We Remember You
Wisconsin is home to a significant concentration of burial and effigy mounds which mark ancestral departures and trace knowledge across centuries. In January of 2016 the State Legislature was considering changes to laws protecting these spaces. This song was written as part of an event titled Maada’ookiidaa Minowakiing (Let us share in Milwaukee) which took place at the 2,000 year-old Lake Park Burial Mound. Learn more at www.wisconsinmounds.com.
Read more about how this song connects the the work of other singers, scholars and lovers of land in Phil Round’s essay “The Mound Levelers” which is part of his blog site, The Repatriation Files a series of conversations about the ethical responsibility we all share in making sure the past is not forgotten and that our ancestors are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
This song has been used to bring awareness to a number of topics including the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This Red Dress video by the Maamawi Collective is a record on one effort to connect people working together to change this reality.
Gimikwenimigo (We Remember You)
Gimikwenimigo giizis ezhi-zaagiiaasigeyan
We remember you sun how you shine
Gimikwenimigo dibiki-giizis baabaabii’oyan
We remember you moon waiting
Mikwendaagozidaa apane gosha
We should all remember always
Mikwendaagozidaa apane gosha
We should all remember always
Gimikwenimigom aanikoobijiganag
We remember the connected ancestors
Gimikwenimigom inawemaaganag
We remember all our relatives
Mikwendaagozidaa apane gosha
We should all remember always
Mikwendaagozidaa apane gosha
We should all remember always