“You can’t just take a piece of land from the university and build a garden on it”: Exploring Indigenizing space and place in a settler Canadian university context

Reimagining Indigenous spaces of healing: Institutional environmental repossession

“…Located at Western University, within the City of London, and on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, the Indigenous Food and Medicine Garden (IFMG) is situated on land within an institution, wherein the "assertion of Indigenous control was the primary use of the space" (Peach, 2018, p. i). The space was originally reimagined by an Indigenous graduate student and has been a fixture on the main campus of the university since 2014 (Peach, 2018). Development of the IFMG involved recreating the "necessary conditions (e.g., social, environmental) for these traditional ways of eating [that] have been significantly incapacitated from colonial mechanisms, both past and on-going, since the arrival of Europeans" (Peach, 2018, p. 10).…”

“…Development of the IFMG involved recreating the "necessary conditions (e.g., social, environmental) for these traditional ways of eating [that] have been significantly incapacitated from colonial mechanisms, both past and on-going, since the arrival of Europeans" (Peach, 2018, p. 10). In her Master's Thesis, Peach (2018) examines the local meaning of the IFMG, or the garden, and finds that "the garden provides a vitally important space for the Indigenous community at Western to practice, share and strengthen their Indigenous Knowledges" (p. i). These findings also document the limitations of repossession within an institutional structure, stating that "the reconciliatory impact of Indigenization projects, such as Gardens, relies heavily on the strength of relationship between Indigenous people and the University Admin-istration, and also on the ability of Indigenous people to be self-determining in these spaces" (Peach, Richmond & Brunette-Debassige, 2020, p. 117).…”

“…The garden has been characterized as a space which forms a place where Indigenous People can practice IK, have it valued and practice culture. Additionally, through the involvement of Elders, social connections are made, nurturing a health-promoting environment by affirming Indigenous identity and belonging (Peach, Richmond & Brunette-Debassige, 2020;Peach, 2018). The IFMG offers a place of connection for students attending Western University and missing the connections to their homelands, as well as for Indigenous People who have never had the opportunity to hold connections to IK before.…”

Magnifying and healing colonial trauma in higher education: Persistent settler colonial dynamics at the Indigenizing university.

“…Moreover, with the release of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada, Indigenization efforts particularly at Canadian Universities have grown significantly. Efforts in both Canada and the U.S. have included the establishment of dedicated spaces for Native students and faculty on campus, targeted admissions outreach in Native communities, and faculty cluster hires (Beck & Pidgeon, 2020; Peach et al, 2020). Institutional policies have been reformed to allow the implementation of spiritual practices on campus and in the classroom, such as smudging, pipe ceremonies, and cultural feasting on campus (Beck & Pidgeon, 2020; Pete, 2015).…”

Spiritual, Religious, and Faith-Based Practices in Chronicity

“…Nevertheless, land-based interventions Indigenizing urban landscapes should progress with caution. They may not bring significant transformations in the absence of strong and trusting Indigenous-settler relationships, respecting Indigenous Peoples rights to self-determination, and ensuring shared responsibilities to care for the natural world and laws governing it (Hatala et al 2019;Peach et al 2020).…”