Learn with and from the land
The Certificate in Indigenous Health, Wellness, and Land-Based Healing is a two-day immersive experience that brings together Indigenous teachings, land-based learning, traditional foods, ceremony, reflection and community.
Grounded in Indigenous understandings of health and wellness as relational and holistic, the experience invites participants to learn with and from the land while exploring connections among land, culture, community, spirit, and wellbeing.
Rather than learning only in a classroom, participants will spend the weekend learning through teachings, shared experiences, food, time on the land, ceremony, and reflection.
The Certificate in Indigenous Health, Wellness and Land-Based Healing is an initiative of the University of Waterloo Office of Indigenous Relations and the Faculty of Health.
Who is this experience for?
This Certificate in Indigenous Health, Wellness and Land-Based Healing is for Indigenous University of Waterloo students, staff and faculty who are Indigenous to Turtle Island.
Participants must:
- be a current University of Waterloo student, staff member or faculty member; and
- meet the Indigenous identity eligibility requirements for this offering, which will be verified as part of registration.
There is no cost to participate. No previous experience with land-based learning or the teachings and activities included in the weekend is required.
Program at a glance
Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (both days)
University of Waterloo North Campus
Register (apply to participate)
This program is for current University of Waterloo students, staff and faculty who meet the Indigenous identity eligibility requirements for this offering.
Space is limited. Eligibility will be verified as part of the registration process.
This is a full two-day experience. Much of the weekend will involve experiential and land-based activities. Participants should come prepared to spend time outdoors and will receive additional information about clothing and what to bring before the program.
What you will experience
Indigenous understandings of health and wellness extend beyond the physical body. Health can be understood through relationships with land, community, culture, spirit, food, medicines, ancestors and one another. Over two days, participants will have opportunities to engage with these relationships through guided teachings and experiences led by appropriate Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers and facilitators.
The weekend is designed as an experience of learning and participation rather than simply learning about Indigenous health and wellness. Participants will gather in circle, share food, spend time on the land, learn about sacred medicines and plants, engage with traditional teachings, participate in ceremony and reflect together on the relationships between land, culture, community and wellbeing.
Day 1 | Land, medicines, food and relationship
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Beginning in relationship
Through an opening circle, introductions and time around the fire, participants will begin building relationships with one another and with the learning experience.
The morning will include the sharing of tobacco, an Ancestor Call with the drum and teachings about the sacred medicines and their relationships to health and wellbeing.
Food as learning
Lunch is more than a break in the day's activities – it is part of the learning experience. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about preparing fish, including demonstrations and guided opportunities to learn how fish are cleaned and filleted, before sharing the meal together.
Learning on the land
In the afternoon, participants will move onto the land for a guided plant walk. Together, participants will learn to recognize selected plants connected with traditional medicines and foods while exploring relationships among plants, place, seasonal knowledge, health and well-being.
Day 2 | Story, ceremony and reflection
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Creation story and teachings
Participants will gather again in the morning before engaging with the Creation Story and reflecting on its connections to the weekend's learning. These teachings provide a foundation for the ceremonial experiences that follow later in the day.
Sharing food
Participants will once again gather around food and community, sharing soup together for the midday meal.
Sweat Lodge and Wampum teachings
The afternoon will centre on two significant learning experiences. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in a Sweat Lodge ceremony, accompanied by traditional teachings and appropriate cultural guidance. Participants will also engage in learning about wampum belts and the teachings and relationships they represent.
Closing the circle
Following the afternoon teachings, everyone will gather again to formally close the weekend. Participants will be invited to share reflections on their experiences and learning through a closing sharing circle. The weekend will conclude with an opportunity to acknowledge one another, and the presentation of certificates.
What will you take away
By the end of the weekend, participants will have had opportunities to deepen their understanding of Indigenous approaches to health, wellness, healing and relationships with the land.
Through participation in the weekend, participants will explore:
- Indigenous understandings of health and wellness as relational, holistic and land-based
- Relationships among land, culture, spirit, community, food, medicines and well-being
- Sacred medicines and selected plants used for food and medicine
- Traditional food preparation and the connections between food, land and community
- Respectful approaches and protocols for land-based and ceremonial learning
- Traditional teachings, including Creation Story and wampum
- The role of ceremony in health, healing, relationship and community
- How land-based knowledge and experiences can inform their own ongoing learning and relationships.
The goal is not to become an expert over a single weekend.
Instead, the certificate creates space to learn through experience, relationship, reflection and guidance while strengthening connections with Indigenous knowledge, community and the land.
Questions?
Have questions about the certificate, eligibility, registration or what to expect during the weekend?
Email the Indigenous Initiatives team.