Pimachiowin Aki

World Heritage Site

Anishinaabemowin

Lessons in Ojibwe – Language That Comes From the Land (Part I)

This is part one of a two-part interview with educator Jason Jones. Watch for more from Jason in our Fall newsletter.

1. Jason, we want to introduce you to readers. How do you describe yourself?
I’m from Nigigoonsiminikaaning (Red Gut) First Nation in Ontario. I think the best way to describe me is an Ojibwe language nerd. I like thinking about how words are created and where they come from. I’m constantly in awe that, at one point in time, the language had to start from scratch. To see it evolve to where it is right now just amazes me.

2. How and when did you learn Ojibwe?
I’m a second language learner, and I’m still learning. I’m learning Ojibwe by putting magnets on my fridge and sliding words around with prefixes and suffixes. I find that once I learn the structure of the language, I’m able to convey what I mean in Ojibwe.

3. Ojibwe and Anishinaabemowin are often used interchangeably. Can you please explain the difference between them? 

In my ­­­­­­opinion, I think Anishinaabemowin is the general word for Indigenous language, that’s what the “mo” ending means: language or speaks. The “win” ending turns it into a noun. But overall I think Anishinaabe means Indigenous person and Ojibwe identifies the type of Indigenous person. 

4. Languages often borrow from other languages, but Ojibwe does not do this. What is the language based on?

© Janusz Wrobel

The language comes from the land. The land teaches us how things function, the actions they take, and what we see. We can almost visualize what’s happening when we’re speaking. It comes back to our teachings. We talk about energy — everything is just energy in motion. We see things as movement or constantly changing, as is life. That’s the way the language works; it’s a verb-based language and allows us to see what is being said, almost like we’re there and it triggers our memories to see it. 

Dakaanimad (the cool wind blows)

5. So Ojibwe words express a state of being?

Yes, something is always doing something or being in a still state. For example,  jaagide means it burns. The word parts are:

  • jaag – use up, exhaust, deplete
  • ide – it is heated, affected by fire (it burns)

6. Can you give us another example of a state of being, using the word sewing? Please break it down for us and explain how the word comes from the land.

Gashkigwaaso – s/he is sewing

  • gashk – to enclose
  • gwaaso – through sewing

You can visualize the word ‘sewing.’ Other words have this word part “gashk,” which means to enclose something. Everything is energy in motion. In another word with gashk, we have gashkii dibikad and it describes, night is enclosing the sky. The sky is becoming dark. 

  • gashk – enclose
  • ii – state/condition
  • dibikad – it is being night

We visualize the sky being enclosed with darkness. We’ve all seen this before, the language brings us there, like we’re experiening that feeling again of when we saw the sun go down and the sky getting darker and darker.

© Hidehiro Otake

7. Ojibwe is a highly active language compared to English. Does this make it difficult to translate?

Yes. Ojibwe is 80% verbs. English is 60% nouns. When you think in Anishinaabemowin, you think in verbs. When you think in English you think in nouns. So, one of the struggles when translating is that you want to ‘verbify’ something that is a noun. It’s also hard to translate into English because there are three translations that happen when we go from Ojibwe to English:

  • Literal translation
  • Implied translation
  • Cultural translation

Often, when we translate from Ojibwe to English, we go right to the implied translation. We need to remember that there is a literal translation, and that’s where the word parts come in. That’s why we break them down. It helps us visualize the language.

8. Can you give us an example of the three translations?

We can see the three translations when we look at the names of months, like Waatebagaawigiizis (Leaves changing colour moon):   

  • waate – bright, through light
  • bag –  leaf
  • aa –  state or condition
  • wi – being
  • giizis – moon, month, sun  

There are many cultural teachings in the language, and many come from Nenaboozhoo (Nanabush). He was always observing everything around him. I think that’s what we do when we talk about the months in Ojibwe, we’re following his lead and observing everything around us, and these month names reinforce those teachings. 

This is what I mean when I say the culture is built inside the language. 

I think we need to recognize that the months in Ojibwe don’t match up with the 12-month calendar that we see, because ours has 13 months/13 full moons in the year. So, September is what we call Waatebagaawigiizis but that doesn’t really start until middle or later part of September. We’re still in Wild ricing month when September begins. 
 

Learn more and download the Pimachiowin Aki lunar calendar: https://pimaki.ca/the-lunar-calendar-explained/

9. Dewe’iganaatig (drumstick) is a noun in English. In Ojibwe, it’s a verb. Can you explain how the word is translated?

I guess in this form it is a noun but here are word parts in it that are verbs:

  • de – heart
  • we – sound, sounding, perform useful action
  • igan – turns verb to noun
  • aatig – organic solid wood

Its literal translation is ‘heart sounding object’ that does an action to something that’s made out of wood. When we see the word parts (above), we visualize the actions that it does, and that’s the verb part of it.

10. Ojibwe is translated by the overall meaning, not individual words.  

Yes, and the cool thing about the language is that a single word can be a whole sentence. You start with a single word and add on to it and it becomes longer and more meaningful. 

