Increasing access and availability of the culturally-significant sweetgrass for Mi'kmaq communities

甜草（米克瑙语为welimaqewel）是一种神圣的多年生植物，对第一民族、因纽特人和姆萨提斯人具有文化、社会和经济重要性。由于米克马克的文化习俗和传统依赖于这种植物，这种草被认为是文化的基石物种。根据流行的话语和调查证据，由于演替、栖息地退化、过度采伐和气候变化，野生甜草栖息地正在丧失。因此，为了获得这种神圣的草的来源，Mi'kmaq群体再也无法从野生种群中获得可持续的来源。因此，需要确定一种可持续的方式来增加这种具有重要文化意义的草的获取和可用性。大陆米克马克联盟（CMM）、Unama'ki自然资源研究所（unr）和新斯科舍省社区学院（NSCC）正在开展一项合作研究项目，以改善米克马克社区获得和获得香草的机会。我们的目标是通过扩展米克马克人的知识，通过农业实践使这一文化上重要的物种在米克马克人的社区内生长，从而使米克马克社区更好地了解、获取和获得甜草。作为该项目的一部分，澳门金沙城中心将与CMM和unr合作举办教育研讨会，以确保有关如何在内陆繁殖、移植和种植甜草的信息在各社区广泛传播。通过这个过程，社区成员将有能力加强他们与这种神圣植物的文化关系。这个为期三年的项目将为米克马克社区带来环境、经济和社会效益。具体来说，确定内陆种植甜草的最佳做法将降低野生甜草种群的过度采收压力，并允许油和篮制作实践继续进行。此外，许多仪式和教义需要甜草，持续的供应将允许这些实践被传递下去。这次合作将研究内陆甜草生产的文化和实际意义，以维持米克马克人的文化基石物种。

Sweetgrass (welimaqewel in Mi'kmaw) is a sacred perennial plant that has cultural, social, and economic importance to the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. Due to Mi'kmaq cultural practices and traditions being dependent on this plant, this grass is considered a cultural keystone species. According to popular discourse and survey evidence, wild sweetgrass habitat is being lost from successional replacement, habitat degradation, overharvesting, and climate change. As a result, to acquire a source of this sacred grass, Mi'kmaq groups can no longer obtain a sustainable source from wild populations. Thus, determining a sustainable way to increase access and availability of this culturally important grass is needed. The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq (CMM), Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR), and Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) are conducting a collaborative research project to improve sweetgrass access and availability to Mi'kmaq communities. The goal is to create better understanding, access, and availability of sweetgrass to Mi'kmaq communities, by extending Mi'kmaq knowledge to enable growth of this culturally important species within their communities through agricultural practices. As part of the project, NSCC in collaboration with CMM and UINR will facilitate educational workshops to ensure information about how to propagate, transplant, and grow sweetgrass inland is distributed broadly across communities. Through this process, community members will be given the ability to strengthen their cultural relationship with this sacred plant. This three-year project will offer environmental, economic, and social benefits to Mi'kmaq communities. Specifically, determining best practices for growing sweetgrass inland will lower overharvesting pressure of wild sweetgrass populations, as well as allow oil and basketing making practices to continue. Furthermore, many ceremonies and teachings require sweetgrass, and continued availability will allow for these practices to be passed on. This collaboration will examine the cultural and practical implications of inland sweetgrass production to sustain a cultural keystone species for the Mi'kmaq people.