For the Ojibwe, harvesting food provisions followed seasonal cycles determined by the availability of plants, game animals, and fish. Though the time of each year’s seasonal activities varied, the Ojibwe calendar reflected the importance of these harvests through months called moons. For example, Iskigamizige Giizis (April) was the Boiling Down Sap Moon and indicated when the maple sap began to run because of warming temperatures. Other moons included the Ode’ imini Giizis, the Strawberry Moon (June), that indicated the time of gathering strawberries and staple crops, and Manoominike Giizis, the Ricing Moon (August), that marked the gathering of wild rice needed to survive through winter.
19th Century Commercial Maple Products