Example:

  • Manoonin (wild rice)
  • Manooninikewin (wild ricing activity, noun form)
© Colin Owens

11. So a single Ojibwe word can express a whole sentence, idea or phrase?

Yes, that’s why we have all of these First Nation signs with long words on them. I know exactly what happens in an area because of its name. Milwaukee is an example – it comes from the word ‘mino-akiing’ and somewhere through translation it got mixed up to Milwaukee, but I can hear the word parts in there: 

  • mino – good, well
  • akiing – earth, soil  

I golfed there before and this one time, and only time I hit the sand trap and the soil looked so clean. Cleanest dirt I’ve ever seen. From most of these place names, and names of communities, we can get a pretty good idea of what’s there.

12. What do the names of the four First Nations in Pimachiowin Aki tell you?

a) Mishi-baawitigong (Little Grand Rapids First Nation) 

I think this means grand rapid in my dialect because the word mishi means grand/ giant. We hear it in Mississippi river – mishiziibi.

  • mishi – giant, grand
  • ziibi – river 
  • baawitig means rapids
  • ong (the ending) means in/at/by something

b) Bawingaasi (Pauingassi First Nation)

To me, this sounds like baawigaas, meaning small/little rapids. The ending gaas means small. 

c) Miskoziibi or Miskweyaabziibi (Bloodvein River First Nation)

I like these words.

Miskoziibi (Red River)

  • misko (preverb) means red
  • ziibi is river

Miskweyaabziibi (Bloodvein River)

  • miskwe – blood
  • yaab – string-like
  • ziibi – river

d) Asatiwisipe (Poplar River First Nation)

  • azaadi is ‘poplar’ in my area
  • wi turns the noun to a verb, so being a poplar
  • sipe is derived from ziibi

When I hear it the way it’s spelled, it sounds like Oji-cree or Cree influence on it.  They tend to use the harder sounds of Ojibwe language a bit more than where I’m from, which is Rainy Lake. 

13. Many place names in Pimachiowin Aki have similar endings: ing, ang, ong, tik or kak. Why is this?

Place names usually come from what the area is known for or events that happened there. When a place name ends in a vowel with N-G at the end, it indicates in, at, on or by something.

Examples:

  • Sheepawagananing (Going through the smaller straight at Poplar Point)
  • Mangonawacheewining (The long stretch of the Poplar River with no rapids named after a loon who was having a snack)

14.  What about tik and kak?

Examples:

a) Kamitawakichiwungwipowitik (Rapids where sand washes up)

I think the ending tik is much longer than just tik. It could mean a few things, like aatik ending would mean “wood/organic solid” but in this case the ending is powitik and the word is powitik, means rapids in Oji-Cree, Cree.

b) Kamatapee’andakak (Trees grow out into the lake) 

This end is similar because the ending is actually aandak when means “tree (especially fir), bough. 

Source: https://pimaki.ca/wp-content/uploads/Poplar-River-First-Nation-Named-Places-Map.pdf

15. Where can people find your lessons to learn Ojibwe and connect to their cultural heritage?

Sayitfirst.ca has much of our books. Wakingupojibwe.ca is where I’ve been putting resources. Both of these will help with language. 

Podcast – Paul Anishinaabemo (Speaks Ojibwe)
Explore more lessons in Anishinaabemowin with mother and son Sophia and Paul Rabliauskas, recorded in Poplar River First Nation:


https://open.spotify.com/show/5EQmK24mhQmQaGEzFU9H3U

5 Years, 5 Moments to Celebrate

Pimachiowin Aki was inscribed on the World Heritage List on July 1, 2018 during the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Manama, Bahrain. 

It has been an exciting five years since Pimachiowin Aki became Canada’s first mixed UNESCO World Heritage site. With so many incredible moments to choose from, it was difficult to decide which ones to celebrate with you today. We are humbled and proud to share these highlights:

1. Guardians Network is established

When Pimachiowin Aki launched its Guardians Network in 2018, we had no idea how quickly the program and Guardians’ capacity would grow. In addition to monitoring the lands and waters of Pimachiowin Aki, Guardians have documented and shared customary laws, recorded place names, collaborated with researchers, operated drones, spoken at conferences, conducted bird surveys and recorded bird songs, harvested food for Elders, taken youth on land-based learning trips, and more. We thank you for your care of people and places, for connecting with the land and each other, and for sharing your knowledge and skills. You have strengthened our communities and are a gift to us all.

Pimachiowin Aki Corporation was one of 28 successful applicants in Canada for the early round of funding from the Environment and Climate Change Canada Indigenous Guardians Pilot Program in 2018. The program has since secured annual funding and established the Pimachiowin Aki Guardians Fund to carry it into the future.

2. The World Visits pimaki.ca 

World Heritage status creates a tremendous opportunity to enhance understanding of Pimachiowin Aki’s cultural and natural values and share these values with the world. Since the launch of our newly designed and reprogrammed website, Pimachiowin Aki has been sharing information about The Land that Gives Life with people from around the globe. The new website has received many positive reviews, including praise for the amount and quality of information and how easy it is for people to find what they’re looking for.


The website even caught the eye of Dr. Gemma Faith, who, at the time, was a PhD researcher at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. Gemma made Pimachiowin Aki the focus of her research, which won an Outstanding PhD Thesis award. Gemma’s thesis explored how pimaki.ca communicates the unique bond that Anishinaabeg have with the land to people around the world.

