The Bay Mills Indian Community is the most recent Native American tribe to partner with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to help restore Manoomin, a wild rice native to the Great Lakes region.
The partnership helps tribes across the Midwest work together to seed share, gain access to waterways and make sure seeds are being ethically and naturally sourced.
The rice was once plentiful in the region, and holds cultural significance to many tribes in the Midwest and parts of Canada.
BMIC President Whitney Gravelle says Manoomin is sacred to many tribes in the region as a part of traditional practices and a part of original treaty rights.
"According to our teachings, we actually relied on wild rice," Gravelle said. "The Creator told us that if you go to the place where the food that grows on water exists, you will never face starvation. And that is wild rice here in the Great Lakes."
Restoring Manoomin also has an environmental aspect, as the rice is a keystone species in the area, Gravelle said. This means it's an indicator of whether or not there is something amiss with the surrounding environment.
"When the natural landscape is not doing well, it means Manomin also does not do well," Gravelle explained. "It's one of the first things we look towards to make sure that we're taking care of the water and the land and the landscape so that we can continue to fish, hunt, and gather there."
Upper Peninsula Tribes and the Michigan DNR occasionally hold Manoomin camps to teach local communities about the rice, including education on a scientific perspective and how to traditionally harvest it.
Gravelle says it is their responsibility and duty to ensure Manoomin returns to Michigan.
"When we talk about reestablishing traditional food resources, what we're also really talking about is reestablishing and maintaining an indigenous way of life," Gravelle said. "By carrying on those practices, we know that future generations will also be able to survive because of Manoomin."
