As I stood in awe after watching a flock of nearly one hundred Canada geese fly over me on my way to the university today, I realized it was a new moon. They reminded me it was their time now. Time of the Ricing Moon!
August in my language is called Manominiika Giizoonh, and in other dialects Manoomiiniikaa Giizis, and in others it simply is called Manomin Giizis. The shorter one translates into The Wild Rice Moon. However the other titles refer to the action of harvesting the wild rice. Simply translated, August is the Ricing Moon. Wild rice (Manomin, Zizania aquatica, etc) was and still is an extremely imporant food staple for the Anishnaubeg, and really for all humans. Being very rich in protein, dietary fibre and even lysine. For those of us trying to avoid glutens, rest easy as manomin has none. Along with thiamin, iron, riboflavin, niacin, manganese and countless other important dietary resources, manomin is also very low in fat. It was/is for the Anishnaubeg what the Three Sisters (Maize, Beans and Squash) were/are for the Haudenasaunae (Iroquois, Six Nations).
Manomin actually comes from two root words that do not actually translate into "Wild Rice". "Min" usually is the word used to describe a fruit, seed or other foodsource from a plant. "Mano", comes from "Manoo", which in turn originated as "Mnidoo", which many people call "Manitou" or "Spirit". So translated, Manomin actually means Spirit Fruit, or in more poetic terms, "Seed/Fruit the Spirits gave us". In the Seven Fires Prophecy, the Anishnaube were told that the third stopping place (Third Fire) would be identified by food growing on the water. When the Anishnaube arrived in this part of the country, they found acres upon acres of wild rice sticking out of the mud and up into the waters of the shallow lakes and large marshes. Food grew upon the water and the Anishnaube prospered for millenia.
We would spend several weeks, to a month in the ricing fields. First the people would divide up the wild rice areas between the families equally. These families would often stake out their respected areas with family markers to help make sure no one made a mistake and gathered more than others. In a canoe, the person in the bow (the front for you land-lubbers) would sit reverse and using two cedar rods would bend over a patch of the rice with one rod and then tap that rod with the other rod. This way the wild rice stalks would not be damaged from direct percussion. As well, several seeds would often cling tenaciously to the stalks from this technique. Rather than try to shake those ones loose, the harvester would merely let go of the stalks, which would often end up catapulting these remaining seeds off into the water, to be seeded for next year. This is the most efficient form of aquaponic farming I have ever seen, and its' thousands of years old!
Often my people, the Mississauga Anishnaube would take our surplus and trade to the Haudenasaunae on the southernmost shore of Rice Lake. We would trade our surplus for their surplus parched maize, dried beans and fresh squash. This was a varied diet for both nations, and through this friendship, we continued the ancient rites of the One Spoon, One Dish Wampum Belt- a very very old contractual treaty between all Nations in Ontario and beyond regarding the using of resources and food supplies which was honoured by all Nations up until the French Indian Wars.
However this moon -like many others- is called by several names within the Anishnaubeg. The other common title is Basikwa'o Giizoonh, or Flying Moon, or Moon with much Flight. This refers to what I mentioned at the beginning of this blog; birds taking flight all over the land. The Canada geese, mallard ducks, swans, herons and cranes are all warming up and getting their young ready for the long migration. By the middle of the month, many of the northern birds will have arrived in our part of the country. By Gashkanido Giizoonh (November, Freezing Moon) very few will remain, and by Mnidoo Giizoonh (Spirit Moon, December) only the winter birds will remain.
This shows a very important feature of the Ricing Moon. The people would all be spending their days in the marshes and shallow lakes, gathering hundreds of pounds of manomin, and watching the birds fly by. This was the time of year the goose and duck hunts would begin. Large nets, bolas, and even arrows with Flu-flu fletching would be cast out to capture the birds. Snares placed along the shores of the islands would entrap the birds as they waded to shore for a night's rest, or returned to the waters in the morning. The feathers would be removed (down used to warm bodies, flight feathers ued as fletching on arrows), and the meat would be smoked and preserved. Fat would collected and used in cooking/basting.
This was a time of great feasting, but it was also a time to prepare for the long haul through the winter. The ricing camps represented life. Warfare would cease during the French Indian Wars, just so the Anishnaube could go home and harvest enough manomin to provide for their families. Life was found in ricing and goose hunting. This was a time of great living for the Anishnaubeg. Everything was shared. The people would survive another winter.
Other foods available right now?
-Mayapples are now ripe in many parts of Ontario and beyond
-Wild Grapes are ripening all over the place
-Wild grass and sedge seeds are getting ready, as are the seeds of the Broadleaf plantain
-Walnuts are dropping left-right-and-center. The husks are in my opinion more useful than the nutmeat, as it can be used as a dye, a source of tanning leather, a fish poison, a remedy for poison ivy and bug bites, and even in some forms as an anti-parasitic compound to dispell worms and other bugs from the digestive system.