3. The Pimachiowin Aki Endowment Fund Hit $5 Million

For the first time since it was established in 2010, the fund reached its highest-ever value of $5 million last year. Thank you to our generous donors who have helped us reach this milestone. Your donations help grow the fund, which is held at The Winnipeg Foundation. Annual revenue from the fund helps Pimachiowin Aki operate the Guardians Network, create and support cultural heritage education and Indigenous knowledge programs, provide training and capacity-building, and lead and support research to ensure that the world understands and respects this special place and all who live here.

Pimachiowin Aki is a small not-for-profit charitable organization with big ideas, and a mission to safeguard Pimachiowin Aki for the well-being of Anishinaabeg and the world, forever.

4. We Built a Digital Library

Along the journey to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site, we acquired over 12 thousand photos of the people and places of Pimachiowin Aki. For over two decades, people involved in the project have been documenting their experiences and sharing photos – from large community gatherings to wildlife sightings to touring UNESCO representatives on evaluation missions across the waters of Pimachiowin Aki. Many of the photos you see in our communications date back to this time. 

Today, these photos, along with a vast amount of information and data collected for First Nations’ land use planning and the World Heritage site nomination, are neatly accredited and organized into folders in the Pimachiowin Aki digital library. The library continually grows as Guardians, community members, professional photographers, researchers and visitors share photos and information with us. 

The Pimachiowin Aki library is an important achievement as it provides a fuller picture of the World Heritage site and offers layers and layers of information. Each time Pimachiowin Aki creates a map, such as place names maps, more detail and meaning is added from our library.

The extensive library also provides local teachers with valuable information as they incorporate the cultural, natural and educational values of Pimachiowin Aki into their curricula. 

5. We Published Bilingual Anishinaabemowin/English Books

In partnership with Manitoba Museum, we contributed research and expertise developed during First Nations’ land use planning and the World Heritage site bid to create resources for schools in the Pimachiowin Aki communities. 

The project is coming to completion, and five books will soon be delivered to all schools in Pimachiowin Aki, and potentially to every school in Manitoba. The books will be also available for purchase at Manitoba Museum. The books are:

  • Omazinaakizonan Mishibaawitigong | Photos From Little Grand Rapids
  • Gikino’amaagedaa Anishinaabemowin | Let’s Teach the Ojibwe Language
  • Onji’aawasowinan | “do’s and don’ts“ Traditional Anishinaabe Teachings (colouring book)
  • Azauuwiziibing Gaa-nitaawigigin | Poplar River Anishinaabe Plant Guide
  • Obaawingaashiing Aabijichiganan | Pauingassi Collection

Thank you to our two special donors whose generosity helped to finish this project. 

This is what the children should be taught. That they should never forget their Anishinaabe language, the way the language was spoken long ago.

OMISHOOSH (ELDER CHARLIE GEORGE OWEN), PAUINGASSI FIRST NATION 

A Year of Connections for Pimachiowin Aki

As 2022 draws to a close, we look back at a stellar year of connections. A traditional medicine workshop brought together community members, an art installation shared Anishinaabeg traditional knowledge, and a PhD thesis and documentary film spread word of Pimachiowin Aki around the globe. Here are eight highlights from our special year:

1. What We Do to the Land We Do to Ourselves

Filmmaker Michael Zelniker joined the Pimachiowin Aki Directors and members for a special screening of his documentary film The Issue with Tissue­ – a Boreal Love Story. Michael’s film features First Nation Elders and leaders from across the boreal, including Bloodvein River First Nation Elder Leslie Orvis Sr. and Pimachiowin Aki Director William Young, along with leading scientists and activists. It was an emotional experience to see and hear stories of the devastating impacts of colonization and damage done to Mother Earth as the world’s boreal forest is clearcut to manufacture toilet paper.

More than one million acres of boreal forest are lost to clear cutting in Canada every year. 

Forests take care of us. But we are cutting down the world’s oldest living trees and flushing them down the toilet, Michael warns.  

In early December, he spoke with CBC about his film and how the logging industry has affected the boreal forest and the life it supports. Indigenous Peoples have protected millions of acres of boreal forest in Pimachiowin Aki from destruction from human activity for over 7,000 years.

A Little Paper Creates a Big Problem

See the trailer for The Issue with Tissue – A Boreal Love Story

2. A Tiny Bird on a Tremendous Journey

For World Migratory Bird Day, Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green helped the National Audubon Society remind the world that birds connect us all.  

Melba joined Audubon’s Dr. Jeff Wells in a video to discuss the Canada Warbler, a vulnerable species that finds refuge in Pimachiowin Aki.

“Pimachiowin Aki is [committed] to protecting wildlife, birds, and land from mining and forestry, and all other things that harm the land,” Melba explains.

Millions of birds migrate to and from Pimachiowin Aki each year, including the Canada Warbler. Contrary to its name, this bright yellow songbird sets out on a heroic, international voyage – it leaves the forest wetlands of Pimachiowin Aki in August for woodlands on the Texas coast, its first stop on the way to La Semilla, a natural reserve in Colombia.

Conservation of these areas, from the boreal forest of Pimachiowin Aki to South America, is critical to birds’ survival.

“Without strong, large, intact protected areas in the boreal forest, [birds’ migratory] cycles could shut down,” says Jeff.

