OUR STORY
Msit No’kmaq means “All My Relations” in Mi’kmaq.
Msit No’kmaq aims to support people in reconnecting with themselves, each other, the land, waters, and all beings through land-based workshops, webinars, and walks.
Carolynne Crawley, founder of Msit No’kmaq, is Mi'kmaw, Black and Irish. She is from Mi’kma’ki territory also known today as Nova Scotia. But Tkaronto has been her home for the past fifty years. She grew up with a deep love and respect for the land and all beings. She is currently in the process of documenting some of her family’s stories of being in relationship with the land such as harvesting medicines and the burning of lands in early spring.
Carolynne is dedicated to social and environmental justice. She is also passionate about reconnecting people with the land, waters, and all beings as there is no separation between us. From many Indigenous perspectives around the Earth they are all our relations to be treated with as much love, respect, and reciprocity as we do with our human loved ones. Carolynne leads workshops that support the development and strengthening of healthy and reciprocal relationships and creates opportunities for reflection and change. She also shares Indigenous life ways such as understanding bird language and harvesting ‘wild’ foods and medicines from the land.
Carolynne is one of the founders of the new initiative Turtle Protectors in collaboration with Indigenous Elders and community members. This project focuses upon advocating, supporting, and protecting our turtle relatives and kin.
She is a certified Forest Therapy Guide. She was also a Mentor and Trainer of the practice for five years. She leads in person and virtual forest therapy walks, facilitates webinars and retreats for corporations, organizations, and the general public.
Carolynne is a Blanket Exercise Facilitator, contracted by Karios Canada. The Kairos Blanket exercise touches upon “more than 500 years in a 90-minute experiential workshop that aims to foster understanding about our shared history as Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples…It ‘walks’ through situations that include pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization and resistance. ” Kairos Canada
She is also a member of the Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle. ‘It is a Circle of Elders, knowledge keepers, community members and allies who have come together around our shared commitment to healing Indigenous lands and community’ here in High Park, in Toronto. Members gather together to share best practices of stewardship and to advocate for our relations living in and around the park.
Carolynne has worked in food security for more than a decade. She built school food gardens and developed curriculum-linked food literacy workshops for both elementary and secondary schools across the GTA. She worked with First Nations communities from coast to coast to coast focused upon Indigenous food ways. She is a Co-Producer of an upcoming documentary, Reckoning with the Wendigo, that focuses upon the resiliency of the Cree People along the James Bay who are impacted by continual threats from colonial systems. .
Carolynne is also a Storyteller, Holistic Nutritionist, and has worked as a Child & Youth Worker for more than twenty years. Carolynne can be found speaking at events that center around social, food, and environmental justice. To book Carolynne for a public or private event or speaking engagement view the connect page.