Indigenous Gardening and Foodways Initiative
The museum’s new Indigenous Gardening and Foodways Initiative promotes traditional ecological knowledge and aims to revitalize Great Lakes Indigenous food systems.
What are Indigenous Foodways?
For us, Indigenous foodways are a means of community building and bringing people together through food production, cultivation, and sharing meals while passing on cultural teachings. Reconnecting with Indigenous foodways is a way for the Native community to heal from the impact of Federal policies of forced removal and assimilation, leading to separation from ancestral lands and disconnection from traditional ecological knowledge and practices.
Major Activities
Garden Expansion
The Indigenous Medicine and Pollinator Garden will be expanded to include regional food crops, educational signage, and an outdoor traditional teaching lodge.
Teaching Kitchen Space
A commercial kitchen space will be built to host and sustain hands-on Indigenous foodways education programs and support local Indigenous chefs in sharing regional cuisines with the public.
Exhibit
An exhibit will highlight Indigenous agricultural practices, historical factors that disrupted lifeways, and Great Lakes Indigenous communities’ efforts to restore their ecosystems and reclaim sustainable foodways.
Educational Programming
Offer educational programs, resources, and tours that correlate with our new food crops’ growing and harvest seasons so that the public, schools, and the Native community can learn the value of Indigenous ecological knowledge and access our gardens to put traditional techniques into practice.
CONTACT
Garden Manager Camille at camille.billie@mitchellmuseum.org
Impact
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Enhance understanding of native plants and Indigenous knowledge systems through community outreach and educational programs.
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Build stronger partnerships with Great Lakes Tribal Nations to promote their food sovereignty and ecology-based projects widely.
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Increase traditional food access for local Native individuals and families.
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Share gardening techniques and foodways for urban and suburban lifestyles.
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Connect Indigenous chefs, food makers, and businesses with new economic opportunities.
Sneak Peek of the Garden Expansion