“It’s really important for us to maintain these areas,” Melba adds.

64 % of Canada Warblers rely on Canadian Boreal Forest for their breeding grounds.

Birds are indicators of our changing climate. Global warming is the biggest threat to their natural habitat, and shifting migratory patterns demonstrate this.

See the full video featuring Melba: http://surl.li/ebgvp

3. Women Turn Out for Trapping Education Course

Pimachiowin Aki, with financial support from the South East Resource Development Council, organized a week-long trapper education course at Little Grand Rapids First Nation.

An instructor from Red Lake taught the group of mainly women how to create muskrat boxes, a skill required to obtain their trapping licences.

Did you know?
Traplines in Little Grand Rapids span both Manitoba and Ontario. Manitoba recognizes Ontario trapper training programs for licensing in Manitoba, but you must receive training from a qualified instructor in Ontario to get a licence to trap there.

Bloodvein plans to hold a trapper training course in January 2023. The course is full, but the Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian will share information if space becomes available.

4. Pimachiowin Aki Provides Global Inspiration

N. Ireland

If you close your eyes and think about Pimachiowin Aki, what do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?

Dr. Gemma Faith had never been to Pimachiowin Aki, but three years ago, as a PhD researcher at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, she noticed that this special place came to life online with “rich and stirring content” that made her feel like she was here. Gemma was so impressed with Pimachiowin Aki’s online presence and values-based approach to management that she chose to use Pimachiowin Aki as a case study for her thesis: Evaluating World Heritage Interpretation in Online Spaces and its Potential to Prime the Development of Eco-Cultural Tourism Experiences (Virtual and Onsite): A Case Study on Pimachiowin Aki, Canada’s First Mixed World Heritage Site.

Dr. Faith studied Pimachiowin Aki over a three-year period, capturing and analyzing information, including:  

  • pimaki.ca
  • Facebook page
  • Official documents
  • Zoom interviews with Pimachiowin Aki Directors and members
  • Insights shared by community members through written submissions
Dr. Gemma Faith graduated with a degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Ulster University in Northern Ireland in December 2022. Pimachiowin Aki’s contribution is acknowledged in her PhD thesis.  

What is the purpose of the study?

With technology at our fingertips, people can explore any place in the world with a few swipes and clicks. It’s important for mixed World Heritage sites like Pimachiowin Aki to carve out a place on the internet, so that people learn about Outstanding Universal Value and why it is preserved for the benefit of all humanity. 

Gemma’s study explores how Pimachiowin Aki communicates the unique bond that Anishinaabeg have with the land to people around the world through social media and our website.  It also looks at ways that online communication can be used to develop eco-cultural tourism.

New tourism development is in its infancy at Pimachiowin Aki, but exploring pimaki.ca or browsing its social media is like having a local, online tour guide:

  • Someone to show you what makes this mixed World Heritage site special (through text, photographs, video storytelling and descriptions)
  • Someone to share and explain the values that preserve and sustain this protected area
  • Someone to answer your questions or comments  

By presenting Pimachiowin Aki’s online presence as a global exemplar (a good example to the world), it is hoped that the findings of the study will aid the management of online heritage interpretation at future mixed sites in Canada and the world, Gemma says. Pimachiowin Aki thanks Dr. Gemma Faith for her gift of curiosity, and the Elders, knowledge keepers and community members who share stories and bring Anishinaabeg cultural heritage to life for our social media followers, newsletter subscribers, and web visitors from across the globe.

5. Elders Share Knowledge of Traditional Medicines

Ka mashkawak mashkiski (sage) means ‘the strong medicine’ and has a very strong scent. This traditional knowledge was shared during a discussion with Elders in Pauingassi First Nation this fall.

The community event, sponsored by Pimachiowin Aki, focused on traditional medicines.

Participants discussed traditional plant names, when to harvest them, parts of plants used for medicines, symptoms they treat, how to prepare them, and how they’re used today.

Joe Owen, Pimachiowin Aki Board member and knowledge keeper from Pauingassi First Nation, says, “The important thing is I’m trying to encourage Elders, whatever they still know, to exercise using that knowledge about medicines. The medicines help with some illnesses.  It is nice to share with the people from other communities too. If Elders have any young people who come around to their houses, it is good to talk with them about some of the medicines we still have out there.”

Organizers are currently working on a document to share teachings from the workshop with community members. Watch for it in our future eNews.

6. Wildfire Sparks Art at an International Festival

Pimachiowin Aki was excited to be a part of an art installation of dancing trees created by artist Jonathan Green. The installation, which appeared during Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, was inspired in part by Pimachiowin Aki’s fire cycle graphic.

“I found the graphic when I was looking for an image to explain the idea of a fire cycle,” says Jonathan. “I scrolled down to Pimachiowin Aki’s version of the cycle and immediately loved its clarity, and the way it explains details such as wild berries becoming abundant, animals migrating, and how the land changes.”

“I’ve been researching wildfires for years, but I didn’t know former burn sites make for good hunting,” says Jonathan. “The graphic is so rich in local Anishinaabeg knowledge and practice it felt like something I could trust innately.”

