xʷc̓ic̓əsəm (aka IHREG) is located at UBC Farm. Its traditional xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqueam name is xʷc̓ic̓əsəm. The hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word means “The place where we grow.” xʷc̓ic̓əsəm has been at the UBC Farm since 2007, first established under the guidance of the UBC Institute for Aboriginal Health and currently under the Centre for Indigenous Land-Based Education, Research, and Wellness, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, under the direction of Dr. Eduardo Jovel.
With an emphasis on teaching, learning, and research, xʷc̓ic̓əsəm aims to serve educational and research needs related to Indigenous knowledges and their intersections with other ways of knowing. We are particularly focused on Indigenous food sovereignty, food security, and traditional plant knowledge while increasing participants’ knowledge and access to both traditional and non-traditional plant uses. The garden includes over 60+ medicinal plants native to British Columbia and beyond. These native medicinal plants are used in medicine-making workshops taught by the Medicine Collective, a group of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-Keepers.
It is guided by the principle that ‘food is medicine’ and follows the research ethics framework of the “4Rs: respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility,” as well as a holistic understanding of health and healing. In addition to its international, community-based research, xʷc̓ic̓əsəm engages with numerous regional Aboriginal schools, communities, and organizations, including hosting visits to the Centre.
xʷc̓ic̓əsəm hosts the Culturally Relevant Urban Wellness program (CRUW), which brings together urban Indigenous and recent immigrant youth in care to xʷc̓ic̓əsəm from March to October. It also hosts student internships throughout the academic year that support UBC students in gaining hands-on learning and research experience while earning credit toward their degree.
xʷc̓ic̓əsəm community works on and acknowledges the unceded ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqueam peoples, whose guidance and collaboration are paramount to the work we undertake. We also acknowledge the support of the Musqueam Garden, the Maya in Exile Garden group, the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm, the LFS Indigenous Research Partnerships, and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC.
