By David Clements/Special to Langley Advance Times
We listened intently as Cowichan elder Luschiim told stories of the way his people used to care for the vast Garry oak meadows throughout Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
This care was much more than casually lighting fires in the hopes that the meadows would stay open so that their very important food plant, camas would flourish.
This care was a system of agriculture, where everything was carefully done to maximize the yield of the crop, along with all of the other important foods and medicines from the plants and animals in the region.
Today these Garry oak ecosystems are among the most endangered ecosystems in Canada, also containing a large number of endangered plants and animals that call these systems home.
My students and I have been researching these systems on our Trinity Western Crow’s Nest Ecological Research area on Salt Spring Island for more than 20 years.
Although we have worked hard to restore the meadows there, the Crow’s Nest is a far cry from the wonderfully diverse habitat that Luschiim and his ancestors knew.
The message of a documentary, which we filmed Luschiim for, was that this precious ecosystem is in need of healing, as is the rest of our precious planet.
Other voices on our documentary chime in with the same message.
Cowichan elder Rob George talks about the complex interaction between the land and the waters that produced salmon, a relationship also desecrated by the arrival of colonists.
Indigenous scholar Jennifer Grenz explains how enlightening it would be for western scientists to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing, as she now does in her groundbreaking research.
Grenz’ book “Medicine Wheel for the Planet” is coming out March 26 and provides a desperately needed prescription for our ailing planet.
Ecologist Tara Martin who grew up on Salt Spring Island adds her voice to the plight of Garry oak ecosystems, pointing to the shifting baselines we see, where the “new normal” is NOT normal.
The planet is sick!
Our documentary “Blessed is the Spot: The Wounding and Healing of the Garry Oak Ecocultural Landscape” is being premiered Monday, March 18 at the DeVries Auditorium at Trinity Western University.
The evening begins at 6:30 p.m., and the showing of the film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Robert George, Jennifer Grenz, Tara Martin, environmental advocate Genevieve Singleton, filmmakers Ned Vankevich and Jef Gibbons, and myself.
See: https://www.twu.ca/news-events/events/film-premiere-garry-oak-ecocultural-landscape
Later the same week, Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23, we are putting on a Planetary Health conference at the DeVries Centre to further delve into the urgency for healing our planet. For details, people can visit: https://www.planetaryhealthtwu2024.ca/
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– David Clements PhD, is a professor of biology and environmental studies at Trinity Western University
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