THE FALL TRADITIONS FOR ANISHINAABE FIRST HARVEST
MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME
A photo can speak one thousand words. A memory to remember together, forever, holding his first buck ever is Braden (13) with his cousin Logan (14), Uncle Jon (left) and Benji (right).
By Mashkode-bizhikigahbaw, Benji Sam, Mille Lacs Band member
Each fall as the wind blows cold and the days grow short, we take to the woods in search of bringing home a four-legged to our families in celebration of life, wellness, and well-being. Becoming a young man today is no easy task, and growing into becoming an older man, father, and teacher is much the same. We were taught at a young age that our responsibility as young men in the Anishinaabe world meant respecting your Elders, serving your family and community, and providing both safety and insurance for your family year in and year out.
In our family, like many others out there, we have always held a special bond to the water and woods in which we were raised. With that connection came the responsibility to join our fathers, uncles, cousins, and brothers in the wood to chase white-tailed deer with our favorite old men. Yet, we cannot forget the women of the woods who joined the hunt and often provided as many, if not more, deer each fall. Some people were never given the chance to join their family in the woods, and it’s a shame, really, because as young people, it’s important to feel and know a connection to something greater than yourselves. Hunting with family can provide that connection in many ways.
Learning to sit quietly, patiently, with good intentions in your heart, is a delicate, and yet crucial, piece of becoming a young man. The decision of knowing when to take a life, whether it be a fish, rabbit, deer, or bird, comes with great responsibility. We, as hunters, are the best stewards for managing healthy animal populations. If we take too many, our next season will be difficult ,and if we take too few, there may not be enough food on the landscape during the harsh winter ahead. Two boys in my family, my nephew and a young cousin of ours, began their own journey and got the chance to make their own decision this fall, the decision to become young men.
It’s funny how life comes full circle in the blink of an eye. I was once a boy sitting in a tree stand with my dad, learning the ropes of what it takes to harvest a deer. Now I am a father myself, taking my young nephew into the woods these past few years, and all the “old men” in our family have passed on to be with our relatives. Harvesting a deer has always been an emotional process, knowing that the passing of one life means the guaranteed prolonging of another. Watching my nephew and young cousin experience that for the first time this fall was incredible. Many deer were harvested for our family this fall, with enough to share around for the year, but none more important than the two first harvests taken opening morning of the state’s rifle season by these two young men.
The moments that follow that first harvest, like walking up to that animal which has passed into the spirit world, is a sobering experience no matter how many times you experience it. We offered our tobacco to those four-leggeds and shared a final meal and water with our harvest. Then I made my nephew field dress his harvest under my direction and using my old buck knife to do the job. The work is only half finished, because he then tied up our “sacred drag rope” to pull his harvest out of the woods on his own. Through harsh brush, over many logs, and many rest breaks later, we finally made trail. Seeing the satisfaction, acceptance, strength, and perseverance earned from this experience was worth its weight in gold.
That experience was not alone, as our other youngster also harvested his first and second animal ever that weekend as well. Watching these two boys turn into young men before our eyes was a thing to behold. While watching our nephews dragging a buck out of the deep woods together, my cousin Jon and I were reminded that just a few years ago, we were the youngsters dragging deer together for our own fathers. Now, as the old men in the family, it’s fun to sit back and give direction, teaching lessons and remembering how we got here in the first place.
Less than one week after their first harvest, we held a family gathering of dozens of loved ones, close relatives, and spiritual guides, and held a ceremony celebrating that first harvest just as our ancestors did. Surrounded by their closest family members, these two boys became young men and were given their own rite of passage in the Anishinaabe way. Feeding their whole family, spiritual leaders, and each other, these two young men now carry the weight of responsibility with them everywhere they go.
It was so special to be a part of this journey and we owe it to these young men, and young boys everywhere, to help guide them home and to become better men ourselves. They say it takes a village to raise a child. But together, we can raise young men.
Logan (14), with his first ever harvest to feed his family and community. There's nothing like your first harvest.
Two young boys becoming young men before our eyes, dragging out a buck from deep in the woods together, smiling out of relief to have finished the job.
