Just after the new moon in early spring, a series of tobacco planting sessions are facilitated by Indigenous earthworkers prioritizing access for BIPOC community members. The sessions are also conversation circles for learning and sharing about land, water, and medicine relationships.
Additional extended teaching sessions are offered through collaborative relationships with community projects, respected Elders and traditional teachers.
Indigenous-led Land Restoration in High Park
Community members in Toronto have come together (through the Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle and Asemaa Circles) to care for a 10,000 square foot space at 440 Parkside Drive, in High Park. With support from the High Park Nature Center, the 440 Parkside Collective collaboratively organizes land-based practice, education, and research, with an overall shared intention to restore balanced relations in the ecosystem, including improving soil health, creating and sustaining pollinator habitat, restoring Indigenous plants, shrubs and trees, and supporting access to medicines for community members.
Seed & Medicine Giveaways
Throughout the year, medicines and seeds are distributed freely to community members, through the networks of project collaborators.
Participants in the planting sessions will receive a planting bundle, including seeds, supplies, and medicines to support their growing.
We collaboratively host a medicine seedling giveaway in the spring, and a harvest giveaway each fall at 440 Parkside in High Park, Toronto.
If you are in need of medicines or seeds, please reach out to us and we will contribute what we can, or try to connect you with people in your area.
The Asemaa grown through the workshops also supports community ceremonies including full moons, feasting, and memorials in Toronto.
Anishinaabemowin Education
We are committed to doing the work to learn, use, and re-activate Anishinaabemowin through our planting, growing, harvesting, and giving away.
Building a BIPOC seed and medicine sharing network across communities
Supporting access
Collaborators in Asemaa circles receive seeds and medicines, but also through their own practices of growing have seeds and medicines to share.
We plan to keep building our network of people who grow, harvest, and share seeds and medicines, in order to support access. Access, in our understanding, must emphasize relationships with these seeds and medicines, prioritizing restoration of community knowledges around medicines, how to grow, harvest, work with them, and how to help them to thrive as part of whole ecosystems.
across communities, this relational work is focused on restoring reciprocity with one another, with land(s) and water(s), and with all relations.
