Page 12 | Nah gah chi wa nong • Di bah ji mowin nan | June 2013 Ashi-niswi giizisoog (Thirteen Moons)

The new Odeimini-giizis, the Mid-Summer moon begins June 8th. Other names for this moon are Gitige-giizis, the Odeimini-giizis Gardening moon, and Waawano-giizis, the Egg moon. Doctor’s Orders: Burn this patch and call me in the morning. By Christian Nelson a specific goal or set of goals open up when the glue-like bitterns, need the open, less and houses safer. This type of FDL RM Forester it’s called a prescribed fire. And substance that holds them shrubby marshland to build fire is called a fuel reduction sometimes it’s just what the closed melts in the heat. And their nests or find their food. fire. any wild fires in Min- doctor ordered. , after the top has Fire is nature’s way of ‘hitting Fond du Lac Forestry uses all nesota can be danger- Paper birch, jack pine, and been burned away, will send the reset button’ and taking of these different kinds of fire. Mous and destructive. blueberries are just a few of the up vigorous new shoots from areas that have become brushy Fond du Lac forestry personnel Nearly all of the fires that species that thrive after a fire. still-living underground parts over time and return them to a are educated and trained in for- occur in Minnesota (over 98%) Paper birch and take more open, grassy stage. est and plant ecology, wildlife, are the unintended result of seedlings advantage People can benefit from and in using a variety of tools fires escaping from people who need full of the elbow prescribed fires, too, and there and equipment. Forestry has are burning brush that has ac- sunlight room they is evidence people have been burned blueberry patches try- cumulated in their yards over and grow get when the using fires as a tool for thou- ing to renew them or to expand the winter, from malfunction- well after other plants sands of years. Fires can help their size. Forestry has burned ing motorized equipment, from the large have been keep areas from becoming too areas to keep brushy areas trees falling on power lines, or trees and burned. thick to travel through or to more open. And forestry has for other accidental or not-so- shrubs Without hunt in. Fires can increase the burned areas around homes to accidental reasons. Every year that would the occa- amount of small plants avail- reduce the chance that a small thousands of acres (sometimes otherwise sional fire, able as food for animals accidental fire leads to some- hundreds of thousands of shade marshy areas or for livestock. Fires have thing larger and more destruc- acres) of forests are damaged, them that are been used to herd animals into tive. properties are lost, and some- have been dominated a smaller area to make hunting Like so much in life, seldom times people are injured, too. killed. by cattails easier. And fires can clear land is something all good or all But not all fires are necessarily The light seeds can blow in on and other grasses slowly close for agriculture. bad. More often, life is a little accidental or bad. In fact, some the wind from unburned birch in with shrubs like Fire, when done in a con- bit of black, a little bit of white, plants, forests, and animals trees a quarter of a mile away and alder. Some bird species, trolled way with the right and there’s a lot of gray in the need periodic fires to thrive or more and establish them- like the northern catbird or weather conditions and middle. Fire can be good, bad, and many ecosystems in the re- selves on bare ground where the yellow warbler, like this equipment, can help burn up and often it can be both at the gion have co-evolved with fire. the leaf litter has been burned new shrubby wetland area; grasses, shrubs, and wood, and same time; it just depends on When people purposely use away. Jack pine cones, nor- but other species, like red keep small fires from growing who or what you are and what fire in a specific way to achieve mally sealed shut, will actually winged blackbirds or American larger, which may keep people you need or want.

Upcoming Events: This page addresses culture, ecology, and natural resource management. Thirteen Sign up to the 13 Moons listserv for the latest information on workshops Moons is the Fond du Lac Tribal College Extension Program and is a collaboration and events by emailing [email protected] Don’t forget to check of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and Fond du Lac Resource Manage- us out on Facebook! 13 Moons Ashi niswi giizisoog ment. June 2013 | Nah gah chi wa nong • Di bah ji mowin nan | Page 13 Ashi-niswi giizisoog Ojibwemowin Page

Anishinaabemowin Lessons By Charles Smith Basic Ojibwe words and phrases:

Double Vowel Chart “i”- sounds like the “i” in sit Leaf(s)- Aniibish(an) This is how to pronounce Ojibwe “ii”- sounds like the “ee” in feet (s)- Ojiibik(an) words. All consonants sound the same “o”- sounds like the “o” in go Stem(s)- Shiizhins(an) as in English. “oo”- sounds like the “oo” in food “e”- sounds like the “ay” in stay Source: www.ojibwe.org/home/pdf/ “Zh”- sounds like the “su” in measure ojibwe_beginner_dictionary.pdf “a”- sounds like the “u” in sun Four Parts of a Plant “aa”- sounds like the “a” in father Flower(s)- Waabigwan(iin)

Ashi-niswi giizisoog BIGADA'WAA WORD SEARCH Find the Ojibwe words in the puzzle below Ojibwe Wordlist Bean...... Miskodiisimin Blackberry...... Odatagaagomin Blueberries...... Miinan Bread...... Bakwezhigan Cherry...... Ookwemin Cookie...... Bakwezhigans Corn...... Mandaamin Cranberry...... Mashkiigimin Meat...... Wiiyaas Milk...... Doodooshaaboo Pea...... Anijiimin Pepper...... Wiisagad Raspberry...... Miskomin Salt...... Zhiiwitaagan ...... Odeimin ...... Ziinzibaakwad Tea...... Aniibiish Tomato...... Gichiogin Wild Rice...... Manoomin

Source: www.ojibwe.org/home/pdf/ojibwe_beginner_dictionary.pdf Page 14 | Nah gah chi wa nong • Di bah ji mowin nan | June 2013

Ashi-niswi giizisoog (Thirteen Moons)

community shred your stuff day!!

Birch By Nikki Crowe After a quick Google search I found that birch syrup is used as a beverage Moons Fond du Lac Tribal for , in , or as a . College Extension Program With more searching on the inter- 13recently held a workshop net for articles on “birch medicinal on tapping birch trees. Jim Lease, properties” I found that birch syrup from Onamia, Minn. talked about his can be good to be used as a diuretic, first year experience tapping birch for joint pain, and has the same trees. The best birch trees used for properties as aspirin for pain relief. tapping are healthy and at least 8” I learned that is high in in diameter at breast height or “old betulin and betulinic acid which growth” according to Jim. The could be good medicine for cancer. is known to run after the sap Anecdotally, the knowledge we have run or sometime in April. After an in our communities of plant and tree unsuccessful year of in medicines may have been saving our 2012, Jim decided he couldn’t lose lives from cancers and diabetes long trying to tap the birch trees. Unlike before documented history. maple sap, which takes about 80 gallons of sap to make one gallon To learn more about the 13 Moons of syrup; it takes 100 gallons of sap program you can go look up 13 Moons to make 1 gallon into syrup. Not Ashiniswi giizisoog on Facebook, or necessarily an economical venture go to www.fdlrez.com and look us most are willing to go after, however up on the Natural Resources link. To the benefits outweigh the costs in the sign up for the 13 Moons list serve to value of medicinal properties. receive announcements of upcoming When I asked a plant knowledge- workshops and events send an email able person over here at Fond du Lac to [email protected] about using birch syrup he said the Ojibwe used the sap for medicine, Miigwech. not necessarily as a food source.