Humber College
IN-27: Innovation D

In the spring of 2013 The Humber Aboriginal Resource Centre (ARC) and the Humber Arboretum started collaborating on a project to reintroduce indigenous plant species into the environment. Students (400) from several First Nation communities across Ontario (10) actively participated in preparing the planting sites, installation and ceremony. Staff, students and community members worked together on many levels of project Indigenous Plant restoration including planting and nurturing of native plants and medicines. Working together with students, staff and the broader community promotes access to outdoor learning experiences, builds healthy relationships, increases access and awareness of indigenous knowledge, ecology and environmental issues of today including species at risk, and collaborative stewardship of invasive plant species. The Indigenous plant restoration program promotes community engagement with youth, providing new skills and increases knowledge of the distinct contributions of aboriginal culture and worldview within the natural environment. The reintegration of native species has resulted in the restoration of this area of the Humber River valley and the re-establishment of native plants and wild flowers such as Boneset, Swamp Milkweed and Joe Pye Weed. Participating Indigenous youth were from several First Nation communities in Ontario including Scugog, Alderville, Rama and Six Nations. Initial planting of Indigenous plants with First Nations youth started in late May 2013 and has happened every spring since. Culminating in the first edible food plantings (Indigenous squash) in May 2016. The building of an Indigenous medicine garden in the arboretum not only promotes education of the natural environment, it provides an outdoor space for cultural gatherings and special events such as the harvesting of ancient Indigenous squash seeds, Gete Okosomin. On September 20, 2016 a community celebration was held at the garden to highlight the successful planting of the Indigenous squash seeds. The seeds were dried and shared with the participants in the hopes that they would plant them next year to continue the cycle of reintegration of indigenous plants into the environment.