Resources
Cultural and Spiritual
In this section you will find various videos, websites, books, storymaps, and reports that depict Anishinaabe relations to manoomin. More specifically, these sources offer insight into the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of manoomin to Anishinaabe people.
ABT Lake Superior Manoomin Cultural and Ecosystem Characterization Study
A 91 page report done by ABT aiming to demonstrate the importance of manoomin in hopes of creating community stewardship. The project specifically focuses on the cultural and spiritual importance of manoomin to Anishinaabe people and how manoomin contributes to a high-quality ecosystem. At the end of the report, the document points out that manoomin restoration projects are worthwhile, but that protecting existing manoomin beds is critical as it is difficult to restore manoomin to its historical amount. Next steps are also provided and included, but are not limited to, using cultural and ecological metrics for annual monitoring and also expanding the study to more areas to allow for accurate generalizations.
Manoomin (Wild Rice): Ojibwe Spirit Food
This 90 minute documentary film from 2004 discusses the history of Manoomin and also its spiritual and cultural relevance to Ojibwe people. Within the documentary, traditional harvesting, cooking, and processing practices for Manoomin are explored along with efforts to protect manoomin by various individuals and groups like the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC).
“Manoomin: Food That Grows on the Water”
A 4 ½ minute video following Fred Ackley Jr (Sokaogan Chippewa of Mole Lake) in 2019 as he harvests manoomin and discusses the importance of manoomin to Ojibwe people. A page description featuring more of Fred’s thoughts and teachings is also incorporated. This description includes Ackley discussing who he learned to rice from and how he learned to rice, and why manoomin is so critical.
This website by the Native Wild Rice Coalition provides various information on manoomin located throughout the Great Lakes region. There is a vast amount of knowledge included; ecological and cultural importance of manoomin as well as nutritional information. One particularly unique aspect of this website is that it also has a section dedicated to providing sources where individuals can buy manoomin and manoomin harvesting tools. Furthermore, there are educational videos demonstrating how to make harvesting tools and the various steps taken to process manoomin.
A 1 page description on manoomin done by Red Lake Nation Foods in 2019 that discusses some of the historical background of manoomin, along with instructions on cooking manoomin. For example, the description points out that manoomin was important to Ojibwe hunters as it attracted birds, ducks, and geese, making manoomin beds good areas to hunt.
Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice In Michigan, Barbara Barton
This 264 page book by Barbara Barton published in 2018 discusses the importance of Manoomin to Anishinaabe people in Michigan. Barton offers a perspective that considers differing relationships with Manoomin between Anishinaabe people pre-contact and afterwards, and also with colonizers. Furthermore, Barton recounts areas where Manoomin once was plentiful in Michigan and addresses work being done to restore and protect Manoomin by both Native and non-Native communities.
Kawe Gidaa-naanaagadawendaamin Manoomin
A 2018 collaborative study between the University of Minnesota and various tribes foregrounding Tribal knowledge and information on Manoomin and its ecology, significance culturally, and policy surrounding it. This project worked to use Indigenous Knowledge and Western science together to research Manoomin instead of only centering Western science as has been done in the past by the University of Minnesota.
Ecological Significance
ABT Lake Superior Manoomin Cultural and Ecosystem Characterization Study
A 91 page report done by ABT aiming to demonstrate the importance of manoomin in hopes of creating community stewardship. The project specifically focuses on the cultural and spiritual importance of manoomin to Anishinaabe people and how manoomin contributes to a high-quality ecosystem. At the end of the report, the document points out that manoomin restoration projects are worthwhile, but that protecting existing manoomin beds is critical as it is difficult to restore manoomin to its historical amount. Next steps are also provided and included, but are not limited to, using cultural and ecological metrics for annual monitoring and also expanding the study to more areas to allow for accurate generalizations.
This website by the Native Wild Rice Coalition provides various information on manoomin located throughout the Great Lakes region. There is a vast amount of knowledge included; ecological and cultural importance of manoomin as well as nutritional information. One particularly unique aspect of this website is that it also has a section dedicated to providing sources where individuals can buy manoomin and manoomin harvesting tools. Furthermore, there are educational videos demonstrating how to make harvesting tools and the various steps taken to process manoomin.