Artist Jonathan Green

Jonathan credits Pimachiowin Aki’s fire cycle graphic, adapted from work by Dr. Andrew Miller, with inspiring him to include trees from the boreal in his installation, which he designed to help visitors get a better understanding of how wildfires impact habitats.

“I hope it allows us all to consider the human impact on the environment and the ways in which many recent large-scale wildfires are a direct result of extreme climate change due to this human impact.”

7. Making Strides in Digital Map Project

Fieldwork for the much-anticipated digital habitat maps, in partnership with ECOSTEM, continued this year, with tours around Aikens Lake and Fishing Lake.

ECOSTEM is now in the process of creating a preliminary version of the habitat map, which we expect to release in March 2023, followed by detailed maps of cultural features.

Elders, Pimachiowin Aki Guardians and other knowledge keepers are contributing data and information to the maps, such as knowledge of wildlife-habitat relationships, and will be able to use the maps to preserve important habitats and keep an eye on the health of the land.

“The maps won’t just show us the land; they will show us what the land can sustain,” says Alison Haugh, Executive Director of Pimachiowin Aki. 

Learn more about the digital maps and how they’re created.

The challenges of mapping

It takes thousands of photos, drone and satellite imagery, and physical samples to create the maps. In the development stages, the mapping team faced multiple challenges getting what they need. Wildfires had swept through the land in 2021, accompanied by COVID-19 restrictions and a months-long drought, which made floatplane and boat travel nearly impossible.

Drones were prohibited from flying due to NAV Canada restrictions to avoid conflicts with firefighting aircraft.

These challenges postponed ECOSTEM’s image collection process to this year, when they were able to continue their fieldwork.

Though easier on their team, 2022 presented its own hurdles. For starters, massive snowfall led to record-breaking high water levels throughout Manitoba.

In addition, “drones have been grounded more than expected due to rain and high winds,” reports ECOSTEM’s Dr. James Ehnes. Despite this, the team was able to complete all of the planned fieldwork.

At times, Pimachiowin Aki Guardians couldn’t do groundwork because roads were covered with water and rapids were so strong that some areas were too dangerous to visit.

If weather concerns weren’t enough to stand in the way of the project, Transport Canada established new restrictions for transporting lithium-ion batteries on commercial flights.

“We now have to discharge the battery, get a third party to certify that they’re discharged, and ship them separately on a cargo flight,” says James. “This process has not only added time prior to getting in the field; it then takes the rest of the day to recharge the batteries.

A team effort

Miigwech to Guardian Colin Owens of Pauingassi First Nation, who travelled great distances by boat to capture images and was very helpful in transporting the crew and gear around the community each day and shipping generators to Winnipeg. 

8. Happy Birthday to World Heritage!

2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which Canada joined in 1976, becoming a part of an international movement to safeguard the world’s cultural treasures.

“The purpose of the World Heritage Convention is to identify, protect, and preserve cultural and natural places across the world that are deemed to have Outstanding Universal Value, and should therefore be protected and recognized internationally for current and future generations,” says Rebecca Kennedy, Manager of International Affairs for Parks Canada.

“Canada is blessed with a diversity of natural and cultural heritage from coast to coast to coast, including 20 sites that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List,” she adds.

There was no better time than 2022 for Canadians to learn about these 20 incredible places. Many of Canada’s World Heritage Sites, including Pimachiowin Aki, offered special in-person and virtual activities to highlight this landmark year.

Take a cross-Canada video tour to celebrate the shared heritage of humankind:

How to Pronounce Common Anishinaabemowin Words

Gizhe Manidoo lowered nitam anishinaabe (first human) to Earth and gave him the responsibility to name everything in existence. This is how Anishinaabemowin was born.

Over 80 percent of people in Pimachiowin Aki speak the ancient Ojibwe language Anishinaabemowin. Each community has its own dialect. Pimachiowin Aki Guardian Melba Green helped us create this series of language videos so that you can hear how we say common Aninishinaabemowin words in Bloodvein River First Nation.

Anishinaabemowin is often the first language children learn to speak. 

Anishinaabemowin is the primary language we speak at home and work. Children and youth learn this vibrant language in school every day.

Learn how to say the days of the week 

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Hear words related to family

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The survival of Anishinaabemowin is directly related to the survival of Anishinaabe identity and culture.

We are tied to our language the same way we are tied to the land. Anishinaabemowin expresses our heritage, values and culture. We use it in traditional ceremonies, and in stories and songs passed down through generations. It is our unique way of understanding the world. 

Hear words related to our cultural heritage

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Anishinaabemowin reflects how land and animals are understood. 

For millennia, our ancestors have spoken Anishinaabemowin to pass down traditional knowledge such as when to plant and harvest, how to spot seasonal changes, and where to track migration of geese and woodland caribou. Our language holds our knowledge of the environment. Therefore, preserving our language means preserving the land.

The world’s languages and animal species have both declined by about 30% since 1970. Some conservationists and climate scientists believe the key to protecting endangered plants and animals may lie in efforts to preserve Indigenous languages.

cbc.ca, The Current

Learn how to say the four seasons

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Hear words related to plants that grow in Pimachiowin Aki

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Learn words for wildlife that lives in Pimachiowin Aki

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The hereditary transmission of culture is mediated not by passing DNA from parent to offspring, but by one individual learning something from another, and this transmission is greatly facilitated and accelerated by means of language.

