Halifax Tree Project

 Text-A-tree

THE PROJECT

In the summer of 2019 we launched Text-A-Tree, one part public engagement and one part academic study. We wanted to encourage people to connect with nature in cities, while testing how technology could help. We welcomed all people to the project, while looking to honour Mi’kmaq and Japanese culture in particular. Since we wanted to help people develop relationships with trees, we proposed that the best strategy would be to emulate how people develop relationships with each other. For many of us, that means texting! So from July 7th to Aug 31st, 2019, the public was invited to text 15 trees in the Halifax Public Gardens and receive unique replies provided by our volunteers. Text-A-Tree asked the question, “If you could talk to a tree, what would you say?”, and the public answered!

The project was led by Julietta Sorensen Kass, with the help of The Friends of the Public Gardens, Peter Duinker and the Halifax Tree Project, Dalhousie University, and some phenomenal volunteers. We were especially grateful to have received funding from the Government of Nova Scotia’s Culture Innovation Fund, as well as from the Suellen Murray Educational Bursary, Without this support Text-A-Tree would not have been possible. Learn more about the bursary and the legacy of Suellen, here.

Everyone who chose to text a tree received a reply from the volunteer tree-speaker voicing that individual. Regular texting fees applied without any additional charge from our end. Participants were welcome to say as much or as little as they liked. To get the phone numbers, participants had to meet the trees in person! Each textable tree had a sign with their unique name and phone number. For those who weren’t especially chatty, we also offered the silent Wish Tree. People could text their wishes to the Wish Tree, or participate online by using the hashtag #textatreehalifax, or by following us @textatreehalifax on Facebook and Instagram.

THE STUDY

Julietta used the project as part of her Master’s degree to test whether texting and social media could be used to help people connect with trees. If the answer was yes, then why? She also wanted to find out what makes trees important to people. She answered these questions by 1) looking at the number of people who liked/posted to/commented on Instagram and Facebook, 2) reading the messages people sent to trees, 3) asking people two survey questions.

To answer all of these questions, several rounds of analyses and reporting are required, the first of which is available here! We hope the results of the study will help the public and decision-makers better understand the importance of urban forests.

Culture

Just as we have shaped trees in cities, trees have shaped our cultures and cities.

Mi’kmaq Perspective

One of the concepts that first inspired the Text-A-Tree endeavor was msit no’kmaq, which means “our people” or “all my relations” in Mi’kmaq. It refers to the community around us, and the way in which we are related to all things, not just to other humans. The phrase illustrates how both humans and non-humans possess personhood. In Mi’kmaq tradition, animals, plants, and geographic locations can all be considered to have identities. They are all acknowledged as experiencing existence in the first person. In this way, humans are not separate from nature, but members of Earth’s community.

One of the goals of Text-A-Tree was to help people develop personal relationships with trees. Recognizing trees as unique, living, individuals, could help us do that. Interweaving Mi’kmaq perspective into the project philosophy was especially appropriate given that Halifax and the Public Gardens rest on Mi’gma’gi, the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Mi’kmaq culture continues today and has helped to shape the culture and community of Halifax.

How were these perspectives considered?

4 of the textable trees were native to Nova Scotia, and contributed to the rich 13,500 year history of the Mi’kmaq people. These were the sugar maple, black ash, red spruce, and yellow birch. Through text-conversations with these trees, people could learn about how trees were traditionally used and what cultural significance they hold. The signs in front of these trees displayed both their English and Mi’kmaq names. They also greeted participants differently than other trees, with the phrase Kwe! It means “I am here!” and is a greeting stemming from a practice in which hunters would call out kwe! to let others know they were in the area.

Our volunteer tree-speakers learned about the Mi’kmaq perspective through academic literature and the knowledge shared by our cultural guides. We do not claim to speak for the Mi’kmaq people, but rather to lend our voices (and texts) to the trees. We believe the trees would be proud to share their ancient and ongoing relationship with Nova Scotia's first people. 

Japanese Perspective

In 1982, Halifax and Hakodate, Japan became twin cities. Both cities have active seaports, and even share a fort in the shape of a star! This relationship was commemorated by the Halifax Public Gardens with the planting of several Japanese species of trees and shrubs. Just as the addition of these plants contributed to the beauty and diversity of the Gardens, so too has our culture been enhanced by the diverse peoples who now call Halifax home.

