- I'm touring the Native Wellness Garden in Milwaukee
learning about indigenous foodways
and the people maintaining this beautiful space.
- Angela: Nestled just off a busy road on the south side of Milwaukee,
is a gardener's paradise,
the Native Wellness Garden.
I'm meeting up with Lisa,
the Community Outreach Coordinator,
to get a tour of the growing space
and learn how the garden supports the work
of the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center.
- Lisa Albright: So, this area of the garden
where we grow our medicinal medicines.
There are four:
there's sweet grass, there's sage,
there is tobacco,
and then, over there, we have our cedar trees.
- I notice that on the signs, too,
you have the plant type
written out in more than one language.
- That is correct.
So, it's written in English and as well as in Ojibwe.
That was an art project that was taken
on a few years ago by the native youth.
They put these signs together
and painted them for our medicinal plants.
- All right.
So, we've talked about tobacco, cedar, sweet grass, sage,
and I think a medicine wheel is up next
that we may be able to check out.
- That's right.
We can head right over
and check out the medicine wheel.
- Okay, perfect. - Thank you.
[gentle music]
It was created by a UWM intern.
It took him two seasons to create it.
- Oh.
- And he has broken up the entire circle
into four different quadrants.
The plants that are within that quadrant are representative
of what is medicinal in that area of the country.
- Angela: Very nice.
- Lisa: We do have a binder that he put together for us
and labeled each and every plant, what they do,
what their medicinal purposes are.
So we have found that through this garden, we are
able to grow healthy food, where they're able to come out
pick the produce, or they can come
to our health center, and they can get free produce
which helps with your overall diet.
- Angela: Yes. - So many chronic diseases,
it all comes back to your diet.
And so if we can make healthy food more accessible
for our patients as well as our community,
that's just a win-win for all of us.
- Angela: Absolutely.
It's a win for everyone,
including the community gardeners with plots here.
I met with one of those growers volunteering in the garden.
- I've been a member for four years now,
and I started out growing zucchini,
and just different plants that I have never tried before.
- Tammy: This year, we're doing onions
and green beans and such, and I'm really enjoying it.
- Awesome.
And is there anything significant
about this particular space for you as a gardener?
- I just like the atmosphere, in general.
You've seen the beautiful trees and just the setting,
just very peaceful and relaxing,
and it just makes you feel, like you said,
like a community and everybody learns from each other
and it's just a very rewarding experience for me.
- A plentiful garden with a deeply rooted purpose.
Now let's traverse the state and meet someone else
sharing their life with us.