Manoomin

The state of Michigan now has an official State Native Grain, one of cultural importance to indigenous people. Manoomin, the Anishnaabe word for Wild Rice, is an ancient species of grain producing grass native to the Great Lakes area. Roger LaBine, Tribal Elder for the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in the Western Upper Peninsula, started fighting for the protection of Wild Rice in Michigan in 2003 when his tribe’s restoration efforts on Lac Vieux Desert (lake on the border of MI and WI) was met with opposition by the Wisconsin power company who dammed the lake, and lakefront owners. Roger discusses what it means to have Manoomin become a state symbol, future public harvest regulations, and current restoration efforts.

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