{"id":1641,"date":"2020-09-30T10:45:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T15:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=1641"},"modified":"2020-09-30T10:45:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T15:45:56","slug":"indian-country-today-ojibwe-people-carry-on-wild-rice-tradition-amid-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/indian-country-today-ojibwe-people-carry-on-wild-rice-tradition-amid-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Country Today: Ojibwe people carry on wild rice tradition amid COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 1920px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-1641-1\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/maryannettepember.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/maryannettepember.mp4\">https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/maryannettepember.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Video by Mary Annette Pember \/ <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/mapember>@mapember<\/a> \/ Indian Country Today<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">\u2018Manoomin will carry you through\u2019<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">The healing power of the annual wild rice harvest transcends the pandemic<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, September 30, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Mary Annette Pember<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indian Country Today<\/div><div class=\"source-website\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/\">indiancountrytoday.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nEvery fall, Ojibwe go down to the river and lake sloughs surrounding the Great Lakes region to <em>manoominike<\/em>, or make wild rice, in two-person teams in canoes. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOne person stands in the rear of the canoe, propelling it forward through the rice beds with a long pole, while the other person sits in the front, bending the rice stalks with two wooden sticks and knocking the grains into the bottom of the canoe. Some of the grains fall back into the water during the process, thus allowing the <em>manoomin<\/em>, or wild rice, to reseed itself.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe annual <em>manoomin<\/em> harvest goes from late August until mid to late September as it has for time immemorial. This year is no different, even with the coronavirus altering nearly every aspect of human life.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSince harvesting <em>manoomin<\/em> is by nature a safe, social-distanced activity, it is providing a much-needed sense of normalcy during the <a href=\/covid19\/>COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201c<em>Manoominike<\/em> is the perfect antidote for us now, especially after being worried and cooped up inside for so long,\u201d says Philomena Kebec of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" data-attachment-id=\"1739\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/indian-country-today-ojibwe-people-carry-on-wild-rice-tradition-amid-covid-19\/melanieconnors\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/melanieconnors-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1440\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"melanieconnors\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Melanie Connors, Bad River Ojibwe, harvests manoomin in the sloughs of Lake Superior. Photo by Mary Annette Pember&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/melanieconnors-1024x576.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/melanieconnors-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"melanieconnors\"  class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1739\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Melanie Connors, Bad River Ojibwe, harvests manoomin in the sloughs of Lake Superior. Photo by Mary Annette Pember<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBad River leaders declared a state of emergency in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, closing the tribe\u2019s casino and lodge and in July requiring citizens to wear masks inside buildings. The community avoided infection until early September, when two of its citizens tested positive. Those testing positive, along with nine others, have been isolated and quarantined, according to the tribe\u2019s public health and emergency response team.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<em>Manoomin<\/em> is a staple in the traditional Ojibwe diet. <em>Manoomin<\/em> is the quintessential broad spectrum medicine, providing not only physical sustenance but also spiritual, mental and cultural enrichment according to Kebec.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nTo harvest rice is to be part of the natural processes of the earth; the act of knocking rice into a canoe works to help the rice reseed itself and continue its growth cycle.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIf people didn\u2019t harvest the rice, it wouldn\u2019t be there for us anymore; that interaction we as Anishinaabe have with the natural world is really profound,\u201d Kebec said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n  <\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nWild rice is actually not rice at all; it is a semi-aquatic grass or cereal that historically grows in lakes, tidal rivers and bays, in water between 2 and 4 feet deep. <em>Manoomin<\/em> contains more than double the protein found in brown rice. Gluten free and low in fat, manoomin is a good source of minerals such as iron, potassium and phosphorus and vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. With its long shelf life and ease of storage, it is always served during feasts and ceremonies.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe medicine of <em>manoomin<\/em>, however, goes far beyond its role as food.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMary Bigboy, 81, Ojibwe from Bad River, recalls that entire families would camp out close to the sloughs, processing the rice at the end of each day.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201c<em>Manoominike<\/em> is a time to go out into the fields. You can put your worries aside and just be happy to be together and be part of a tradition that\u2019s been there for a long time,\u201d she said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBigboy recalls that her family processed the rice by hand. After drying the harvested rice in the sun, her mother would parch it over the fire in a large metal tub, stirring the grains over and over with a large wooden paddle until the husks began to pop.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cMy job was to put on a pair of new moccasins and dance the rice after it was placed in a cloth-lined hole in the ground,\u201d she recalls.