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Indigenous Plant Garden at the 
Downtown School Farm

Location: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh / Squamish, British Columbia.
Map Coordinates: 49.704781, -123.149988 (between Howe Sound Secondary & Squamish Elementary)

 

The Indigenous Plant Garden space is for all students and community members to relax, reflect and connect with Indigenous plants, while learning the cultural significance and pronunciation of them in the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language.

We are thankful to many folks who supported and guided this work, which include:

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw Elders, and Leigh Joseph (Styawat), Ethnobotanist.

Teachers, staff and students from Howe Sound Secondary (Heather Lafreniere, Indigenous Leadership class 23/24, Jasmine Baker (Długwa̱la), Erin Eidsvik, Farm Studies class 23/24, John Hamill, Colleen Hannah and Tami Jazic)

Youth Climate Corps British Columbia (Nicole Kilistoff, Aida Goma Petit, Michela Phillips, Keenan Miles and Will Cote.)

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About the Translator

My name is Jasmine Baker and my Ancestral name is Długwa̱la (Glue-gwa-la). I come from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Musga̱maḵw Dzawada̱'enux̱w. One of my dreams is to become an ethnobotanist and I’ve always loved learning the properties of Traditional Medicines.

Listen and practice how to pronounce the plant name in the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language

Indigenous Plant Guide

The Pacific Northwest is the most biodiverse region in Canada. Local Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) relating to Indigenous plants is extensive with more than 145 species utilized by members of the host nations for technology, food, medicine and ceremony. 

This page spotlights a few of these plants, found growing in the Indigenous Plant Garden at the Squamish Downtown School Farm, in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim , the language spoken by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh communities. We thank them for sharing some of their knowledge with us.

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Get to know the Illustrator

Sarah Keller, born in Kelowna, BC, developed a deep love for the outdoors through her family's garden and camping trips in BC Parks. After moving to Vancouver to study Kinesiology, the Coastal Temperate Rainforest shifted her focus to algae, fungi, and ecology. Now an elementary school teacher, Sarah fosters curiosity about nature and human connections to the environment.

 

Her work was featured in Vancouver is Awesome and The Squamish Chief for her ‘Sh*tty Plants of the Pacific Northwest’ poster. She lives in Squamish, where she enjoys painting, hiking, and exploring with her partner and dog.

The Collaboration

Sarah was commissioned to bring her watercolor style to convey the beauty  of the student-designed Indigenous garden. Sarah has been a champion of the school farm project and continues to provide hands-on experiential learning to her students.

Sarah is fascinated by plants and wild things, and especially how humans interact and care for them. This passion led her to become a teacher. She currently teaches elementary students in order to help them foster the same curiosity that she has for being human, enjoying plants and finding out what may be hiding under rocks.

Her illustrations are featured on the interactive signage at the garden, as well as above, within the plant guide.

Learn more about Sarah here: Sarah Keller Art

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Our Sponsors

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Educators take an interdisciplinary approach with lots of hands-on learning opportunities for their students and community members.

To expand and encourage sustainable agriculture and food production in our region

We bring together organizations, businesses, government representatives and community groups, to share perspectives and address challenges in our local food system.

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