Wáżupi Wi: Final Harvest Moon
As we enter the month of October, Wáżupi Wi (Final Harvest Moon) marks the end of summer and signals that winter will soon be here. Traditionally in Dakota communities, if the first harvest of wild rice was a success, this was one last chance to harvest more. Wild rice once grew in abundance in present-day southern Minnesota, and it has always been valued for its high nutrient content. Many gardens used successive planting and staggered their crops for varying harvest dates. In addition to wild rice harvesting, Wáżupi Wi was also a time for the last crops of corn to be gathered, as tribes set to the task of preparing for winter by drying and properly storing food for the long, cold months ahead.
