Story Seeds

Cultivating Wellness and Depth through Indigenous Plant Traditions

This project respects and acknowledges the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Oji-Cree, and Red River Métis. They are the Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which this exhibit is conceived.

Story Seeds: Cultivating Wellness and Depth through Indigenous Plant Traditions explores the better-known crops and plants that Indigenous people of the Americas domesticated, developed, and harvested.

It celebrates the food systems that grow family, community, and culture. Our shared connections to water and land through agriculture are at the core.

This work builds on a physical exhibit that was developed by Métis curator and researcher Vanda Fleury, in collaboration with the City of Winnipeg Archives and the Winnipeg Public Library.

The exhibit was launched at the Millennium Library. It ran from June 6 to September 15, 2022. Then it moved to the St. Boniface Library, Harvey Smith Library, Charleswood Library, and St. Vital Library. It also stopped at Winnipeg City Hall. The exhibit was featured in Our City, Our Stories. It was also a showcase event for the Ethno Fest 2022 - U Multicultural Channel.

View the Story Seeds project poster from the original exhibit.

Curator’s note

“We are invested in education, and in reconciliation, and we share this work to create relationships. Story Seeds is an Action on my part, as it acknowledges Indigenous people’s extensive contributions to the foods, crops, and plants we enjoy and benefit from.

It builds on one dimensional accounts that limit Indigenous experiences to bison hunting. It centers Indigenous women as knowledge keepers and celebrates the life experiences that support this wisdom. Where I grew up in rural Manitoba, there is a focus is on agriculture and having knowledge of Indigenous farming traditions is a profound source of cultural pride.

I present this work through a contemporary storywork lens that draws upon object and record literacy (how they tell stories), well-suited to visual learning. An online platform makes this knowledge accessible across urban, northern, and rural communities, and we hope new audiences will be engaged.

Look for take-aways throughout, like DIY projects, recipes, menu trivia, and riddles. Be sure to check out the QR code map in Part 8 as many of these unique cultural landscapes are only a road trip away.

Each of us have a connection to the land, stories, communities, and food systems that make our growth possible. Let your journey begin with Story Seeds!”

- Vanda

• Next