Winter Traditions Passed on Generation to Generation
By BENJI SAM, MASHKODE-BIZHIKIGAHBAW
As Biboon arrives and lays a fresh sheet of snow across the northland, a change in the season falls upon us Anishinaabe. The last of the fall tasks such as preservation of wild rice, submerging our birch bark canoes to last the winter, and preserving meat from a (hopefully) successful fall must be done before winter encompasses us in its frigid embrace.
Historically, winter meant travel from our People’s fall camps into our wintering locations near ponds, lakes, and swamps that held many medicines, and land that held untouched populations of four-leggeds. As the first snow and deep freeze arrived, hunters prepared their traps, began scouting, and prepared to set lines for furs and food. Today, however, there are far fewer trappers and the skills of fur preservation is becoming a lost art.
Keenan Wind, a young Band member who grew up running trap lines with his grandpa, described trapping as a way of life when he was a kid. “It wasn’t uncommon for us to run 100 or more traps in a set. Bobcats, fishers, mink, otter, muskrats, beaver, coyote, and fox helped keep food on the table and some extra cash in hand,” Wind said, “but now we run closer to 40 traps at a time to keep the tradition alive.” Wind, myself, and many other Anishinaabe would also run snare lines for waabooz, snowshoe hare, as part of becoming an adult who can provide for their family. Waabooz always present us a wonderful, high-protein meal, and their furs make for incredibly warm moccasin inserts or blanket lining.
With fresh snowfall, most animals become easier to track and can present additional opportunities to keep meat on the table. Marty Jennings, another young Band member who hunts religiously each fall and winter, describes snowfall and early winter as one of his favorite times to hunt.
“I remember my Uncle Don and my dad teaching me how to track a deer. You can learn a lot about an animal from its tracks,” Jennings described. “We always seemed to have success after the snow and cold set in. Some of the best bucks I can remember have come late in the hunting season,” he said.
Keenan Wind, now age 21, began trapping with his grandpa at a young age, holding the first muskrat from last winter's trapping season.
While deer meat was a staple food for the Anishinaabe, we also needed to supplement our diet with dried berries, maple syrup/sugar, and Ogaa to survive the frigid Minnesota winters. Our people once carved holes in the ice and set nets and speared year-round despite multiple feet of ice. Pine boughs and slush in ice holes throughout the winter would help keep the ice from freezing over and would give them access to fish and water throughout the winter. Fish carry healthy fats and vitamins that kept us balanced. Both young men described winter fishing and spearing as an important way to provide for their families each year.
Knowing where our food comes from and sharing with those around us should always be a way of life for us Anishinaabe. After speaking with these young men about their upbringings, I am happy to know that some of our early winter traditions will stay alive to be passed down from generation to generation.
