Anishinaabemowin

The Lunar Calendar, Explained

June 13, 2021

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.

Pimachiowin Aki Lunar Calendar 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

The Pimachiowin Aki Song

December 10, 2020

Cultural heritage expresses who we are and how we live. Anishinaabeg have shared language, stories, and songs for generations in Pimachiowin Aki.

This is the Pimachiowin Aki song—a sacred song created to recognize that Pimachiowin Aki is the land that gives life and is vital to the spiritual, emotional, and physical survival of Anishinaabeg as a people:

Whey Ha Why Oh Whey
Whey Ha Why Oh Whey
Whey Ha Why Oh Whey
Whey Ha Why Oh Whey Ya Whey Ya
Whey Ha Why Oh Whey
Whey Ha Why Oh Whey Ya Whey Ya

Anishinaabeg dibaajimowin (This is an Ojibwe Story)
Gaagige bimosemagan (It exists and travels through eternity)
Pimachiowin Aki (On the land that gives life)

[The verse is sung four times]

“That song is forever going to sound in this world. And it’s going to sound all over, and the wave that travels to every part of the world, that song will travel to. Our people’s voice needs to be heard. The knowledge that Anishinaabe people have is vital to our own survival. And vital to mankind.”
Eric Courchene, Sagkeeng First Nation

12 Named Places to Discover in Poplar River First Nation

September 21, 2020

Poplar River First Nation recently completed a Traditional Place Names map, which gives meaning to 149 places. The named places include rivers, lakes, creeks, rapids, points, and islands.

For several years, Elders in Poplar River have been sharing their knowledge to make this map possible. For instance, the Elders have walked the land with us and showed us places and things that are known only because Elders have been there and shared their knowledge. The Elders’ stories and memories are now printed on a huge, colourful map that will hang in community spaces and guide our journeys. The map is almost five feet wide!

When traveling the land, Anishinaabeg tell stories about the named places we encounter along the way. When we learn the names of places, we gain an intimate knowledge of the land. We need this knowledge for survival. Some places are named after plants or wildlife found in the area. Some names warn of dangers. Many reflect the histories of people who have traveled through and made use of the land.

Named Places to Visit in Poplar River First Nation

Here are a dozen named places to visit using the Poplar River First Nation map:

Nikaminikwaywining (The creek where geese drink)
Pinanaywipowitik (Rapids where people can rest sore legs)
Moozichisking (Big rock shaped like a moose’s rump)
Wapiskapik (The rock island that was painted white so it could be seen)
Kakinoosaysikak (Place where there are lots of minnows)
Weeskwoywisaguygan (Marchand Lake—shaped like a balloon)
Moondeewiminitik (Island named after the late Elder Mooni)
Kaminotinak (Beautiful high ground along the Franklin River where small trees grow)
Nayonanashing (Place to stop for lunch)
Wapeegoozhesse’opimatagaywining (Where a mouse swam across the river)
Paagitinigewening (Tobacco offering rock)
Kakpikichiwung (Water falls over a rock cliff)

Preserving Cultural Heritage

All 149 places on the Poplar River First Nation Place Names map are now officially recognized in provincial and national geographical names databases. In addition to helping us navigate the land and waters, the map preserves our cultural heritage. In other words, the map preserves Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), history, teachings and beliefs.

Listening to and talking about our place names is like reading a book…these named places ensure that the stories will carry on. When my father was describing where he had been, he would say, kee’yapay namaytoowag, which means he could still feel the presence of people who had been there before. The stories of our ancestors are connected to those places and to us by the place names.

– Sophia Rabliauskas

Meegwetch to the Poplar River First Nation Elders for their generosity, time, and patience in documenting the personal and collective histories of the people who have travelled through, observed and lived on Poplar River First Nation ancestral land, Asatiwisipe Aki.

Do you want to view the full Poplar River First Nation Place Names map on our website? Click on this link and scroll down toward the bottom of the page.

More Place Name Maps for Pimachiowin Aki

Pimachiowin Aki Corporation is working to protect cultural heritage for future generations in all four First Nation communities in Pimachiowin Aki. Cultural heritage expresses who we are and how we live. It consists of everything that we value and share through generations. Cultural heritage includes place names. It also includes travel routes, cabins, songs and traditional knowledge.

We are crossing land and water to inventory Pimachiowin Aki’s cultural sites. For example, we are documenting named places, pictographs, Thunderbird nests, cabins, campsites, and ceremonial sites. Bloodvein River First Nation, Pauingassi First Nation and Little Grand Rapids First Nation are each collecting this information to make their own place names maps.

This summer, eight young adults had a one-of-a-kind experience using the Poplar River First Nation Traditional Place Names map. Read about it here:
13 Rapids with a Traditional Place Names Map in Hand

13 Rapids with a Traditional Place Names Map in Hand

September 21, 2020

When young people go out on the land, they come back with their language.

—Anishinaabe Elder, in translation

This summer, eight youth had a one-of-a-kind experience using the Poplar River First Nation Traditional Place Names map. The teens participated in a five-day knowledge-sharing trip hosted by Poplar River First Nation Guardian Norway Rabliauskas and his mother Sophia. Together, with hired guides, the group boated from the Poplar River First Nation community to Pinesewapikung Sagaigan (Weaver Lake). Along the way, they manoeuvred through 13 rapids marked on the map, and translated the names into Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language).