Kawe Gidaa-naanaagadawendaamin Manoomin
A 2018 collaborative study between the University of Minnesota and various tribes foregrounding Tribal knowledge and information on Manoomin and its ecology, significance culturally, and policy surrounding it. This project worked to use Indigenous Knowledge and Western science together to research Manoomin instead of only centering Western science as has been done in the past by the University of Minnesota.
Traditional Harvesting
The resources in this section consist of videos and website pages. These resources teach viewers traditional harvesting methods used by Anishinaabe people to harvest manoomin. While providing information on traditional harvesting methods, these resources also often discuss Anishinaabe teachings about manoomin.
This 22 minute video from 2016 gives viewers a look inside a manoomin camp in Michigan. At this camp, participants are taught Ojibwe history, teachings, and knowledge on Manoomin that have been passed down for generations. Some information discussed in the video includes the lifecycle of Manoomin, length of season, tools used to harvest Manoomin, harvesting and processing techniques, and much more.
This website by the Native Wild Rice Coalition provides various information on manoomin located throughout the Great Lakes region. There is a vast amount of knowledge included; ecological and cultural importance of manoomin as well as nutritional information. One particularly unique aspect of this website is that it also has a section dedicated to providing sources where individuals can buy manoomin and manoomin harvesting tools. Furthermore, there are educational videos demonstrating how to make harvesting tools and also the various steps taken while processing manoomin.
“Manoomin: Food That Grows on the Water”
A 4 ½ minute video following Fred Ackley Jr (Sokaogan Chippewa of Mole Lake) in 2019 as he harvests manoomin and discusses the importance of manoomin to Ojibwe people. A page description featuring more of Fred’s thoughts and teachings is also incorporated. This description includes Ackley discussing who he learned to rice from and how he learned to rice, and how manoomin is critical to the future of the Anishinaabe and the world.
Supporting Health Traditionally
The Health Impact Assessment and website provided in this section both work to demonstrate the nutritional significance of manoomin in general, but also specifically to Anishinaabe people’s health.
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Health Impact Assessment
A 68 page health impact assessment, by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, whose goal is to express manoomin’s importance to Ojibwe people’s health, to support the implementation of water quality standards that protect manoomin, and to offer up additional proposals that support manoomin. The health impact assessment demonstrates at the beginning that the belief that manoomin is a critical spiritual, cultural, and nutritional species that is a gift and must be treated as such, has been interrupted by the current socio-economic model that exploits manoomin. This interruption has created health problems in Anishinaabe communities and thus this health assessment argues for sustainable access to manoomin as it is necessary in the fight against health disparities.
This website by the Native Wild Rice Coalition provides various information on manoomin located throughout the Great Lakes region. There is a vast amount of knowledge included; ecological and cultural importance of manoomin as well as nutritional information being just two examples of that knowledge. One particularly unique aspect of this website is that it also has a section dedicated to providing sources where individuals can buy manoomin and manoomin harvesting tools. Furthermore, there are educational videos demonstrating how to make harvesting tools and also the various steps taken to process manoomin.
Working to Restore and Protect Relationships with Manoomin
The resources provided in this section will equip viewers with knowledge on work that is being done to not only protect Anishinaabe relationships with manoomin, but also to restore those relationships.
GLIFWC Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, Version 1
This 34 page document done by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) in 2018 outlines the vulnerability to climate change of 11 different beings/species that are treaty resources and significant to GLIFWC’s 11 member Ojibwe tribes. GLIFWC conducted Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) interviews to determine beings/species that were of concern and how those beings/species were affected by climate change. GLIFWC also used NatureServe’s Climate Change Vulnerability Index to determine the vulnerability of each being/species to climate change. Manoomin was found to be the most vulnerable to climate change with factors that increase its vulnerability including, but not limited to, human land use changes, major disturbance events, diseases like brown spot disease, and genetic variation.
This document by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) outlines the different relationships manoomin has with other beings such as humans, water, and animals. The goal of this document is to increase the health of the various relationships manoomin holds with other beings and thus ultimately increase the likelihood of manoomin’s survival into the future. One particularly unique aspect of this document is that it walks readers through each order of creation and its specific relationship to manoomin and also legal frameworks relevant to manoomin. By the end of the document, readers are able to understand ways to support manoomin today through various efforts like the use of educational materials, safety courses, and manoomin camps.