-Many more that I will be going over as the month progresses!
I will be harvesting wild rice later this month, and as September rolls around, I will be preparing for mornings of hunting down goose and duck.
On August 18th-19th I will be at the Lang Pioneer Village War of 1812 Re-enactment, participating in the re-enactment as one of my ancestors. The Missisaugas of Rice Lake were involved in a great skirmish, and this year we are being honoured for the first time in over 200 years for our contribution to that war. Come on out and see the show!
Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along,
let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments
section. Please feel free to subscribe!
Baamaapii,
Caleb Wazhusk
Caleb
The Man, the Myth, the.. consumer of wild things
Showing posts with label Otonabee River. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Otonabee River. Show all posts
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Regional names and their meanings, plus a recipe!
Anishnaube-akii (the land of the Anishnaube) is a broad and vast territory, which at one time spanned most of the Great Lakes, out onto the prairies, and east into Quebec. With such regional diversity, the Anishnaube had two things going on;
First, was a vast variety of food.
Secondly, they had a lot of places to name!
With such a vast territory, the Anishnaube had many titles for rivers, lakes, hills and so-forth. Many of these had something to do with food, whether directly (Tullibee River), or indirectly (where to gather hunting or gathering materials). This is not just found amongst my people, as my good friend Mark pointed out to me that in his region of Alberta, the local river was called the Bow River, because the local nations would travel down it to harvest the proper woods for bows, as well as arrows and baskets (the red osier dogwood of the region was apparently superb). With this being said, I would like to cover a few of my region, which happens to be the ancestral territory of the Missisauga, who are my direct ancestors.
I live on Rice Lake, in Central Ontario. Many people assume the name of Rice Lake would be translated into "Lake of Wild Rice". No brainer, huh? However, the Missisauga people called it Pemedashkotayang, Lake of the Burning Plains. This was due to a vast Black Oak Savannah and Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem spanning much of the lake. The Haudenasaunae People, most likely members of the Mohawk People, had a well established agricultural society based on the southern shore of Rice Lake, and frequently burned back the grasses to encourage the growth of succulent plants, which would in turn encourage the deer and other critters out into the open to be hunted by bow, atlatl, sling and many other hunting devices. So an entire lake was named after an action that was performed to access food sources.
The river closest to my house is the Otonabee. I've heard many theories as to what it may mean, until I just finally looked it up. Ottanabeezibi was the original name of the river, and was translated as follows;
Ottanabee = Tullibee (Coregonus artedi), a type of fish, often called a Chub, Lake Herring, or Northern Cisco. I like the name Tullibee, as it is the only name that does not seem to be argued about.
Zibi = River, a type of body of water that moves with the gravitational... okay maybe I don't need to explain what a river is.
So the Otonabee River, is perfectly translated as the Tullibee River. Makes you wonder how important tullibee was to the Missisauga People, huh? Well, being a member of the Whitefish family, tullibee were extremely important. Their spawning and numbers allowed the Missisauga and other Anishnaube nations the chance to harvest a large amount of fish meat (high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and many other nutrients). This ability to harvest a big yield of protein with simple devices (basket traps, nets, spears, weirs, etc), granted the Anishnaube the chance to secure their lives for at least a couple of months. This gave them more time to focus on other food gathering subjects, community activities, and the collection of other resources, or repairing of tools.
It also granted them the chance to expand their culture, religion and society. Fishing has been connected with the Woodland Period of North America for a great many years. This is because of a higher yield of artefacts that pertain to fishing (bone harpoons, fish bones in midden piles, old weirs found under certain lakes, etc). Notice how suddenly our cultures began to drift more into agriculture, bows rather than atlatls, and much more advanced technology with a simple change in diet? Fishing was more successful than big game hunting, and often the yield was much more rewarding.
Along with the fish, other things would be caught in the traps, such as snapping turtles and eels. While out seeking fish, waterfowl like ducks and herons could be shot at in opportunistic fashion. While scanning the waters for panfish, young men would often come across freshwater mussells, as well as crawyfish and bullfrogs. While gathering such things such as fish, and shellfish, plant sources such as Water plantain, Arrowhead, and cattail would also be gathered as food sources. Sweet Gale would also be harvested for seasoning.
All with just adding fish to the diet, the Anishnaube people were able to advance their society. They had more time to expand their hunting arsenal, as well as delve deeper into their spiritual world.
Oh, and because I know you are wondering.. Tullibee is freakin' delicious. A very sweet fish meat. Here is an out of season recipe, as I often catch Tullibee in April, which happens to be the Whitefish Moon.
