Medicine Garden Webinar

Ashtonbee Community Food Garden invites you to a workshop about The Four Sacred Medicines.

This workshop was supposed to be happening at Ashtonbee Community Garden, but with the necessity of self-isolation, we decided to continue to bring this knowledge to the students. We transform into a webinar. The webinar had happened on April 7 and we learned so much about the Four Sacred Medicine.

“About the speaker Randy Pitawanakwat (his words)

I am an Anishinaabe from the unceded territory of Wiikwemkoong and Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. I have worked with the Indigenous community in the Toronto area for over 10 years and continue to advocate for the rights and protection of our traditional ways of knowledge. I received my Bachelor of Education from Laurentian and a Bachelor of Education and Masters of Education, from the University of Toronto. I am currently a professor at Seneca College and work out of the beautiful Odeyto First Peoples’ at Seneca, where I am focusing on writing curriculum and providing professional development. Much of my knowledge is academic and more importantly, a collective of my understanding from oral tradition and experiences throughout my life back home in Wiikwemkoong and Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. I owe everything to my Anishinaabe family and the community that has taught me what I know. .”

About the Webinar

Cultures from all over the world have developed different views of nature throughout human history. Many of them are rooted in traditional systems of beliefs, which indigenous people use to understand and interpret their biophysical environment (Iaccarino, 2003). At the same time, their knowledge embodies a wealth of wisdom and experience of nature gained over millennia from direct observations and transmitted—most often orally—over generations.

For this being said, we invite Centennial Community to forget about this concerning times for a moment and to appreciate an hour of Indigenous wisdom. We asked a Knowledge Keeper that will guide us to the importance of this traditional knowledge for the alignment and continuous interaction of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realities by showing us the power of the Four Sacred Medicines.

We intend to provide well being and self-knowledge by using Indigenous practices allowing the community to concentrate on what is happening, the scent of the medicines may inspire memories, awaken the soul and give a sense of direction in these difficult times.