“TEDxTC – Winona LaDuke – Seeds of our Ancestors, Seeds of Life”
A 16 ½ minute TED talk with Winona LaDuke (White Earth Ojibwe) from 2012 who discusses the importance of our relatives with roots. LaDuke draws similarities between Ojibwe, Maori, and Kanaka Maoli people and each of their fights to protect their sacred relatives from genetic engineering and patenting. LaDuke also discusses how extinction of species and health issues go hand in hand and why we must fight to reestablish our relationships with our relatives with roots and ancestors to mitigate the effects of climate change and create food security.
A storymap describing “The Rights of Manoomin” passed by the White Earth Nation and 1855 Treaty Authority in 2018. The storymap first begins by addressing why manoomin has and should have rights and also describes where manoomin is and the importance of treaties. The storymap then finishes by describing how the Rights of Manoomin affects environmental policy. In one example, the storymap demonstrates the importance of manoomin having the right to be free from being patented.
Wild Rice Monitoring Handbook, Tonya Kjerland
A 134 page Wild Rice Monitoring Handbook and 46 page Wild Rice Monitoring Field Guide published in 2015 that is available online in PDF form providing readers with a consistent way to collect data on Manoomin. The data collection methods discussed in these guides were specifically developed to honor and respect the sacredness that Manoomin holds for many Native American and First Nations communities.
“Restoring Mnomen, a Step on the Path to Reconciliation”
A project, known as the Mnomen Initiative, being done through the University of Michigan working to build relationships between faculty and allies at various Michigan universities and University of Michigan, Anishinaabek community members, and other tribal nations. Through Traditional Ecological Knowledge and experience from tribal partners and information from wild rice experts, this project will determine if it is possible to restore wild rice on ten different University of Michigan properties and then will propose a restoration project for one of the areas.
Recent Noteworthy Articles
This section provides viewers with various recent articles and a podcast that all address the effects of climate change on manoomin as well as the necessary work being done to restore manoomin beds and to protect current manoomin beds from the changing climate.
“Climate Change Threatens Midwest’s Wild Rice, A Staple For Native Americans”, Rebecca Hersher
A 2018 one page article by Rebecca Hersher for National Public Radio (NPR) discussing why manoomin is severely impacted by climate change. One example of this impact is as the climate warms, there are more severe rainstorms leading to more flooding and damage to manoomin beds.
“An ‘Indicator Plant’: Wild Rice Struggles To Survive in a Changing Climate”, Mary Kate McCoy
This 2020 article done by Mary Kate McCoy for Wisconsin Public Radio explains how climate change deeply affects manoomin and how it being manoomin’s biggest threat makes it an indicator species of climate change.
“Crop failure rate for wild rice is increasing with climate change”, Paul Huttner and Megan Burks
This 2020 one page article by Paul Huttner and Megan Burks for MPRNews discusses threats to manoomin, and more specifically, manoomin’s increased failure rate. In some places the failure rate is beginning to reach 50% with some seasons having open water and no manoomin growing.
“Settlers nearly destroyed Michigan’s wild rice beds. Native tribes are restoring them.”
An 18 minute podcast from 2018 by Michigan NPR that discusses the destruction of manoomin beds in Michigan caused by European settlers resulting in only one large manoomin bed remaining in Michigan today. Roger LaBine (Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) and Barbara Barton discuss their ongoing efforts to restore manoomin in Michigan.
“Extending wild rice the ‘Rights of Manoomin'”, Winona LaDuke
This one page 2019 article written by Winona LaDuke for Indian Country News discusses the “Rights of Manoomin” and the important work done by the White Earth Band of Ojibwe to recognize those rights.
“The True Story of Wild Rice, North America’s Most Misunderstood Grain”, Amy Thielen
This 2019 article by Amy Thielen takes readers through the steps of traditional harvesting and processing of manoomin all while demonstrating the cultural significance of manoomin to Anishinaabe people and serious hazards to manoomin including paddy rice and climate change.
“Climate Change Threatens the Ancient Wild Rice Traditions of the Ojibwe”, Daniel Cusick
A 2020 article in E&E News by Daniel Cusick focusing specifically on hazards to manoomin caused by climate change and the many difficulties that come with working to prevent the ecological collapse of manoomin.
This link will lead you to Indian Country News and provide you with many articles on the website that are all relevant to manoomin. For example, there is one article that talks about a manoomin cookbook that is being made and another article that discusses the “Rights of Manoomin”.