Seeds of Our Ancestors, Seeds of our Lives TedTalk

by Winona Laduke

Description:

Importance of diversity of plant species in sustainability and diets. Story of the Pawnee’s peoples corn being taken from settlers out of its traditional land and not being able to grow until it was placed back in its traditional land of Nebraska where it flourished. Explains the importance of the concept of space in relation to traditional foods. Discusses the important of Indigenous relation to traditional foods. Explains the Hawaiian's and Maori’s fights to protect their Indigenous foods of Taro and Peruperu. 

Resource format: Video

Age recommendation: Grades 10-12

Keywords: plant species diversity, sustainability, nutrition, Hawaii, Maori, traditional food, farming, TedTalk, environmental activism, Indigenous traditional foods, food sovereignty, Pawnee Nation

Year of publication: 2012

Publisher information: TEDxTC

Teaching and Learning Ideas

Our team collaborated with new teachers, alumni of the Werklund School of Education’s Bachelor of Education program, to create teaching and learning plans for texts in this website. With audiences ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Post-Secondary, lesson plans across this resource address a wide range of school subject areas, inclusive approaches, and Indigenous education topics, such as the revitalization of Indigenous languages. As this website was designed with Undergraduate Programs in Education instructors, as well as teachers in mind, connections to UPE courses have been flagged on each lesson plan. These lessons are intended as a starting place for educators, to help you envision ways in which you might bring Indigenous literatures, as well as ways of knowing, being, and doing, into your teaching contexts. Please adapt, use, and share these lessons in ways that are generative for your teaching practice. We offer our sincere thanks to the dozens of new teachers who gifted us with these creative ideas!

Seeds of Our Ancestors Grade 7 Lesson