New signs at Laurentian University trail identify plants in 4 languages

A trail on the Laurentian University campus now has 25 signs that identify plants in Anishinaabemowin, French, English and Latin.

The student-led Laurentian Environmental Sustainability Committee created the signs to help preserve the Anishinaabemowin and plant knowledge.

"I'm hoping that it gives them a space to connect to the land if they're Indigenous," said Taylor Nicholls, the committee's Indigenous relations liaison.

"Learning Anishinaabemowin is an integral part of connecting back to our culture. And if they're not Indigenous, then it's just a place to connect to nature and hopefully learn Anishinaabemowin and the importance of learning it."

The committee received funding from the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada to develop the signs which identify plants native to the region, such as the white spruce and northern bush honeysuckle.

Nicholls said that in Anishinaabemowin, plant names describe some aspect of the plant.

"Like the way that the needles are on the tree," she said. "Some of them it's the way a leaf moves or the way that the bark is."

Nicholls said she worked closely with elders and language speakers in Wahnapitae First Nation and Sagamok First Nation to identify the plant names and their pronunciation.

At each sign there is a QR code that directs people using the trail to a YouTube video, with the plant name spoken in Anishinaabemowin.

Avery Morin, the committee's incoming chair, said it was difficult to choose the 25 plants they wanted to identify.

"We had some expert biologists come out and help us to make sure we were identifying the plants properly," she said.