DIBAAJIMOWIN
  • Home
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • The People
  • Michif Language
  • Ojibwe Language
  • Books
  • Colorized Photos
  • GIS Mapping
    • Metis Community Map
    • US & Canadian Reservations
  • Blog Archives
    • Tawn Kaayaash
    • Metis Stories
    • Women's Stories
    • Elder Stories
    • Family Stories
    • School Stories
    • Love Stories
    • Legend Stories
  • Virtual Library

Metis Stories

Berrying was a Social Time

4/18/2018

0 Comments

 

A delicious group activity of the Metis, Cree, and Ojibwe

​The gathering of berries (la grenn) was a social experience, and a berry party was enjoyed by everyone who took part.  Gathering was usually done by the women and older children, and in the country of the Ojibwe, Cree, and Metis, berries of many varieties could be found throughout the late spring, summer, and early fall.
 
During gathering, a woman usually carried at her belt a small birch-bark basket or cloth bag in which she placed the berries as she gathered them. From this the berries were emptied into a larger basket that everyone dumped berries into.  The berry party might also carry an ax to cut the higher boughs of chokecherry or similar trees to get to the good berries. 
Picture
Painting by Patrick Desjarlait (Red Lake Ojibwe)
In olden times the cranberries (Pabinaw) were gathered by hand, but in more recent times a box was used. This box was open on one end, with the lower edge cut like the teeth of a rake. It was operated like a scoop, taking off the tops of the plants with leaves and small stalks as well as the berries. This made it easier to gather many berries at less effort.
 
Blueberries (lii blooay) and Saskatoon berries (lii pwayr/Juneberries) were almost always dried if they weren’t eaten fresh. Chokecherries (takwahiminana),  were dried and pounded, stones and all. Raspberries (lii fraanbwayz) were “boiled down” and spread on sheets of birch bark and allowed to dry further.  The little cakes that were made of the raspberries were then piled one upon another and tied in packets for storing. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    A collaborative effort of members of the Ojibwe and Metis communities

    Archives

    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

About Dibaajimowin

Dibaajimowin was created as a way to share interesting and unique stories and other information about the Metis and Ojibwe people (and others) so that these can be used by our guests to educate themselves and others about the history, culture, and language of the people.

We hope you enjoy everything you find here and are glad to have you return in the future. If you are interested in using our content for educational or personal purposes, please give proper attribution and credit to our page. It is important that we acknowledge the tellers of stories and the creators of intellectual property in all forms.

​Please enjoy! See you soon.

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
  • Home
  • Dibaajimowin Blog
  • The People
  • Michif Language
  • Ojibwe Language
  • Books
  • Colorized Photos
  • GIS Mapping
    • Metis Community Map
    • US & Canadian Reservations
  • Blog Archives
    • Tawn Kaayaash
    • Metis Stories
    • Women's Stories
    • Elder Stories
    • Family Stories
    • School Stories
    • Love Stories
    • Legend Stories
  • Virtual Library