John Abbott College unveils Indigenous inspired garden [Video]

A new garden and microforest, years in the making, have been inaugurated at John Abbott College in Montreal.

The green space, called Kahnikonri:io, meaning “good mind” in Mohawk, serves as a living classroom. It combines traditional Indigenous wisdom with Western scientific practices in the fight against climate change. 

“That’s how we hope to carry ourselves. We carry ourselves with a good mind, meaning that when we interact with others, we carry those values of sharing, cooperation and reciprocity, collaboration,” said Kim Tekakwitha Martin, the Dean of Indigenous Education at the college.

The garden contains native and medicinal plants. It’s a space to gather and relax and to hold cultural activities.

“To be able to exchange the knowledge bases of Western empirical scientific knowledge with the traditional knowledge and stewardship of the Earth, and really those two are the same, they’re just speaking different languages,” said Martin, who is Mohawk from …