We learn that At ǣ hemen kēsoq , or the “heart berry moon,” appears early in the summer and that At ǣ hmenan grows and is harvested during this moon.
We also learn that our bears, or the aw ǣ hsaeh , love at ǣ hmenan and that when we harvest, we do so responsibly. We take only what we need and leave some At ǣ hemenan for our bear clan relatives and other forest life. And last, as we continue to learn and grow, we learn that At ǣ hemanan , or “heart berries,” are incredibly nutritious; they are high in vitamin C and more nutritious than store-bought berries. “Heart berries” are medicine. When we make teas from the leaves and consume the fruits, our blood is cleaned, and our hearts are strengthened. W ǣ w ǣ nen At ǣ hemenan (Gauthier, 2020).
Culture
Menominee culture is present in every aspect of life, and some aspects of this were shared within the Integrating Culture: Indigenous Planning Systems section. Culture has a very wide meaning and is defined differently from Tribe to Tribe and even Tribal member to Tribal member. Culture is multifaceted and generally can be defined as a process for doing activities that is steeped in oral tradition and locally accepted practices. The Menominee Tribal community views culture as a strength that is both healing and a connection to relatives. In Indigenous food sovereignty projects, staff integrate culture through caring for elders; harvesting, growing, cooking food; storytelling; language; and engaging with the environment, to name a few. It is important to recognize others have different teachings and to respect those. In all food sovereignty projects, staff acknowledge where they learned from, the teachings that others have, that there are multiple teachings, and that as individuals, we are at different stages of learning. It is critical that this mantra is known at the beginning of programming to build an inclusive and safe environment.
Environment
The Menominee Indian Reservation, located near Lake Michigan, is just over 235,000 acres and is one of the largest reservations east of the Mississippi River. The reservation is forested mostly with white pine, maple, birch, and aspen trees. Further, there are over 187 rivers and streams and 53 lakes (MITW webpage). Tribal members value the environment and recognize the leadership that fought for this land. Tribal members have an inherent responsibility to care for the land and make sure it is there for the next generations.
Indigenous food sovereignty projects on the Menominee Indian Reservation could not exist without the environment. To protect this asset, we have informally adopted practices that promote relationship building
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