While researching for Text-A-Tree, we were inspired by the ancient concept of Kodama, in which some trees are recognized as possessing a “soul” or “spirit”. In modern times we see the yearly tradition of Hanami, meaning “viewing and enjoyment of flowers” (most commonly referring to Japan’s famous cherry blossoms). Another connection is seen in the tradition of the Wish Tree. During the Festival of Tanabata, wishes are written onto colourful strips of paper and hung onto trees and bamboo shoots.

The study portion of Text-A-Tree hoped to better understand why people value trees in cities. By celebrating different cultures in Halifax, we hoped to encourage people with all backgrounds to participate and share their values.

How are these perspectives considered?

4 of the textable trees were native to, or have cultural significance in, Japan. These were the Japanese katsura tree, ginkgo, Japanese tree lilac, and magnolia. Text-A-Tree also launched on the 7th day of the 7th month (July 7, 2019) to coincide with the Tanabata festival. Our beautiful katsura tree took on the role of the Wish Tree and received everyone’s wishes via text! Click here to read more about the Tanabata festival and the Wish Tree. Our Japanese trees used the phrase konnichiwa to greet participants, which means “hello” or “good day”. Their signs displayed both the English and Japanese names for the tree. Through the eyes of the trees, we hoped to celebrate Halifax’s Japanese connection.

The Wish Tree

Tanabata: The Star Festival

Tanabata celebrates an ancient Chinese legend which came to Japan around 700 C.E. The story starts with a Princess named Orihime, who was daughter to the God of the heavens, Tentei. She was a seamstress who spent her days weaving tirelessly near the banks of the Amanogawa (heavenly river). Orihime was so devoted to her work, that she abandoned all hope of ever finding love. Seeing his daughter resigned to such sadness, Tentei arranged a meeting for her and a cow herder from across the river. The man’s name was Hikoboshi. Orihime and Hikoboshi fell in love immediately, and it was not long before the two were married. However, their love and devotion were so intense that it soon caused the pair to stray from their work. Hikoboshi let his cows roam the heavens, and Orihime stopped weaving. This angered Orihime’s father, and he forbade the lovers from seeing each other, sending Hikoboshi back across the river. Devastated, Orihime begged that she be able to see her husband, even just for a day. Tentei relented, unable to bear the pain of seeing Orihime’s heartache. He said the two could meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month. But upon their first yearly meeting the two realized that they could not cross the river on their own. Nearby, a flock of magpies noticed Orihime in her grief. They flew to the river and formed a bridge with their wings so that the two could step across and meet. Each year, the magpies help the lovers reunite. It is said that rain on the day of Tanabata means the magpies will not come, and the lovers must wait another year to be reunited.

Though ancient, the story of Tanabata is written in the stars and can still be seen today. The heavenly river in the story is said to be the milky way, and the lovers are the stars Vega (Orihime) and Altair (Hikoboshi).

During the Tanabata festival, wishes are written on pieces of coloured paper and hung on bamboo stalks and sometimes trees. These Wish Trees are then floated on a river or along the ocean and may be burned as offerings. Celebrations can also include parades, decorations, and fireworks. Although some areas in Japan recognize August 7th to be Tanabata (by way of the older Chinese calendar), many regions celebrate this event on July 7th, in accordance with the modern calendar. Similar traditions with Wish Trees are found across Asia.

Our Wish Tree

To celebrate Tanabata, Text-A-Tree launched on July 7 and included a Wish Tree with a modern twist. A large Japanese Katsura tree was selected in the Halifax Public Gardens, and everyone was invited to send their wishes …by text! The only way to get the phone number was to come and meet the tree in person and use the number posted on its sign. Throughout the project, we selected wishes to post (anonymously) as the Wish of the Day on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Orihime and Hikoboshi wished for nothing more than to be together; it was our wish that, through Text-A-Tree, even more people (and trees!!) would be brought together. The Tanabata story is a perfect reminder of the importance of reaching out to one another. If two stars can meet once a year and cross the heavenly river, perhaps two star-fort cities can come together as well to wish for peace.

Our team

Images from

Nova Scotia Museum, Mi’kmaq Portraits Collection

https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Hakodate_Goryokaku_Panorama_1.JPG