Giiwekii

Giiwekii is a long-term initiative to bring Mandamin, Indigenous Anishinaabe flint corn, back to Mooningwanekaaning (otherwise known as Madeline Island, Wisconsin) as well as breed a climate adaptive new Island variety of ancestral corn. Giiwekii is a collaborative effort between Bad River Tribal Food Sovereignty program members, Indigenous community members associated with the Island, Indigenous regional corn growers, and the nonprofit organization Great Lakes Lifeways Institute. The Giiwekii initiative is protecting biodiversity, reintroducing traditional foodways to a culturally significant location, increasing food sovereignty, and creating educational and work opportunities for the tribal and broader public community, all of which help to strengthen Indigenous-based climate resilience and food systems within Anishinaabe homelands.