Biocultural Diversity, Threatened species, endangered languages
Pimachiowin Aki Guardian Melba Green, Bloodvein River First Nation

Miigwech to Pimachiowin Aki Guardian Melba Green for providing the voice-overs.

From friendly insults to words spoken in spring…  

Listen to the mother and son language podcast exploring lessons in Anishinaabemowin, featuring Sophia and Paul Rabliauskas of Poplar River First Nation:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/paul-sophia-rabliauskas-anishinaabemowin-1.5919310

Follow us for more information about Pimachiowin Aki:

 Sources
https://www.cbc.ca/originalvoices/language/anishinaabemowin/
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/back-to-the-land-preserving-indigenous-language-1.6152854
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/anishinaabemowin-ojibwe-language
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291352235_Biocultural_Diversity_threatened_species_endangered_languages

10 Traditional Plants to Spot this Summer

Anishinaabeg hold a wealth of knowledge about plants. Plants are a significant source of food, medicine, and building and craft materials. We have long used them to sustain our communities and way of life while safeguarding the health of the boreal forest.

This season, colourful plants, flowers and vegetation are rising from the earth all over Pimachiowin Aki. Roughly 700 plant species live in Pimachiowin Aki’s lands, wetlands and waters, including trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, mosses and lichens. You have probably walked past many of these plants on your walks and hikes across Canada, or paddled by them while kayaking or canoeing.

Here are 10 plants to keep an eye out for this summer!

Edible Plants

1. Miskomin (Raspberry)

Miskomin is a traditional source of food and medicine in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Due to its distinct shape and vibrant colour, a raspberry plant is easy to identify, especially once berries have begun to bud. Raspberries are a type of compound berry, which means they’re made up of a tight cluster of smaller sacs of juice. They have tiny hairs in between each juice sac. Still unsure? Look beyond the bright fruit and check the entire plant. Raspberry bushes may have prickles or bristles.

Where it Grows
Raspberries usually grow near water, in woods or clearings. Check riverbanks where there is a lot of grass.

When to Harvest
Picking season begins in July and ends in late August.

Uses

  • The wild brambles of the raspberry bush provide shelter for birds, squirrels, skunks and other small wildlife in Pimachiowin Aki
  • Humans and animals eat raspberries, providing us with antioxidants and a great source of fibre
  • Raspberries are good to eat fresh or use in jams. Freeze the berries to preserve them.

2. Ososoweminaatig (Chokecherry)

What it Looks Like
The chokecherry tree rarely grows taller than 30 feet, and the top of the tree can stretch from 10 to 20 feet wide. The colour of its bark indicates the plant’s age — grey or reddish-brown for young trees and brownish-black for older trees. Another way to identify young chokecherries is through the horizontal rows of raised pores on their bark. Their serrated leaves are a dark glossy green on top, and the underside is light. Chokecherries begin with fragrant, white blossoms before budding into dark berries. The colour of the berries ranges from white, deep red to black. They often look like blueberries or saskatoon berries when they’re ripe.

Ososoweminaatig is abundant in Pimachiowin Aki.

Where it Grows
Look for chokecherries in open areas of plains, forests and foothills; in patches in the bush; and near water. They like sunny or partially shaded areas in thickets.

When to Harvest
Chokecherries are ready for picking in August and September.

Uses
Chokecherries are used in:

  • Soups and stews
  • Jellies, syrups, sauces, juices and jams

Note
Chokecherries are delicious but the hard seeds can cause stomach upset if you eat too many.

3. Miishiijiimin (Red Currant)

Miishiijiimin decorates the landscape in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Red currants are tiny, bright translucent red berries that grow in clusters. The shrub plant grows about three feet high or at waist height for the average person.

Where it Grows
The red currant shrub grows in swamps, moist open forests and on the banks of streams.

When to Harvest
Red currants are ready for harvesting in summer to early fall, in the months of July, August and September.

Uses

  • Use the sour-tasting red berries in salads or pair them with other fruits
  • Drink red currant juice or tea to reduce fever and induce sweating
  • Harvest the leaves in the spring and summer before the plant goes into berry, for use as a compress or poultice for slow-healing wounds
  • Use the leaves fresh or dried in teas to ease symptoms of gout and rheumatism
  • Gargle the tea for mouth infections

4. Ozhaashaagobag (Bunchberry)

Ozhaashaagobag is used as food and medicine in Pimachiowin Aki. 

What it Looks Like
Bunchberries look different throughout the seasons. Look for white flowers in late spring, red-orange berries sprouting from the centre in summer, and a red leaf colour in the fall.

Where it Grows
The Bunchberry plant can be found growing close to the ground under the shade of trees, often where moss grows.

When to Harvest
Bunchberries ripen and are ready for picking in July or August.

Uses

  • The berries are a food source for black bears, martens, snowshoe hares and other small mammals, as well as many migratory birds. Bunchberry is a winter forage plant for caribou and moose
  • People can eat the berries raw or boiled. They preserve well and can be added to jams, puddings, other baked treats and teas
  • They contain high levels of pectin making them a great addition to low pectin fruits when making jams
  • The berries have a high concentration of vitamin C

5. Ozigwaakomin (Saskatoon Berry Bush)

Ozigwaakomin is a traditional food in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it looks like
Saskatoon berry bush is a shrub or small tree that can grow to 16 feet tall. Mature bushes produce clusters of white flowers in the spring. The leaves are oval-shaped with jagged edges along the tops, and the dark grey to reddish brown branches are smooth in texture. Saskatoon berries range in colour from light purple to almost black.

