At Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, our approach to public programming is driven beyond traditional models of interpretation toward experiences that are shaped collaboratively with communities, especially Indigenous partners.
The Wahkohtowin: Buffalo and Moose Hide Experience, hosted by the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa – one of Ingenium’s three national museums – exemplifies our approach. It is based on relationship-building, knowledge sharing, and co-creation. Led by Indigenous partners and guided by Indigenous science, this will be an exceptional hands-on learning experience for the public.
The grounds of Canada Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa. Photo credit: Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
Wahkohtowin: An example of respectful co-creation
As national museums, we serve as facilitators of shared learning around our country’s rich history of science and innovation. In particular, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum is a unique venue to bring knowledge sharing and co-creation to life for the public to experience.
Developed in partnership with the Buffalo Culture Collective and the Assembly of Seven Generations, and held in the days leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this experience is framed by the Cree concept of wahkohtowin, meaning kinship and interconnectedness, which guides both the learning experience and our institutional approach. Public access, dedicated sessions for Indigenous groups, and the integration of a bilingual film screening (Singing Back the Buffalo) ensure the program is inclusive, meaningful, and educational.
“Buffalo Culture Collective personally has witnessed the deep emotional impact that hide work can have,” says Colin Arlt, Executive Director of the Buffalo Culture Collective. “Watching fellow Indigenous people engage in traditional culturally relevant and very much current practices to do hide work is healing. To practice doing hide work just as my ancestors did based off of a relationship and kinship with Buffalo has brought many to tears. It is an act of cultural resurgence, of decolonization, and of reclaiming space. All of this to help to rematriate Buffalo back into spaces where they have been absent for far too long. In attempts to Bring Buffalo Consciousness and Culture into communities again of for the first time in new spaces like Toronto and Ottawa.”
Colin Arlt of the Buffalo Culture Collective works on a buffalo hide. Photo credit: Buffalo Culture Collective
Investing in networks that support Indigenous-led initiatives
Public programming like Wahkohtowin: Buffalo and Moose Hide Experience demonstrates how co-created, Indigenous-led experiences generate deep and lasting impact. For participants, they offer immersive, hands-on learning that braids cultural knowledge and scientific understanding, making STEM more accessible and relevant.
As we all know, the impacts agriculture has had (and in many ways still has) on Indigenous people are significant. This includes the displacement of communities, the disruption of traditional diets, and the removal of important species like buffalo, which has deeply impacted nations across Turtle Island.
For Indigenous partners, these initiatives provide space for knowledge sharing, cultural revitalization, and leadership in public-facing education. They also support intergenerational learning and help re-establish connections to land, language, and tradition. This is always important, but especially so around the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as we reflect on the ways in which these efforts were historically disrupted through government action.
In alignment with the museum’s broader involvement in I-STEM (the Interdepartmental Indigenous STEM Cluster), the event illustrates how federal networks can support Indigenous-led programming and foster more collaborative, relational approaches across government.
These programs help build credibility and trust. They reflect a clear commitment to truth and reconciliation, and position public organizations as active collaborators rather than passive observers.
When supported through networks like I-STEM, they show how collective action can lead to meaningful, community-driven results. By investing in networks that support Indigenous-led initiatives, federal institutions can build stronger relationships with communities and deliver more meaningful, inclusive programming.
“The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum team is deeply appreciative of the knowledge, stories, and skills being shared through our programming,” says Kerry-Leigh Burchill, the museum’s director general. “We are committed to working with partners to co-curate exhibitions and co-create educational resources that will have an impact on audiences throughout the nation. It is especially significant to be hosting Wahkohtowin during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as the buffalo represents respect in the Seven Grandfather Teachings.”
Discovery Park on the grounds of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa. Photo credit: Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
Call to action across government
Supporting Indigenous-led, co-created initiatives like Wahkohtowin is one way to act.
The Wahkohtowin Buffalo and Moose Hide Experience shows what’s possible when Indigenous partners, knowledge sharing, and federal collaboration come together. These events foster reconciliation by centering Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and experience.
As the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches, we invite other government departments and agencies to reflect, not only through commemoration, but through meaningful engagement, joining interdepartmental networks, and embedding long-term relationships into their work.
Truth and reconciliation are not one-day commitments; they are an ongoing responsibility. Through shared learning and collaboration, we can move from intention to action, together.