With names like Thagitowipowitik (Rapids before Poplar River flows into Weaver Lake) and Machi-powitik (Bad rapids where some people sense bad feelings), the map prepared them for the rapids ahead. It also helped them reflect on the past.

“I think it’s important for the young people to learn whey where they come from, and the history of Pinesewapikung Sagaigan (Weaver Lake),” Norway says.

The map gives meaning to places and helps keep the language and stories about these places alive. Do you want to view the Poplar River First Nation Traditional Place Names map, with 149 named places? Click here and scroll down toward the bottom of the page.

Learning the History of Weaver Lake

Cultural heritage connects people and unites communities. The group camped on an island, where more people from the community were already gathered. Together, they visited the healing camp near Weaver Lake to learn more about the history of their community, and why the healing camp was established many years ago.

“We wanted them to know who went there, why the camp exists, and why it is important,” Norway explains. He and Sophia shared with the youth that some Elders in the community were residential school survivors who used this site for their own personal healing journeys.

Learning the Seven Sacred Teachings

Sophia also explained the principles of the Seven Sacred Teachings that have been passed down from generation to generation:

wisdom
love
respect
bravery
honesty
humility
truth

Inspiring the Next Generation of Guardians

Anishinaabeg were placed on the land by the Creator and have a sacred responsibility to care for it, so the trip included a ride around the lake to see the offering rock and pictographs, with a hike up a high rock to see tea kettles (deep holes in rocks). The youth also learned about the trees in the area. Each youth received an information booklet.

“I wanted to create a spark that might inspire them to work as Guardians,” Norway says.

The youth will carry the land-based knowledge and skills with them into the future, he adds, noting that the youth prepared meals and helped around camp.

“They set up and took down the tents, too,” he says. “I wanted them to be involved as much as they could.”

Each youth had a journal to write down their own personal reflections.

“On the last day, we went fishing as a group and cooked our meal with the fish we caught,” says Norway.

Because the knowledge-sharing trip was such a success, Norway plans to make it an annual summer outing. “We’d like to make it bigger next year,” he says.

It was Norway’s work with the Education Department that inspired the trip, funded in part by Pimachiowin Aki. Norway facilitates a language and culture program that was cut short this past school year due to the COVID-19 school closures. He intends to continue the program in the current school year with the help of community members who speak Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language).

Winter Solstice! & Other Celebrations to Enjoy this Season

December 17, 2019

There is a lot of joy to experience right now in Pimachiowin Aki, including these celebrations:

1. Joyful Month – Kissing Month

As people gather for winter celebrations, they greet each other affectionately—with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek—so December is known as the joyful month and January is known as the kissing month. In Pauingassi First Nation, December includes a Christmas dinner for the entire community. There is a similar feast for the Bloodvein First Nation community, with each household receiving a turkey.

2. Winter Solstice

December 21 marks the day with the shortest period of daylight in 24 hours and the longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere), all thanks to the tilt of the earth.

This date also means that winter is officially here. In Anishinaabemowin, winter is called Beepoon. The December moon is called makoshkish giizis and is known as the joyful moon.

The colder, shorter days bring with it a peaceful silence, a kind of muffled quiet as you walk outdoors to gaze at the stars in the night sky. Enjoying a warm fire, being cozy under a blanket, ice-skating, playing hockey on the frozen lake, snowshoeing, tobogganing, and cross-country skiing are just some of the activities to look forward to as we celebrate the joys of winter.

3. Magu zhi giizhigan & O gen du giizhigan

Younger generations of Anishinaabeg follow the 12-month calendar, but Elders in Pimachiowin Aki used the seasons to measure the days. We followed the 13 moons, which meant 13 months of 28 days, explains Bloodvein First Nation Guardian, Melba Green. “They didn’t really have holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving,” she says. Today, many people in Pimachiowin Aki celebrate Christmas, known as Magu zhi giizhigan, and the New Year, known as O gen du giizhigan.

Look Away from the Geese (and Other Fall Tips)

September 16, 2019

With Waatebagaa-giizis (September) comes the ‘leaves changing colour’ moon. The days become shorter, the air feels chillier, and we know that takwagin (fall) is upon us. The communities in Pimachiowin Aki ready for winter by harvesting medicines like wiikenzh (sweet flag), picking manoomin (wild rice), and collecting wood. Other preparations for the colder months include hunting moose, duck and geese.

Traditionally, the men in the communities do the hunting—while men know when to hunt for which animal, women know which medicines to harvest and when. Bloodvein First Nation Guardian Melba Green says that this kind of knowledge has been passed down through generations “from our ancestors.” For Anishinaabeg, it’s like instinct, she says. “We know which way to go, by following the trails for many years.”

Anishinaabeg know that the shorter, cooler days of fall and the leafless fall forests provide ideal conditions to hunt moose as the animals concentrate along the rivers, lakes, and forest openings to mate, Melba adds.

Tradition tells us that hunting on a windy day may prove more successful, she says. The noise made by the moving trees helps to camouflage the sound of a hunter’s feet. Also in the fall, legend cautions Anishinaabeg to not watch the Vs of geese flying south or it will be a long and hard winter.

Come October, trappers will set their sights on muskrat, beaver and otter, and will dry the pelts for future use. The taste of the beaver meat changes after the first snowfall, making this the best time to harvest.

Melba says that Anishinaabeg share their knowledge with each other. “If one wants to know how to skin an animal, you can go to a trapper and they will share their knowledge. It’s been like that for many, many years,” she explains.

Photo: Hidehiro Otake