Where it grows
Saskatoon berry bushes are found in rocky, grassy clearings, thickets, and open hillsides.

When to harvest
Berries are ready for picking in July. Saskatoons continue to ripen after they are picked. Fully mature berries are sweeter and have a fuller fruit flavor, but are softer and more easily damaged.

Uses

  • Saskatoons are consumed fresh, or preserved by freezing or drying
  • The berries are an excellent source of fibre, protein and antioxidants

Try this recipe for Saskatoon Pie.

Note
Saskatoon berry pits contain a poisonous cyanide-like substance, just like apple seeds. The toxin may be destroyed by cooking or drying the berries

6. Makominan (Bearberry)

Makominan is a source of food for bears in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Bearberry shrubs consist of smooth, oval-shaped leaves, pinkish-white bell-shaped flowers and dull red berries. The shrub typically grows 1/2 foot tall and slowly spreads horizontally to form mats. The thick, leathery leaves are rolled under at the edges. They are yellow green in spring, dark green in summer, and reddish-purple in fall.

Where it Grows
Bearberries grow by the river, in dry open woods and in gravelly or sandy soils. The low-growing shrub is tolerant of cold weather.

When to Harvest
Blooms can appear any time from April to July, depending on where you live. Bright red fruit is formed by the end of the summer and typically remains on the bush throughout winter.

Uses

  • Bearberry is an appropriate name as these mealy edible fruits are a favourite of bears
  • Birds, deer and small mammals also eat the berries
  • Dry the berries to store them
  • Grind dried berries and cook them into a porridge
  • Use dried leaves for tea to help with kidney and bladder infections
  • Tan hides with the tannin in bearberry leaves
  • Add dried leaves to tobacco or use as a substitute

Note

  • Eating too many bearberries may cause nausea or constipation
  • Eating bearberries for a prolonged time can cause stomach and liver problems. Children and pregnant or breast-feeding women should avoid the berries

7. Gaa-minomaagobagak (Wild Mint)

Find gaa-minomaagobagak along shorelines of lakes and rivers in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Look for bright, serrated leaves and tiny purple, pink or white flowers. Typically this plant grows 1-2 feet tall.

Where it Grows
Wild mint can be found in moist areas such as along shorelines of rivers or lakes. You will smell it before you see it!

When to Harvest
You can pick mint anytime during summer.

Uses

  • Mint is an important medicine and food plant
  • All parts of the plant (flowers, leaves, and stem) may be used, although usually the root is not used
  • The plant is edible raw
  • Make a simple beverage by pouring hot water over the plant
  • Make an insect repellent by sprinkling powdered leaves on berries and drying meat

Medicine Plants

Many plants have medicinal properties. Some medicines are crushed up while others are boiled into a tea. Medicines may be harmful if not prepared properly. Information provided here is only intended to give an idea of the importance of these plants to Anishinaabeg. This is not a guide to plant use. Readers are cautioned to treat medicine plants with respect, and consult Elders and others knowledgeable about plants within Pimachiowin Aki to learn more before considering using any part of a plant for any reason.

The bush is our drugstore, and we are grateful for all the plants that give up their lives to keep us alive and help cure sickness. We need to honour those plants and to make sure they are looked after.

Elders Abel Bruce and Albert Bittern

8. Wiikenzh (Sweet flag)

Wiikenzh is an important medicine in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Sweet flag has thin, grass-like, greenish-yellow leaves that tend to grow in pairs. At first glance, a colony of sweet flag resembles bull-rushes but upon closer look, you’ll notice that the spike rising from the sweet flag leaves is covered in tiny yellow flowers (unlike the brown spike of a cattail).

Where it Grows
Sweet flag grows in wet, marshy areas.

When to Harvest
This plant is harvested in late summer or early fall.

Uses

  • Sweet flag is very fragrant and when burned, the smoke is used in smudging to purify an area and remove negative energy or thoughts
  • The dried root of sweet flag is used to treat high cholesterol and diabetes

My dad would harvest plants when we were on the trapline. There was a preparation process, and when somebody got sick, there would be medicine ready to use. He made an offering and placed the plant close to the fire and dried it.

Joe Owen, Pauingassi First Nation

9. Aamoo-waabigwan (Fireweed)

Aamoo-waabigwan is used as medicine and tea in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Fireweed is easily identified by its bright pink or purple flowers throughout summer. The plant grows in a spike shape with clumps of four-petalled flowers at the tips of the stems. Fireweed fluff appears in fall when the plant releases hundreds of cottony seeds. The seeds have tufts of silky hairs, so they are easily spread by wind.  

Where it Grows
Fireweed is a medicine plant that grows in abundance following a forest fire. It grows where soil is relatively dry.

When to Harvest
Fireweed roots can be harvested year-round while its leaves are typically picked in summer.

