By Carolan Sonderegger, FLOW Policy Director
With my sema, or tobacco, in hand, I prepared to perform the sacred and culturally significant act of seeding manoomin. Sema serves as a conduit for acknowledgement and a way to communicate with Gizhemanidoo, the creator. I gave my gratitude to Gizhemanidoo by offering the sema into the water, observing as the ripples from our canoe helped to spread my prayer. I expressed my thanks for being allowed to continue this course, which not only connects me to my ancestors but also reinforces my commitment to preserving our cultural traditions and the sanctity of manoomin for generations to come.
In Anishinaabek culture, manoomin is not just a food source, it is a sacred symbol. Our migration story began with being instructed to leave the East Coast and travel west until we found food that grew on the water. When we arrived at the location as it had been described to us, we found ourselves at the Nayanno Nibiimaang Gichigmiin, the Great Lakes Region, and the food we found growing was manoomin. Harvesting manoomin serves a far greater purpose than just supplying a food source. We also harvest it for ceremonies and medicinal purposes. Manoomin is an integral part of our history and vocation, a living connection to our ancestors and a testament to our cultural resilience.
Before today’s era of widespread land development, agricultural waste, industrial pollution, degradation from recreational activities, and the introduction of invasive species, manoomin could be found in every waterway in Michigan. For thousands of years, manoomin offered vital habitats for wildlife, nutrient-rich sustenance, wetland stabilization, and sanctuaries for fish and aquatic life. The Anishinaabek, bearing witness to this devastation, have spent the last several decades fighting to protect, restore, and preserve this invaluable resource.
Reseeding the Manoomin
Current legislation
In December 2023, advocates for manoomin achieved a significant milestone as Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed HB 4852 into law, designating manoomin as the nation’s first native state grain. The bill states, “Manoomin is a sacred and important component to many wetlands and has a cultural significance to the indigenous people of this state.” This legislation led to the establishment of the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative, a testament to the power of advocacy and collaboration. This diverse team comprises representatives from the twelve federally recognized Tribes in Michigan, state departments, federal agencies, and others tasked with developing a stewardship plan that addresses harvesting, inventory of information from the past and present, educational outreach, and establishing a regulatory authority. This success is a beacon of hope for the future of manoomin, and a testament to the power of collective action.
A stewardship plan that is currently being developed will also address other threats to manoomin. It will prompt thoughtful consideration from regulatory bodies, such as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), when granting permits for chemical invasive species treatments that can decimate manoomin beds in the same waterbodies that are being permitted for treatment.
Additionally, Tribes have invested millions of dollars in restoration projects over the past two decades, some of which have faced deliberate destruction.
Manoomin fields in an undisclosed location.
In a case described by Tribal elder and manoomin advocate Roger LaBine, a tragic story of retaliation unfolded following a successful 2003 litigation between the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company (WVIC) and the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (LVD). In 1937, WVIC installed a concrete and steel dam under a 50-year FERC permit, causing the disappearance of wild rice on the lake due to higher water levels. This dam made manoomin restoration essentially impossible.
After litigation, the court ordered Lac Vieux Desert to be returned to its natural lake level; however, some community members were not satisfied with the decision. As a result, Tribal restoration sites on the lake were maliciously destroyed, and the penalty for the vandals was far too lenient to deter similar actions in the future. The stewardship plan has the potential to bring about stricter consequences for such destruction that have been absent for decades.
Finally, it will help prevent manoomin from becoming a cash paddy crop, as has been seen in other states like California. According to the University of California Agronomy UC Wild Rice, California is the largest commercial producer of wild rice in the world. This raises red flags for Tribes because it heightens the potential for exploitation rather than preservation and respect for this sacred plant. Tribal leadership advocates for manoomin to remain free from commodification and agricultural genetic modifications, allowing it to proliferate naturally.
Promoting manoomin as a native state grain can draw attention to its economic value and pave the way for it to become a cash paddy crop if it does not receive careful consideration for management and regulation.
For the Anishinaabek, the aim is to preserve, protect, restore, and honor manoomin. A comprehensive stewardship plan will offer the necessary protection regarding cultural sensitivity and respect for the resource.
The designation of manoomin as the nation’s first native state grain and the establishment of the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative mark significant strides in the protection and preservation of this sacred resource. By bringing together diverse stakeholders and implementing a comprehensive stewardship plan, we are not only safeguarding the ecological importance of manoomin but also honoring its cultural significance to the Anishinaabek of the Great Lakes. This initiative paves the way for a sustainable future where manoomin continues to thrive as a symbol of resilience, tradition, and reverence.
Before joining the FLOW team as the policy director, I spent ten years working for my Tribe, Kchi Wiikwedoong Anishinaabek (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), Natural Resources Department. One of the most significant projects the department committed to was the restoration of manoomin (wild rice or the good seed). Through this work, I was able to help restore manoomin under the 2007 Inland Consent Decree. This is a culturally significant task that many Tribes of the Great Lakes have committed to over the past several decades. Thanks to Tribal leadership, advocacy, and partnership with state agencies and others, manoomin is now recognized as one of Michigan’s sacred symbols, alongside the Robin, Petoskey, and White Pine.
I am not a Native American but I am a native of Michigan. I am pleased to learn that the “designation of manoomin as the nation’s first native state grain and the establishment of the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative” has been signed into law. It is unfortunate that those of us who value our natural lands have to create laws with consequences for breaking those laws in order to protect Mother Nature.
sure hope this helps save and rebuild some of the rice beds around the great lakes!!