On May 30, Niagara College’s Indigenous Education department, along with employees, students, and community members, came together in ceremony and celebration to ‘Wake up the Garden” as they planted seedlings in the Indigenous Garden at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Indigenous author and educator, Michelle Thomas, sang a seed song before the planting.
Michelle Thomas, an Indigenous author and educator, joined the celebration and shared her knowledge of traditional teachings and songs to bless the seeds and promote a good growing season.
“The seeds have memories of the land – they remember the land that they came from, and we can feel those memories and that connection during our ceremony,” said Thomas.
Before planting began, Aria D’alimonte, Indigenous Education’s Culture and Events Coordinator, invited the group to take a moment to offer good intentions to the land and to offer gratitude for the good things in life.
A mix of vegetables and traditional medicinal herbs were planted by the group including tomato, cucumber, chives, sweet pepper, zucchini, strawberries, jalapeños, rosemary, clover, lemon balm, nettle, sweet grass, and mint.
After the growing season, IE plans to host a harvest party to gather and share the items from the garden.
IE’s ‘Wake up the Garden’ event took place in advance of Indigenous History Month which honours the rich history, culture and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
For a full list of events taking place through Indigenous History Month click here.
