Gdenwéwnenan: Our World in Words
From Mnwate (Dgwaget 2023)

Mnomneké-Gizes: Ricing Moon

Our words and language not only help us communicate, but preserve our Bodéwadmi heritage. The origin or root of each word and its meaning are keys to understanding who we were in the past, are in the present and will be in the future. 

Mno: Good
Minkan: Seed
Gizes: Moon

For our Bodéwadmi brothers and sisters up north, the end of summer is known as Mnomneké-Gizes (Ricing Moon). This is the time when relatives migrate to their annual mnomen (wild rice) camps for harvest. As the prophesized food that grows on water, wild rice was and still is a primary food staple, also used as a spiritual and medicinal plant for its healing qualities.