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

甜草（英语：Sweetgrass）是一种神圣的多年生植物，对第一民族、因纽特人和梅蒂斯人具有文化、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关键物种。根据流行的话语和调查证据，野生香草类栖息地正在失去演替替代，栖息地退化，过度捕捞和气候变化。因此，为了获得这种神圣的草的来源，米克马克群体再也不能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文化上重要的草的可获得性和可用性。 米克马克大陆联盟（CMM）、乌纳马基自然资源研究所（UINR）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的甜草获取和供应。其目标是通过扩大米克马克人的知识，使这一文化上重要的物种通过农业实践在他们的社区内生长，从而使米克马克人社区更好地了解、获得和获得甜草。作为该项目的一部分，NSCC与CMM和UINR合作，将促进教育研讨会，以确保有关如何在内陆传播、移植和种植甜草的信息在社区中广泛传播。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实践将降低野生甜草种群的过度捕捞压力，并允许继续进行油和篮子制作实践。此外，许多仪式和教义都需要甜草，而持续的供应将使这些做法得以传承。这项合作将研究内陆甜草生产的文化和实际影响，以维持米克马克人的文化关键物种。

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.