has focused on Indigenous food sovereignty, health and well-being, social justice, and the revitalization of traditional food systems.
Spencer Greening (La'goot) is Ts'msyen, and a member of the Gitga'at First Nation. As a trained anthropologist, he has spent his entire adult life working in cultural research, with an emphasis on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, in his community. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Victoria, conducting research on Indigenous harvesting methods and ecological laws, and where these practices coincide with environmental stewardship today. In addition to this, he facilitates land-based food sovereingty workshops with youth in coastal communities. When not conducting research, he is spending as much time as he can on the lands and waters harvesting with his family and Elders.