Roasted Tullibee
Need:
-Fire that has died down to hot coals
-Basswood bark strips
-Basswood leaves and/or burdock leaves
Ingredients:
-Gutted tullibee
-1/4 cup of garlic mustard (diced)
-Three wild leeks (diced)
-Two tablespoons of birch sap
1) Mix all ingredients other than the tullibee
2) Stuff into body cavity of tullibee
3) Wrap up in two layers of leaves
4) Bind shut with basswood bark strips
5) Place on coals and bake/roast for about 5-8 minutes
6) Flip and roast on other side for another 5 minutes
7) Open up and enjoy!
Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!
Baamaapii,
Caleb Wazhusk
First, was a vast variety of food.
Secondly, they had a lot of places to name!
With such a vast territory, the Anishnaube had many titles for rivers, lakes, hills and so-forth. Many of these had something to do with food, whether directly (Tullibee River), or indirectly (where to gather hunting or gathering materials). This is not just found amongst my people, as my good friend Mark pointed out to me that in his region of Alberta, the local river was called the Bow River, because the local nations would travel down it to harvest the proper woods for bows, as well as arrows and baskets (the red osier dogwood of the region was apparently superb). With this being said, I would like to cover a few of my region, which happens to be the ancestral territory of the Missisauga, who are my direct ancestors.
I live on Rice Lake, in Central Ontario. Many people assume the name of Rice Lake would be translated into "Lake of Wild Rice". No brainer, huh? However, the Missisauga people called it Pemedashkotayang, Lake of the Burning Plains. This was due to a vast Black Oak Savannah and Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem spanning much of the lake. The Haudenasaunae People, most likely members of the Mohawk People, had a well established agricultural society based on the southern shore of Rice Lake, and frequently burned back the grasses to encourage the growth of succulent plants, which would in turn encourage the deer and other critters out into the open to be hunted by bow, atlatl, sling and many other hunting devices. So an entire lake was named after an action that was performed to access food sources.
The river closest to my house is the Otonabee. I've heard many theories as to what it may mean, until I just finally looked it up. Ottanabeezibi was the original name of the river, and was translated as follows;
Ottanabee = Tullibee (Coregonus artedi), a type of fish, often called a Chub, Lake Herring, or Northern Cisco. I like the name Tullibee, as it is the only name that does not seem to be argued about.
Zibi = River, a type of body of water that moves with the gravitational... okay maybe I don't need to explain what a river is.
So the Otonabee River, is perfectly translated as the Tullibee River. Makes you wonder how important tullibee was to the Missisauga People, huh? Well, being a member of the Whitefish family, tullibee were extremely important. Their spawning and numbers allowed the Missisauga and other Anishnaube nations the chance to harvest a large amount of fish meat (high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids and many other nutrients). This ability to harvest a big yield of protein with simple devices (basket traps, nets, spears, weirs, etc), granted the Anishnaube the chance to secure their lives for at least a couple of months. This gave them more time to focus on other food gathering subjects, community activities, and the collection of other resources, or repairing of tools.
It also granted them the chance to expand their culture, religion and society. Fishing has been connected with the Woodland Period of North America for a great many years. This is because of a higher yield of artefacts that pertain to fishing (bone harpoons, fish bones in midden piles, old weirs found under certain lakes, etc). Notice how suddenly our cultures began to drift more into agriculture, bows rather than atlatls, and much more advanced technology with a simple change in diet? Fishing was more successful than big game hunting, and often the yield was much more rewarding.
Along with the fish, other things would be caught in the traps, such as snapping turtles and eels. While out seeking fish, waterfowl like ducks and herons could be shot at in opportunistic fashion. While scanning the waters for panfish, young men would often come across freshwater mussells, as well as crawyfish and bullfrogs. While gathering such things such as fish, and shellfish, plant sources such as Water plantain, Arrowhead, and cattail would also be gathered as food sources. Sweet Gale would also be harvested for seasoning.
All with just adding fish to the diet, the Anishnaube people were able to advance their society. They had more time to expand their hunting arsenal, as well as delve deeper into their spiritual world.
Oh, and because I know you are wondering.. Tullibee is freakin' delicious. A very sweet fish meat. Here is an out of season recipe, as I often catch Tullibee in April, which happens to be the Whitefish Moon.
Roasted Tullibee
Need:
-Fire that has died down to hot coals
-Basswood bark strips
-Basswood leaves and/or burdock leaves
Ingredients:
-Gutted tullibee
-1/4 cup of garlic mustard (diced)
-Three wild leeks (diced)
-Two tablespoons of birch sap
1) Mix all ingredients other than the tullibee
2) Stuff into body cavity of tullibee
3) Wrap up in two layers of leaves
4) Bind shut with basswood bark strips
5) Place on coals and bake/roast for about 5-8 minutes
6) Flip and roast on other side for another 5 minutes
7) Open up and enjoy!
Hope you enjoy my personal experiment. If you feel like joining along, let me know your results, research or anything else in the comments section. Please feel free to subscribe!
Baamaapii,
Caleb Wazhusk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)