Rooted Revival

Rooted Revival

Rooted Revival

Empowering wellness through plants

Kahnawake, QC J0L1b0, Canada

CAN

Not registered as any organization

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The problem that I am working to solve is the loss of knowledge of our traditional medicines and practices. The problem is massive, there are only a few knowledge holders left in our communities who hold the knowledge about traditional plant medicine and they are elders. Not many young people are learning these ways, so it is imperative that we learn as much as we can now and pass it on. On another level, most Kanienkehaka (mohawk people) don't understand and trust our traditional medicines because we have been heavily colonized and made to believe the western medical system is superior to our traditional knowledge systems. There is so little information available to people to learn and understand our traditional medicines. Connecting with the land and learning our traditional medicines is necessary to ensure that our relationship with them carries on. As Onkwehonwe, we are already in a situation in which so much of this knowledge is already gone and we need to ensure that we revitalize and preserve what is left. Our medicines offer knowledge that support much of our identities including language, well-being, connection to creation, and broadens access to health care for many.

My solution is to provide education to individuals about traditional medicine and allow them the opportunity to connect and redevelop relationships with the land and plants so that they can understand and experience the power they hold. The solution will allow opportunities for people to come to the land and participate in medicine walks and learning what the plants are and how they are used. I will also provide individual sessions for specific health concerns and guide people to understand how plants can support their wellbeing. This solution will empower people to take their own health and wellbeing into their control and decrease the reliance on the western medical system. Traditional plant medicine can provide preventative qualities to health which could reduce the amount of health issues that an individual experiences. The solution will ensure that this knowledge is revitalized and passed on.

This solution would primarily serve Kanienkehaka (mohawk people) from Kahnawake, Akwesasne and Kanesatake but I hope to reach more nations through the years. This population is underserved in the ability to access traditional plant medicine and to be able to connect with the land. Prior to colonization our health and wellbeing was dependent on our relationships with creation. This solution will help people to reconnect and to ultimately connect with their identities and be able to understand and support their health and wellbeing. Allowing more access to plant medicines will empower individuals to take charge of their own health and to reduce feelings of helplessness. Revitalizing and carrying on this knowledge will help me to support people in their own health journeys. By making this knowledge more accessible to Onkwehonwe, it can help to reduce some of the fears of plant medicine and to decrease the reliance on western medicine. Overall, it will allow us to further revitalize knowledge that was violently taken from us.