Métis professor restores sacred sage field mowed on Alberta campus

A sage field on the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus, protected for years by Métis professor Willow White, was accidentally mowed down in May, according to CBC News. White began working to preserve the sacred site after joining the campus in 2022, creating a plant walk that features signs with Indigenous language and cultural teachings.

White, a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta, collaborated with elders, knowledge holders and students on the project. Following the mowing, students, faculty and alumni joined her to pull invasive weeds and support regrowth. “There’s a community of care now around the field where three years ago that didn’t exist,” White said. The university issued an apology by email.