Biboonikeonini and the Bizhiw
Last biboon (winter) I saw what I thought were ma’iingan (wolf) tracks in the goon (snow). After taking a picture and showing my niitaawis (cousin), a different niitaawis (cousin) told me they were bizhiw (lynx) tracks and they had been spotted along that trail. Bizhiw (lynx) are such wonderfully miikawaadad manidog (beautiful spirits).
In thinking about biboon (winter) and the season of storytelling, I wanted to capture this bizhiw (lynx) walking through the goon (snow) with the Biboonikeonini (Wintermaker) constellation (Orion’s Belt makes up part of it) in the ozhaawashkonaagwad anagoog (blue stars). There are 355 total anagoog (stars) in this piece, one for each day of the gikinoonowin (year) until December 21—the biboon (winter) solstice—which brings the season of cold, snow, darkness and storytelling.
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