INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS

Maple syrup production has deep roots in Indigenous cultures of northeastern North America, particularly among the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which includes the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) people. Traditionally, they honor the maple tree, or "Wahta," as the leader of trees, marking its significance as the first to awaken in spring. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is prized for its sap, which is rich in sugar and nutrients like phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium.

My name is Alice Daphne March, named for my father’s mother. I grew up in Gillams, a small community in the Bay of Islands, within Mi’kmaq territory, on the West Coast of Newfoundland. Gillams is a beautiful place, with the mountains across the bay. We used to hang out at the Overfalls, the place where the fresh water meets the ocean. We would take lunch with us and go there for the day to swim and hang out when I was young. Some days I couldn’t go because I had to mind the s

The Potlotek First Nation in Cape Breton is one of several Indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada that is launching a project to address food insecurity using a geothermal greenhouse that can grow produce year-round: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/12/30/atlantic-first-nations-building-geothermal-greenhouses-to-address-food-insecurity.html?rf

My name is Timothy Drew, and I am from Miawpukek Reservation, which is also known as Conne River. We are located on the South Coast of Newfoundland. I was born, raised and now live here as a working member of the community. Before obtaining my role as a coordinator for the development and management of the Miawpukek Community Garden in 2019, I first gained experiences as a traditionalist. At the age of 12, as the Mi’kmaq culture began its re-introduction within my community,

Siwk, or spring, has arrived on the West Coast of Ktaqmkuk, where I call home, Codroy Valley. The Katalisk Sipu , also known as the...

Joe Pitawanakwat is an Anishinaabe plant medicine teacher from Wiikwemkoong First Nation, on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. The knowledge he shares was passed down from his grandmother. Read more at this link: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/back-to-the-land-preserving-indigenous-language-1.6152854

The Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary is in the heart of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, just west of Kingston, Ont. It is home to a 40-year-old living collection of almost 300 seed varieties, including rare heirloom crops like blue Cayuga flint corn and ancient ones like Jacob’s cattle bean, a red and white legume dating back to the 1700s. Read about it here.

This article from The Tyee profiles the folks at Tea Creek Farm, who teach people to grow food in BC. Growing Food Sovereignty in the North, One Acre at a Time

Jacob Beaton reaped a bounty of potatoes from his farm in northwest B.C. last week — but they aren’t the kind of potatoes you’d find at the supermarket. Tea Creek Farm in Kitwanga had in fact completed its first harvest of Ozette potatoes, which Beaton says are one of the oldest kinds of potatoes that Indigenous people grew in the coastal areas of what is now British Columbia. Read the article at CBC.ca.

The Prairies have a long history of Indigenous farming and knowledge, something often overlooked by modern agricultural practices. Journalist Jay Whetter explores this history in this article for The Narwhal: https://thenarwhal.ca/indigenous-prairies-farming-history/