Overview
Background and Thesis
Medicine exists all around us, and comes in many forms. Not only is the medicine, the plants, and their various uses, but also the people and the experiences we share out on the land. Protecting and teaching about these medicinal practices is something Indigenous peoples have done for thousands of years. Once settlers arrived on Turtle Island (North America) it became much harder for these traditional teachings to be passed along. Despite hundreds of years of colonial influence, genocide, and the ongoing threats of sovereign governance structures Indigenous peoples have remained resilient. Traditional knowledge continues to be passed down and practiced while maintaining the same principles of 7 generational teachings and two eyed seeing. As climate change, and biodiversity loss continue to progress, it is essential that all people across Turtle Island adapt these traditional sustainable teachings to their current management strategies.
Project Body
An In Depth Explanation
Our project aims to address the lack of Indigenous involvement, truth and reconciliation, and minimal Indigenous knowledge in the curriculum. With these issues in mind, the project goals are to provide an inventory of available plants, accessible educational resources, and to promote collaborative management. The goals will be fulfilled with the development of an interactive trail and trail map at the UNB Woodlot, a plant guide, website, and co-management plan. The trail will be used by UNB professors and the Mi'kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre (MWC) as an educational component to learn about plant identification and some of their medicinal or ceremonial uses. Along with the trail, the plant guide will give information on the plant species and the medicinal and ceremonial uses. The plant guide includes translations of the plant names in Mi'kmaq and Wolastoq, to raise awareness of the other languages that are spoken in the province. The co-management plan will promote collaborative management of the UNB Woodlot with our Indigenous partners and the advisory committee of the woodlot.
To Conclude
The deliverables of the project will continue to develop throughout the course of the summer. Our Indigenous partners will continue to add educational stories to the booklet and they will update the website when deemed necessary. The co-management plan will be delivered to our partners, establishing a collaboration between the Inidgenous and non-Indigenous groups.
