Culture doesn't vanish-it sleeps until stirred again. This idea lies at the heart of Samantha Terry's research on Anishinaabeg moss bags.
Terry, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Faculty of Environment is Ojibwe from Temagami First Nation and of settler descent. Working with the Can-Peat research team at the WAMPUM Lab, her research documented the reclamation process of moss bags to relearn the ecological knowledge held by Indigenous mothers that connects the Anishinaabeg to peatlands.
Moss bags are made with fabric and leather which wrap tightly around an infant's body. Traditionally, they were made with hide and stuffed with sphagnum moss (aasaakamig), which acted as a diaper for the child. The bag was laced up at the front to ensure the infant's safety and create a tactile experience akin to the womb. Infants were placed in the bag from birth, allowing the mother to continue carrying her child while she did her day-to-day activities.
The process of sewing a moss bag.
