dagwaagwanii maawindoosijigewin fall harvest

vironment.

Anishinaabe Mino

Bimadizwin is the

foundational phi-

losophy within all

of our program-

ming.

The creator has

given us the gifts

we need to live the

Good Life. Our

education must be

designed to teach

all learners to

thrive in today’s

world with the atti-

tudes, skills, knowl-

edge and intention

to be Anishinaabe,

rooted in a relation-

ship to the total en-

Mino Bimaadiziwin -

Living the Good Life

Fall is the time when

First Nation, Metis

and Inuit peoples pre-

pared for the long

winter ahead. These

activities include wild

rice, bird, hide, meat,

and fish preparation;

the process of gather-

ing teas, medicines,

foods; storytelling and

jigging; and the mak-

ing of moccasins,

snowshoes, fishnets,

jams, and bannock.

The different tech-

niques used have

been developed and

passed down for gen-

erations, for thou-

sands of years. Elders

in communities have

maintained these tra-

ditions and now they

offer you an opportu-

nity to learn in tradi-

tional surroundings.

The activities in this

booklet are designed

for you to record the

many experiences you

will have today. Be

ready to work hard

and learn skills that

many of us do not use

in our contemporary

lifestyle!

DAGWAAGWANII

MAAWINDOOSIJIGEWIN

Fall Harvest

What is DAGWAAGWANII MAAWINDOOSIJIGEWIN?

S E V E N

G E N E R A T I O N S

E D U C A T I O N

I N S T I T U T E

October 1-3, 2013

Fall Harvest Teachings

The Drum

Bird Preparation

Bannock Making

Fishnets

Fish Preparation

Smoke House

Teepee Stories

Hide Preparation

Tea Making

Wild Rice - Parch-

ing, Dancing, Win-

nowing

Trapping

Leather Work

Jam Making

The Anishinaabe made bannock when flour was introduced into this area and continue to do so today. You can bake bannock in the oven or fry it in a pan. Regardless of how it is cooked, bannock is a tasty treat!

When in the bush, you have little other options besides cooking bannock on a stick. It is great because there are no dishes to clean. Watch and learn how the heat from a fire can be used to cook this delicious type of bread.

The land and sea provides many sources of food. Many

traditional Aboriginal foods are based on pure ingredi-

ents that are meant to nourish the body and mind. The

natural ingredients used from the local environment

make the dishes well-balanced in order to keep the me-

tabolism working well. Geese, duck, and partridge are ex-

amples of wild birds that were hunted for sustenance.

The most common drums

used today are the frame

drum - a small, single

drumhead, hand drum,

and the large powwow

drum that group members

play together. Historically,

most regions and cultures

across the country had

frame drums. Some excep-

tions included certain

Aboriginal peoples of the

West Coast - boreal rain

forest, the Northern Arctic

and the Iroquoian

nations of Eastern

Canada. Each group

had its own distinct

drums and other

percussion instru-

ments.

SAAGACHIWE - THE DRUM

BAKWEZHIGANIKEWIN -

BANNOCK MAKING

BINESHIIYAG - BIRD PREPARATION

DAGWAAGWANII MAAWINDOOSIJIGEWIN Fall Harvest

Among the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, there were style and technical differences

between each. For the Ojibwe, nets called Gill Nets were often created.

To make Ojibwe gill nets, a shuttle was used to hold the twine or string. Smooth

square/rectangular blocks were also used to keep the spaces in the net (the mesh) the

same size. These blocks were held in place while tying the knots. Mesh can vary in

size from 7 centimetres to 14 centimetres. The nets can be up to 92 metres long. Nets

are typically 1.5 metres in height.

When a fishnet was completed, wooden floats (to keep the net open) and stone weights/sinkers were added to the net these also helped to keep the net vertical in the water.

Where there's smoke,

there's well-flavored meat.

Smoking is slowly cooking

food indirectly in the pres-

ence of a fire. Hunting and

trapping are important

traditional activities that

many First Nation, Metis,

and Inuit peoples partici-

pated in to prepare for the

long winter ahead. Dried

meat was easy to trans-

port, lasted long, and pro-

vided the necessary nutri-

ents and proteins required

for daily life .

Some people, when telling

fish stories, think the

hardest part to fishing is

catching the fish! How-

ever, preparing a fish for

eating takes skill and prac-

tice. Fish have very fine

bones located in various

parts of the meat that can

be removed. Some people

eat certain fish with the

skin on, while others re-

move the skin. It is impor-

tant to be safe when using

a sharp filet knife to han-

dle and prepare the fish.

ASABIIG - FISHNETS

OBSHKAASIGEWIN- SMOKE HOUSE

GIIGOONH - FISH PREPARATION

October 1-3, 2013

The long cold winters in

Treaty 3 area are eased by

a cup or two of warm tea.

Tea is not only used for

warmth but traditionally

has many medicinal pur-

poses as well. For exam-

ple, Aboriginal people

were the first to use

the roots of the

Pitcher Plant to treat

smallpox and other

ailments.

Animals of the earth should be re-

spected in every way. Part of acting in

a respectful manner is to thank the

Creator for providing us with bounti-

ful harvests. When preparing an ani-

mal to eat, there are important steps

to take to make full use of all parts

and leave little or no waste.

Stories are a link between our imagination

and our surroundings. There is a special

magic involved in the telling of a story

that is quite different than the reading of

a story. Stories have a purpose, such as to

entertain, make people laugh, to teach a

lesson, to pass down traditional informa-

tion, to explain something or to instill

moral values.

DADIBAAJIMOWINAN - TEEPEE STORIES

ANIIBIISHAABOKEWIN -

TEA MAKING

AWESIIWAYAAN -

HIDE PREPARATION


October 1-3, 2013

Wild blueberries are one of the berries in North America that

thrive in the glacial soils and northern climate. The berries are

rich in anti-oxidants (highest capacity per serving) and have

grown naturally for thousands of years. Wild blueberries are

suited to acidic, low fertility soils, challenging winters and a

low input crop requiring minimal management. Wild blueber-

ries grow on a two year cycle and are harvested July through

August.

BAASHKIMINASIGAN - JAM MAKING

There is nothing like the

feeling of walking bare-

foot. Moccasins give

protection, while allowing

the feet to still feel the

earth. The most common

aspect of the moccasin is

the "puckered toe".

BASHKWEGINEKIZIKEWIN -

LEATHER WORK

Trapping is common in the

Treaty 3 area. The Anishi-

naabe make a large assort-

ment of clothing from the

animals they trap. All part

of the animal are used.

Some commonly trapped

animals are Amik—beaver,

Wazhashk—Muskrat and

Zhaangweshi—Mink.

ONII’IGEWIN - TRAPPING

Wild rice is an annual aquatic grass that produces seed. It is a delicious and nutritious

source of food for wildlife and people.

The Anishinaabeg travelled all over when they harvested wild rice. There are lots of

things that need to be done before you can eat the wild rice.

There are five stages to preparing rice drying, roasting, dancing, winnowing, and

cleaning. Each stage plays an important role to process the rice and make it ready for

cooking

PARCHING, DANCING & WINNOWING


MANOOMINIKEWIN - WILD RICE

Parching

Ogaapizige Winnowing

Nooshkaajige

Dancing

Baawishkam

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dagwaagwanii maawindoosijigewin fall harvest

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