Uses

  • Fireweed has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce redness associated with skin irritations
  • The leaves are used to make a tea
  • The seeds are used as a fire-starter
  • Years ago, fireweed was used as a tobacco substitute and also cooked and eaten like a vegetable

The pure medicine on the land is similar to medicine in the pharmacy. I learned that from my grandparents.

Melba Green, Bloodvein River First Nation

Important Plant for the Ecosystem

10. Meskwaanagak (Joe Pye Weed)

Meskwaanagak provides shelter and protection for songbirds in Pimachiowin Aki.

What it Looks Like
Joe pye weed is a late-blooming plant that can grow up to seven feet tall. In midsummer you will recognize it by its tiny mauve flowers, which bloom in large clusters atop the stems.

Where it Grows
Joe pye weed grows naturally at the edges of woodlands and wet meadows.

Blooming Season
Look for flowers in August.

Uses

  • These flowers have a sweet vanilla scent that attracts butterflies and other pollinators
  • Hummingbirds and other birds are also attracted to this plant
  • Due to its height, joe pye weed provides shelter and protection for songbirds

Watch Five Gifts from the Creator to learn more about plants and their uses in Pimachiowin Aki.

Photos: Hidehiro Otake, Jane Driedger, wild raspberry photo was was originally posted to Flickr by mwri at https://www.flickr.com/photos/75897997@N00/194675157

The Lunar Calendar, Explained

Full Moon

For millennia, Indigenous Peoples have used the moon to plan for life on the land. For example, Anishinaabeg in Pimachiowin Aki track the movement of the moon to determine when to plant wild rice, hunt animals, and harvest medicines. The schedule, mapped out on a turtle’s shell, is known as the lunar calendar.

The stars are used for directions. The moon tells you what month you’re in. The sun is used to tell time.

Melba Green, Pimachiowin Aki Guardian, Bloodvein River First Nation

Why don’t the solar calendar and lunar calendar match up?

The solar calendar is based on the sun’s movement. The lunar calendar is based on the movement of the moon. We ask Pimachiowin Aki Guardian Melba Green of Bloodvein River First Nation to explain. “The lunar calendar makes sense to people who are one with the land,” says Melba. “The moon goes around the earth in about 28 days. So in one year, the moon goes around 13 times. This gives us 13 lunar months with 28 days each.”

Why is the lunar calendar on the turtle’s shell?

The turtle shell is a visual match for the days and moons in a lunar year. If you look at a turtle’s shell, you will see an outer ring of small scales. These represent the 28 days in a lunar month. You will also see larger scales inside the centre of the shell. These large scales represent the 13 moons that occur each lunar year.

Explore the Pimachiowin Aki interactive lunar calendar.

Download the lunar calendar here:Download

The lunar calendar has 364 days. The solar calendar has 365 days.

What are the moon names for each month?

Each moon has a name that reflects a natural event that happens on the land during that month. The name of each moon differs from First Nation to First Nation. “It’s because we have different dialects or we named the moons after different things,” says Melba. For example, Anishinaabeg say Binak wiiwik giizis in Bloodvein River First Nation but Little Grand Rapids First Nation calls it Binaakwe giizis.

Melba’s Memories and Stories

We asked Melba to tell us more about the lunar calendar and share some memories and stories of life on the land.

1. Do you or your family members use the lunar calendar?

I use both. My grandmother followed the lunar calendar. It was knowledge that was passed down to her when she was a little girl. She never liked [12-month] calendars in the house. She’d rip them off the wall. ‘We don’t need that,’ she used to say.

2. What happens on the land during some of the moons?

Budding moon: Everything is all new and growing with new beginnings. We go walking around out on the land to show the young ones which plants are budding. Leaves for pussy willows begin to bud. Everything comes out of its shell. We start picking medicines in the forest and firewood. Birchbark wood is picked for beading and woodworking. We also begin commercial fishing and give fish that we harvest to Elders in our community.

Show respect to the forest and it will respect you. Before picking medicines or any plants, put tobacco down and say a prayer, and then you can begin walking in that area.

Melba Green, Pimachiowin Aki Guardian, Bloodvein River First Nation

Blueberry moon: This is when berries finish budding and it’s berry-picking time. You can harvest blue berries to make jam, or my granny used them for medicine. If we didn’t like the taste of the medicine, she would give us the sweet taste first followed by the bitter-tasting medicine.

Falling leaves moon: When I was a child, we would leave for the trapline during the falling leaves moon. We would go with my grandparents, great grandparents and cousins.

When we first would arrive at the trapline, we would have to be quiet so the spirit beings could get used to us being there. After a few days, we were allowed to play. We were there for fall, winter and spring. My mom would be really busy, and my dad would be out hunting or trapping. The school would give us homework to do at the trapline.

Freezing moon: Men hunt geese and small birds during this moon. They also start moose harvesting. When hunters go out and kill one or two moose, they cut them up and take the hide, too. They give meat to Elders or women with children. When they trap beavers, they give the meat to Elders because Elders like beaver tails. It is like medicine to them. They eat every part of the body. Anything that is left over, like bones, are returned to the bush. It’s like putting things back where they came from.

Want to learn more about activities on the land? Download the Pimachiowin Aki Seasonal Calendar.

Feature photo (full moon), budding moon and Falling leaves moon: Hidehiro Otake