b"Indigenous people who had produced or raised the commodity. Promises were half kept in terms of the commodities they received, such as when Indigenous people were given sick and unhealthy cattle to raise.Theyre really trying to design us to, I would say starve us out, and actually not really help us engage in transitioning to be real treaty partners and really independent people, Morin said.Dark years continued with practices such as the residential school system, where Indigenous children were forcefully taken from their homes to attend boarding schools where their culture and heritage was taken from them. As the second half of 20th century dawned, some things did start looking up for Indigenous people. On Enoch, the Nation cashed in on the Alberta oil boom generating money through drilling and oil sales. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Nations started opening casinos with Enoch itself now Former Enoch Chief Billy Morin Anthony Blair Dreaver Johnston, owning the largest casino in Western Canada. special advisor to Mistawasis We weren't farming as much as we wanted to be anymore. WeNhiyawakstarted transitioning to other sectors for our small community, Morin said. The Nation currently leases out all its farmland to non-Indigenous people to farm. Some Indigenous Nations are working their own land though. On Mistawasis Nhiyawak, near Prince Albert, Sask. they have embarked on a Living Labs project titled The Bridge to Land Water Sky with Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. The project is receiving funds from the federal government and seeks to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen climate resiliency in the agriculture sector, while reconnecting Indigenous people with their land.When my ancestors selected reserve land, they knew that agriculture was coming. So, as you can see, they selected land with agricultural potential, Anthony Blair Dreaver Johnston, special advisor to Mistawasis Nhiyawak, explained during the IFAJ presentation. The Living Labs project is entering its second year and is the only Indigenous led Living Lab. The project runs for five years and is trying to reimagine a farming system where farmers and Indigenous people work towards a common goal of improved livelihoods and productive, biodiverse, climate-resilient farmlands. A news release on the project noted that thousands of acres of Band-managed reserve lands are farmed by non-Indigenous grain producers. This project aims to restore marginal and unproductive lands on and off the reserve into productive rangelands. Livestock management practices that maximize carbon storage are being tested with the future goal to create spaces for reintroducing bison.We have not lived with Brother Buffalo for over 200 years. So, we have a lot of learning to do, and we deployed our young peopleCarlon Bigsnake, member of Siksika NationSPUDSMART.COMFall 202343"