Canada Day – Monday, July 1. View holiday hours for City of Winnipeg facilities and services.

Canada Day – Monday, July 1. View holiday hours for City of Winnipeg facilities and services.

Story Seeds exhibit explores the significance of Indigenous plant traditions

Exhibit is free to explore at the Millennium Library until September 15, 2022

July 26, 2022

The Story Seeds: Cultivating Wellness and Depth through Indigenous Plant Traditions exhibit is at the Millennium Library until September 15, 2022.
The Story Seeds: Cultivating Wellness and Depth through Indigenous Plant Traditions exhibit is at the Millennium Library until September 15, 2022.

Weaving together photos, historical records, educational resources, and more, a new exhibit at the Millennium Library explores the better-known crops and plants domesticated, developed, and harvested by Indigenous people of the Americas.

Story Seeds: Cultivating Wellness and Depth through Indigenous Plant Traditions was thoughtfully curated by Vanda Fleury, a Métis artist and researcher, in partnership with the City of Winnipeg Archives and the Winnipeg Public Library.

“Through Story Seeds, we can grow our understanding of Indigenous agriculture and retrace contributions made to the local footprint,” said Fleury. “This exhibit also showcases how, through agriculture, nutrition, and wellness, we share vital connections to water and land.”

At the root of Story Seeds is an appreciation for food systems that grow cultural narratives, family, and community. It centres Indigenous women as knowledge keepers and celebrates the life experiences that support this wisdom.

“It is a foundation that invalidates the myth that history began with the arrival of Europeans and these biases are deeply entrenched in mainstream thought,” said Fleury.

The exhibit also includes a closer look at how agriculture and water played a significant role in Winnipeg’s name and history.

“The City’s first crest which was used from 1874 up until 1973 featured wheat sheaves as well as a train and railway system,” said Sarah Ramsden, Senior Archivist with the City of Winnipeg Archives who worked on this project. “This confirmed the importance of agriculture and the vision of Winnipeg as a transportation hub.”

Pottery, dried vegetables, recipes, and even a jar of grasshoppers from a time capsule placed in the cornerstone of Winnipeg’s first City Hall in 1875 are also featured in Story Seeds, which spans eight display cases on the library’s main floor.

The Story Seeds display is an act of reconciliation to recognize Indigenous people’s unique contributions pertaining to gardening and agriculture from pre-colonial times and celebrated alongside other Canadian narratives by Archives, Libraries and Museums as per the Calls to Action #67-70 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

You can explore the exhibit for free during Millennium Library’s regular operating hours until September 15, 2022.


Libraries, Recreation and Leisure Parks, Trees and the Environment Other City Information

Was this information helpful?

How can we make this web page better?

Information collected will be used to improve our website. Do not use this form to submit a request for service or information because it will not be forwarded to departments for response. To submit a request for service or information, contact 311.

This form is not intended to collect personal information; however, any personal information you choose to include in your comments is collected by the City of Winnipeg under the authority of section 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of improving our website and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. Contact the Corporate Access and Privacy Officer by mail (City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9) or by telephone (311) if you have any questions about the collection of this information.

Ces renseignements sont-ils utiles?

Comment pourrait-on améliorer cette page Web?

Les renseignements recueillis serviront à l’amélioration de notre site Web. Prière de ne pas se servir de ce formulaire pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, car la demande ne sera pas transmise au service en question. Pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec le 311.

Le présent formulaire ne vise pas à recueillir des renseignements personnels. Cependant, les renseignements personnels que vous choisissez d’inclure dans vos commentaires sont recueillis par la Ville de Winnipeg en conformité avec l’alinéa 36(1)b) de la Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée dans le but d’améliorer son site Web et ne seront ni utilisés ni divulgués pour d’autres raisons, sauf dans les cas où cela est autorisé par la loi. Communiquez avec l’agent de l’accès à l’information et de la protection de la vie privée de la Ville par courrier au Bureau du greffier, immeuble Susan-A.-Thompson, 510, rue Main, Winnipeg (Manitoba) R3B 1B9, ou par téléphone au 311 si vous avez des questions sur la collecte de ces renseignements.