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Mamwi Gidaanjitoomin

Mamwi Gidaanjitoomin: Together We Change It

Our sense of home is shaped by the memories of our childhood, our present experience, and our hopes and expectations of the future. Housing is the structure we associated with the concept of “home”. Over the past century, many people have come to know single and multi-family dwellings and apartments as homes, but for Indigenous peoples around the globe, there were traditional structures built from trees, mud, clay, reeds, and other natural kin that was readily available and environmentally sustainable. These traditional structures (see graphic “Native Dwellings logo.png”) vary based on the climate, sources of building materials, weather events and the requirements around moving or being more settled.

There are 4 aspects of this project:

Perpetuation of Indigenous Knowledges – The first component of the Mamwi Gidaanjitoomin project is the construction of a traditional structure in collaboration between Indigenous youth and Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. This process, which will include both hands-on construction of the structure as well as cultural teachings, will provide space for urban Indigenous youth to learn from their Elders about their traditional structures. In facilitating this intergenerational knowledge translation, this project will provide a unique opportunity for the perpetuation of Indigenous Knowledges.
Shelter – Once the traditional building structure has been erected, it will be available for ANY people to use as shelter during the day and overnight as respite.
Service provision – In consultation with community members experiencing homelessness, service providers will perform outreach activities at the structure. These services could include but are not limited to harm reduction, housing, healing and mental health. To ensure appropriateness of outreach activities, discussions will be held with people experiencing homelessness where they will be able to provide input about the service provision process.
Shelter deconstruction and garden creation – The final part in the life cycle of the traditional shelter will take place in the spring once the earth has thawed. The structure will be taken down and the site will be transformed into a garden. The type of garden created will be determined with the input of the surrounding community so that it meets the unique needs of its neighbourhood.

If any municipality or city in Canada or the United States is interested in this conceptual project, please contact Dr. Mashford-Pringle through nrcs.dlsph@utoronto.ca