Wisconsin Life

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

There are four

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. 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.