Working on an Indigenous Seed Guide

By Hannah Johnson, 2nd year MDP student 

Hi, it’s Hannah Johnson! I have a bachelor’s in Native American and Indigenous Studies from the University of Minnesota Morris, and I am very passionate about Indigenous food sovereignty, especially concerning seeds! 

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a draft document that will one day be a guide for new gardeners to plant Indigenous seeds. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m happy to be involved!

One thing that’s really cool about the Indigenous seed guide is that I get to learn about what cycle of the moon certain seeds should be planted in! I didn’t even know that was a thing. 

 

Apparently, the moon impacts the level of moisture in the soil, and beets and other root vegetables should be planted at a different time from your leafy greens like spinach. I had no idea!

 

Thinking About Indigenous Food Security and Research During COVID-19

By Taylor Wilson, 2nd year MDP student

In my previous blogpost regarding my field placement, I shared that I chose to re-adjust my placement plan and do something different. Some other students did the same as I did while others chose to continue their plans while adjusting to COVID-19 rules. Like I had previously mentioned I had initially planned to work in my home community of Fisher River Cree Nation. I was going to create a food guide. This guide was to map our food system and provide information on how to eat nutritionally and traditionally in ways that are accessible, affordable, and easy. I had hoped it could be a guide to revitalizing Fisher River’s unique food culture as they are a Cree community living amongst a sea of Anishinaabe communities. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Corn growing m my yard in Fisher River

There were several reasons why I chose to not do my initial plan during the pandemic. One of the larger ones was that my community chose to close its borders to nearly everyone except for on-reserve members, which I found to be a valid choice. The other major reason I chose not to do my placement there during the pandemic was because of the topic. I was looking at food sovereignty and food security and I didn’t think it was fair or right that I, even as a community member, go to Fisher River during a time of uncertainty and do research about the food system.

If there is anything that MDP has taught me over my two years in the program, it’s the importance of doing research the right way. Fisher River is fortunate enough to be a thriving Indigenous community with capable and amazing community members, but it doesn’t exempt them from the myriad of issues surrounding Indigenous communities and the struggle for food sovereignty and security. Who was I to come into the community, someone who hadn’t lived on-reserve for nearly 10 years, and begin to question the food system during a time like this? Or ask questions about how people access and afford their food during what could arguably be called an economic crisis? Where access to affordable foods might be difficult. Not only that, commercial fishing, a huge source of income and food in the community, was halted across Manitoba. As soon as I realized these things, I called it off. I spoke with Shailesh and voiced my concerns, and thankfully (as much as we both would like to do this project), he agreed that this was not the right time.

Doing research on/in/with Indigenous communities during times like these means that as a researcher, even an Indigenous one, we need to think about the consequences, impacts, and realities of what our research does. Honestly, even without the pandemic, we need to consider these things. Even with our community partners being open, willing, and excited to work on this project, we need to understand and consider the impacts any research we do. I encourage other researchers, students, organizations who want to do research with Indigenous communities to think about what this pandemic is doing to Indigenous communities, and consider “is this the right time to be doing research”?

I look forward to working on this project in the future and being back home on the land. For now, I will continue to do work and learn about what research is and needs to be.

Yours, Taylor 

My yard in Fisher River

Appreciating community collaboration

By Kiera Kowalski 1st year MDP student & Courtney Bear

As our field placement comes to a close we want to thank all who supported our experience. Thank you to the community members of Peguis First Nation who shared their knowledge and agricultural expertise during the focus group, as well as Elder Carl McCorister for providing guidance. Thank you to Agriculture Manitoba as well for hosting us, providing mentorship and support. We have learned so much in such a short period of time and appreciate everyone who shared their knowledge along the way.

To recap from our previous blog post, we worked with Agriculture Manitoba to hold a focus group session in Peguis First Nation to better understand Indigenous youth perceptions of the agriculture industry in Manitoba. The participants were all on-reserve youth from Peguis between the ages of 18 to 35. During the focus group we adhered to Indigenous research protocols. We believe this was very important to conducting a successful, community collaborative project. In addition to conducting the focus group we also analyzed the findings and produced a final report, which is what we’ve been working on throughout the month of July.

It was such a great feeling to complete our final report and represent the views of Peguis youth. In the report we summarized the participants vision for agriculture in their community based on the main themes that emerged during the focus group. The participants determined that all agricultural projects should be driven by cultural knowledge and revitalization, support food security and food sovereignty efforts and foster a holistic connection to land. The expressed interest in a greenhouse initiative so that they can grow produce year round, and a summer agriculture institute to engage and teach youth about sustainable community gardening practices.

Again, we acknowledge and greatly respect our participants for sharing their knowledge on this topic. Without our participants’ patience and willingness to help, especially while navigating COVID, we would not have been able to complete this project.

At Kiera's cottage on Lee River after finishing writing our final report. Courtney (R) gave birth to a baby boy exactly 2 weeks later!

Niibin (Summer): Season of Growth, Exploration and Learning

By Jordan Tabobondung, 1st year MDP student

Women together in the Garden for the People. Photo Credit: Shalisha Shorty

Tuesday, June 13th, 2017 was a day of gathering Midewin and Anishinabeg aged 0-85 together to be witness to the Planting Ceremony at the Three Fires Midewin Gitiganiing. As an Anishinaabe and Bodewadomi woman I acknowledge my connection to creation through my relationship with my language, and responsibility to maintain a respectful kinship with beings of creation and pass along my learnings or understandings to the future. Part of the respectful kinship relationship is use of songs, language and spending visiting time with the life that abounds in the areas I visit and inhabit. It has been said by elders and teachers throughout my travels that “the language is important because the use of the language is an acknowledgement of the spirit of that one you are speaking of/to”. From this understanding I have worked to pair my learning of Anishnaabemowin with my learning of the plants used for foods, medicines and craftworks. 

Readying poles for Men’s roles of Planting Ceremony

I have chosen to return to familiar Great Lakes territories to be close to home to maintain my responsibilities to my immediate, extended and Midewin lodge family as well as extend the understanding of my relationship to the familiar plants and animals of the region. 

My MDP field placement at Great Lakes IndianFish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) has been an unprecedented opportunity to continue with my learning of both Anishnaabemowin and Traditional foods as a part of my current educational endeavor at the University of Winnipeg for the Masters of Development Practice: Indigenous Development program. Through my summer work here I hope to become more proficient in acknowledging the sacred spirits of the beings which give of themselves and offer their life to sustain my body and the life that I lead. 

Coloring & learning language from GLIFWC’s Niibin booklets

It is my hope that through my work I can gain a greater understanding of the south-western region of Gitchee Gumee (the Great Lake Superior), the Treaty areas and rights of the Tribes that are Services by GLIFWC and the processes used by GLIFWC to support their work for the Tribes. I feel this need to understand this region as it is often said “the boarders crossed us” and in reflection of the Anishinabek Nations, Tribes and peoples I am familiar with in Canada I realized that this territory of the Great Lakes region is one that I am most unfamiliar with.

I believe that this summer will give me an opportunity to gain some of an understanding of the many advantages, limitations and differences of the provincial, state and federal legislation of both Canada and the US in relation to Indigenous nations around the Great Lakes Regions.