Updates on our 2022 Season (Check back often)
She:kon Sewakwé:kon,
We have been following the Haudenosaunee Lunar Calendar to guide what ROSP does throughout the year. Check it out!
We have been following the Haudenosaunee Lunar Calendar to guide what ROSP does throughout the year. Check it out!
Otsikhè:ta / Wáhta Wenhnì:tare (Sugar Moon)
During the Otsikhè:ta Wenhnì:tare Denise and Kwiyo learned how to tap sugar maples for the first time & hope to share their learning with others in the near future!
Ratiwé:ras Wenhnì:tare (Thunder Moon)
Its the time of year when the waters in the creeks reach a delightful 6 degrees Celsius. Cold to us, but the perfect temperature for fish like Rainbow Trout, White Sucker, Northern Pike, and eventually Walleye to start their journey's up the rivers and creeks. They make their way up to areas where the creek beds are nice and rocky, the water is clear, and then they huddle in big groups to have a sexy party. Its during this time when we go out spearing! Some men in the community brought some rainbow trout for us to host a fish filleting workshop. Filleting fish takes practice! Its not as easy as it looks.
Things to remember to think 7 Generations ahead:
-When spearing fish, you should always be harvesting eggs from the females and fertilizing them in a bucket with the milt from the males. 3 males to 1 female is a good ratio. Pour the eggs back into the water in a place where the eggs can settle amongst the rocks. Congrats you just helped create over a thousand new fish, but only a few will make it to adulthood. Isn't that nuts!? That's why its so important to make this apart of your spearing practices.
-Remember to keep the head and carcass of your fish to make fish broth. You can even roast the fish heads too!
-Guts that you don't want to eat can be used as fertilizer in the garden. You can burry them in the soil a few weeks before you start planting.
-Erin's favorite dish actually is made from fish stomachs, so if you're adventurous and want to try getting real tradish, you can eat certain fish guts too.
-When spearing fish, you should always be harvesting eggs from the females and fertilizing them in a bucket with the milt from the males. 3 males to 1 female is a good ratio. Pour the eggs back into the water in a place where the eggs can settle amongst the rocks. Congrats you just helped create over a thousand new fish, but only a few will make it to adulthood. Isn't that nuts!? That's why its so important to make this apart of your spearing practices.
-Remember to keep the head and carcass of your fish to make fish broth. You can even roast the fish heads too!
-Guts that you don't want to eat can be used as fertilizer in the garden. You can burry them in the soil a few weeks before you start planting.
-Erin's favorite dish actually is made from fish stomachs, so if you're adventurous and want to try getting real tradish, you can eat certain fish guts too.
Tewayénthos Wenhnì:tare (Planting Moon)
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This planting season was focused more on cleaning the landscape & prepping to build our greenhouse and storage sheds. We had a small veggie garden for canning which we donated food to one of the classrooms at the Everlasting Tree School (tomatoes, peppers) & a pumpkin patch. We also planted an acre of strawberries, ready to be picked in season 2023!
ROSP also created seed kits to spread more awareness surrounding native plant species & included free veggie seeds to start off the season. |
Ken’ niyohontéhsha Wenhnì:tare (Strawberry Moon)
We made a trip out to Austin's (pick your own strawberries) and froze them for next season. Strawberries are important to Haudenosaunee culture and ceremonial practices. Over the course of winter we have donated strawberries to Kawenni:io/Gaweni:yo Private School for classroom fundraisers. We also donated flats to youth who helped picked!
Update on our strawberry patch: Nya:weh Gutch Salinas, Dakota Longboat, and Travis Longboat our Indigenous Youth Garden Assistants. Lots of weeding this year and prep work for strawberry season 2023. Did you know? In Haudenosaunee culture when pregnant we cannot eat strawberries until the baby is born. IF we eat strawberries, the baby potentially could be born with a strawberry mark, formally known as hemangioma. In the creation story, strawberries grew from the Sky Woman's heart which why most Indigenous cultures call it the "Heart Berry". |
Orhótsheri Wenhnì:tare (Green Beans Moon) - July 13th
Okahsero:ta Wenhnì:tare (Green Corn Moon) - August 11th
yeyenthokwas Wenhnì:tare (Harvest Moon) - September 10th
yontekhwayens Wenhnì:tare (food storing Moon) - october 9th
McMaster University (Indigenous Studies: Traditional Ecological Knowledge course) came by every Saturday to help us maintain the 1 acre strawberry patch. Nya:weh Sonia Hill in assisting & creating space for community work and volunteerism!
A huge thank you (Nyawen'ko:wa) to our Funders and Donors
Revitalizing our Sustenance Project
Located in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
revitalizingoursustenance@gmail.com
Located in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
revitalizingoursustenance@gmail.com