Indigenous Garden planted for 8th year in Downtown Winnipeg

The Indigenous Garden being planted in Winnipeg on June 22, 2022.

The 8th annual Indigenous Garden is now planted in Downtown Winnipeg.

“We are honoured to once again have this garden for our employees and other visitors to heal and reflect,” said Vera Houle, director of community relations for APTN, a project partner on the garden.

This year’s garden was planted at a celebration at the Air Canada Park on Wednesday in partnership with the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ.

“The Indigenous Garden was established through consultation and collaboration with elders, knowledge keepers and community members,” said Jori Pincock, manager of public realm with the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, at Wednesday’s event.

“[It] provides us a place to root ourselves in learning and growth on our path towards reconciliation.”

The plant varieties included in the garden hold special meanings and have many traditional uses in Indigenous cultures. These plants include prairie sage, common yarrow, juniper and sweetgrass.

Kyla Henry, a jingle dress dancer who performed at Wednesday’s event, said the garden is important because it incorporates traditional plants and herbs used for medicine.

“It’s definitely important to have these because it helps urban youth, it helps urban Indigenous people to recognize these traditional herbs and plants,” she said.

Pincock said the garden also helps to bring an Indigenous presence to the physical landscape of Downtown Winnipeg.

She noted the plants they choose every year change, adding that they monitor what thrives in the urban environment.

“We consult with elders and knowledge keepers on appropriate species and their uses in different Indigenous cultures, so it’s a mixture of traditional plants and what’s thriving in the environment,” Pincock said.