Sacred Medicine Garden
These Sacred Medicine Gardens are living sculptures designed to celebrate Indigenous culture and support cultural healing by reintroducing Sacred Medicines into urban spaces.
The first Sacred Medicine Garden was commissioned for Calgary John Howard Society in August of 2020. The John Howard Society is a charity that provides employment, education, housing and support to those caught in the cycle of criminalization, and the garden was built outside its Calgary residence for men. It is intended to provide a healing place for those impacted by the criminal justice system, and to celebrate and reclaim important aspects of Indigenous culture. The Sacred Medicine Garden provides free and open access to sacred medicines in urban spaces, when requested by the Indigenous community members.
There are now four Sacred Medicine Gardens in Calgary:
- Calgary John Howard Society
- Bob Bahan Community Hub
- Swan River First Nation
- Alberta Children’s Hospital
