Learning Story – What is Medicine?
The Week of April 16 2024
What Happened?
The Bushkid were asked “what is medicine” by Lila Erasmus Fraser.
They said:
“Land”
“Trees”
“Fire”
“Time” “Air”
“Everything” “Water”
She also asked us to close our eyes and imagine the grandmother of our own grandmother. What did she look like? What did she like doing? Do you look like her? What was her personality like? How did she live?
Why is it Important?
It’s spring and we are starting to see more plants. Many of the Bushkids are curious about traditional medicines and what they are used for. We made salve together and learned what it is used for and what medicines can be used to make it. We were asked to consider what else is medicine and the Bushkids came up with some really beautiful ideas that were so thoughtful – ideas that the adults wouldn’t have thought of (ex. time is medicine). When we feed the fire we think about our ancestors but it surprised us when we were asked to “imagine the grandmothers of our grandmothers”. One Bushkid said “Did you know her?” This helped us to really consider and bring a bit more reality to the concept of time alongside the concept of honouring and praying to our ancestors.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
It is our last session next week at Bushkids. We will have a feast to celebrate the Land and everything it gives us and reflect on how we show reciprocity for all of these gifts. We can try to answer the question “How is coming to Bushkids our medicine?” We have invited the healing camp to come and eat with us to show gratitude to our neighbours who are so supportive!