Winnowing

The power of the wind is called on to blow the chaff away from the grains of manoomin. The manoomin is poured from one vessel to another in the presence of wind or tossed into the air by two people holding a hide. Cooperation and resourcefulness are the keys to preserving the essential and eliminating the unnecessary. The manoomin is later sorted and cleaned of any remaining husks and stored as the final steps in the harvest of this nutritious and life-giving food.