Acimowin

By Christy Bird, 2nd year MDP student  

Boozhoo! I am excited as I wrap up my final field placement as a part of my MDP studies. I appreciate the opportunities I have had assisting Dr. Shailesh Shukla in community-led research of a traditional food guide with and for Fisher River Cree Nation. 

Last year I had a remote field placement due to the ongoing pandemic, but this year I was excited to be in the community and, most importantly, listen to stories from community members about their community and the traditional foods harvested in their community. As a part of building relationships is sharing stories; a highlight for me was speaking to community members who shared stories of my Murdock grandparents, as my Papa was a fisherman for many years in Fisher River. In addition, it was exciting to visit with youth that encompasses knowledge of the land and sustainable harvesting and take pride in their story of the history of Fisher River and their vision for a healthy community.  

The education I obtained through the past two years and last year's field placement enhanced my awareness of the importance of ethics and Indigenous research methods that ensured that I adhered to the ethical practice of community-led research and to ensure that value, respect, reciprocity, and honour were at the forefront of the research. Fisher River is a strong Cree community, and the work Fisher River is completing reinforces that Indigenous-led wellness has to be community-led and specific to their community. 

Again, I am thankful for all that was shared with me; it has greatly influenced the work I will embark upon as I exit my studies. Ekosi. Miigwech. 

Wahkomiwew - Being connected to the People

By Christy Bird

 

Christy and Kaitlyn Murdock 

Boozhoo, Tansi. Christy Bird ndizhnikaaz Peguis/Fisher River indoonji. I am near completion of my time in MDP, and it has been a great learning experience. For my final field placement, I am working under the supervision of Dr. Shailesh Shukla with Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) developing a traditional food guide that is reflective of their community. 

My Mom is Cree from Fisher River, and I spent a lot of time with family in Fisher River, so I am very grateful for this opportunity to connect with family and friends and build new relationships with youth in the community. 

As a part of my placement, I have met with several community members that work in the community and have participated in a community event organized by Sharon Monkman from Fisher River Health seeking their inputs in designing traditional food guide project through a written survey. Community members provided useful feedback on potential content of the Fisher River food guide including important and healthy traditional Fisher River food items that should be included in the guide. 

I have also had the opportunity to visit Fisher River High School Land-Based educator Kaitlyn Murdock in their land-based program. In addition, I had the privilege to host two focus groups with youth that attend the program. There are still more interviews with knowledge keepers, youth and elders in the community that need to be completed, but it has been great to put learn and apply community-based research for this important project. 

Our key focus would be to engage local youth and knowledge keepers and build in their voices into their own food guide. We would also like to organize traditional recipe events open to FRCN community members sometime in early August. At the end of the event, we plan to host a community feast to present the traditional food guide to the community. 

Finally, it has been great to be in community, around people, especially after 2 years of virtual learning. Although virtual meetings occur weekly, in person dialogue and community visits are something that I enjoy the most. Miigwech.