Harvesters and users of traditional medicines gathered in Winnipeg this week to exchange medicines from different territories.
The event was the brainchild of Angie Cote and Carrie Sinclair, who have travelled across Manitoba gathering medicines.
Their idea for the medicine exchange, they said, came from an elder up north.
“He said that on this island they have this medicine wheel, and it’s very sacred there,” said Cote. “And he said when they would go check it out, they found medicines and other things that aren’t traditionally from the area, like shells and other things — because people used to travel all over and trade medicines and have medicine exchanges.
“So we started talking and said, why don’t we do it?”
At the event a few dozen people shared medicines and recipes.
“The reason I do this is for this generation,” said Sinclair.
“That’s what we need to do with our kids nowadays, is take them out into the bush and get them thinking about natural ways of healing and not depending so much on western medicines, and getting back to nature.”
The pair hope to get funding and expand the event next year. They would like to bring more people with traditional knowledge of medicines to Winnipeg.
