Keeley Moulton: Seeds of Sovereignty

Keeley Moulton, Administrative Assistant at the New Brunswick Indigenous Career College, shares what it was like to return to the land to pick sweetgrass. She and the college’s Principal, Starla McDougall, drew on what they knew, offered prayers and medicines, and found the sweetgrass they were looking for.

Keeley reflects on the importance of sharing knowledge and creating more opportunities for people to reconnect with the land, including those who cannot easily travel outside their community or access places where sweetgrass grows.

Her story shows why land-based learning and knowledge sharing need time, resources and people who can help make them accessible. Fairly paid land-based roles can help restore opportunities to harvest, teach, share knowledge, and help others participate.

Keeley’s reflections are part of the ongoing conversation shared through Seeds of Sovereignty. Indigenous-led and shaped by Right To Food’s Indigenous Network, Seeds of Sovereignty brings together place-based approaches to food sovereignty and recommendations for change through community stories, a living brief and a short film.

This September, members of Right To Food’s Indigenous Network are making the case that government funding can help make stable, dignified salaries possible for land-based roles like hunters, foragers and knowledge keepers, recognizing these roles as essential infrastructure.