John Abbott College unveils Indigenous inspired garden

A new garden and microforest, years in the making, have been inaugurated at John Abbott College in Montreal.

The green space, called Kahnikonri:io, meaning "good mind" in Mohawk, serves as a living classroom. It combines traditional Indigenous wisdom with Western scientific practices in the fight against climate change. 

"That's how we hope to carry ourselves. We carry ourselves with a good mind, meaning that when we interact with others, we carry those values of sharing, cooperation and reciprocity, collaboration," said Kim Tekakwitha Martin, the Dean of Indigenous Education at the college.

The garden contains native and medicinal plants. It's a space to gather and relax and to hold cultural activities.

"To be able to exchange the knowledge bases of Western empirical scientific knowledge with the traditional knowledge and stewardship of the Earth, and really those two are the same, they're just speaking different languages," said Martin, who is Mohawk from Kahnawake.

"And so, to be able to have students come here and non-Indigenous and learn of traditional knowledge, alongside the scientific knowledge and how we can work together and help to address this climate issue."

The microforest, which will fill out in the years to come as students connect with nature, is also an opportunity for environmental stewardship.

Chris Levesque, a biology instructor at John Abbott, said students will use sensors and other modern tools to measure the impact of the microforest on the local environment.

"We have 600 trees in the microforest. That's 14 different native species that have started growing. And as they grow, they remove, greenhouse gases," he explained.

"As we know when there are trees, it tends to cool down the air, so it buffers the temperature, especially during the heat waves."

The college also hopes the garden will be a space where Indigenous students will feel at home.

"We're hoping that people will come here, grow, develop good minds and move forward in the world and pursue their dreams," Martin said.