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1408\" data-attachment-id=\"1741\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/indian-country-today-ojibwe-people-carry-on-wild-rice-tradition-amid-covid-19\/manoomin\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoomin-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1408\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"manoomin\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Manoomin, good seed or wild rice is a staple for Ojibwe. Photo by Mary Annette Pember&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoomin-1024x563.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoomin-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"manoomin\"   class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1741\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Manoomin, good seed or wild rice is a staple for Ojibwe. Photo by Mary Annette Pember<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOften done by youngsters, dancing the rice removes the husks.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAfterwards, the rice is winnowed in large birch bark baskets in which the rice is tossed in the air to separate it from the remaining chaff.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cAll the fires would be going along the river as families made their rice. It was a happy, good time,\u201d she recalls. \u201cWe would all stop for lunch, circling our canoes together out in the sloughs. We\u2019d share our food, laugh and visit.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAlthough ricers continue to enjoy being out in nature and visiting with others, only a few people still process their rice by hand.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMany people have built homemade parching and thrashing machines; some people bring their green (unfinished) rice to larger finishing operations such as Spirit Lake Native Farms on the Fond du Lac reservation in Minnesota. Owned by Bruce and Tawny Savage, Ojibwe and Lake Paiute tribe of Nevada, Spirit Lake produces and sells traditional maple syrup and <em>manoomin<\/em> and also finishes rice for others.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to Bruce Savage, more people have been making rice this year than in the past.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cYou almost have to have a middle class income to afford to go ricing today. In addition to a car, boat and money for gas you have to have time off from work,\u201d he said. \u201cCOVID has given people more time off to enjoy ricing; they don\u2019t have the stress of having to get back to work.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe  src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HgSGJHYEujg\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Bad River Tribe: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/HgSGJHYEujg>COVID-19 PSA<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSpirit Lake remains open as the Savages and their employees wear masks and adhere to strict social-distancing practices.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been hugely impacted economically since so many of the restaurants that buy from us have shut down,\u201d Savage said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to quit the business for a long time, but haven\u2019t been very successful,\u201d he joked. \u201cRicing and finishing is just one of those things we do, I guess.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMelvin Maday, Ojibwe from Bad River agrees. \u201cRicing at this time of year just feels like the right thing to do,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMaday, who is in his 70s, no longer goes out to the sloughs.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cAs I\u2019ve gotten older, I\u2019ve gotten into making the knocking sticks and the poles; I\u2019m more aware of how much preparation it takes to go out and rice. As we age, our contribution to the process changes,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to Maday, interest in harvesting <em>manoomin<\/em> has grown as young Ojibwe gain more interest in learning about their heritage.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" data-attachment-id=\"1743\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/30\/indian-country-today-ojibwe-people-carry-on-wild-rice-tradition-amid-covid-19\/badriverband\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/badriverband.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,400\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"badriverband\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Bad River reservation or Mashkiibiibii, Medicine River, is located along the shores of Lake Superior. Photo by Mary Annette Pember&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/badriverband.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/badriverband.jpg\" alt=\"badriverband\"   class=\"img-fluid wp-image-1743\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The Bad River reservation or Mashkiibiibii, Medicine River, is located along the shores of Lake Superior. Photo by Mary Annette Pember<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIndeed, citizens of Bad River or <em>Mashkaziibi<\/em>, medicine river, are known as the wild rice people due to their close proximity to the great sloughs of Lake Superior. It\u2019s said that all the medicines needed to keep Ojibwe healthy can be found along the banks of <em>Mashkaziibi<\/em> which runs into Lake Superior.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nRice harvesting season is also a time to gather other medicines, according to Kebec.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<em>Manoominike<\/em>, however, is hard work.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWhen you\u2019re out there [on the sloughs] your clothes get all wet and itchy but somehow it just feels like that\u2019s where you\u2019re supposed to be,\u201d Maday said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBeginning in the 1980s Bad River created its annual wild rice powwow usually during the last weekend in August. This year, due to the pandemic, the event was canceled.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cPeople were disappointed; but some of the women and girls did a social-distanced jingle dress dance as a way to heal and give thanks,\u201d Bigboy said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/badrivergovt\/posts\/2712756582162405\" data-show-text=\"true\" data-width=\"\"><blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/badrivergovt\/posts\/2712756582162405\" class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\"><p>2020 Bad River Powwow has been cancelled.<\/p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/badrivergovt\/\">Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa<\/a> on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/badrivergovt\/posts\/2712756582162405\">Thursday, June 4, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBefore the annual powwow was created, however, families often gathered to honor and give thanks for the rice with a big feast, according to Bigboy.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThis year of the pandemic has been a return to those simpler days.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cMost of us have grown up with <em>manoomin<\/em> being a big part of our lives. All the holidays, feasts for funerals, birthdays and anniversaries always include rice,\u201d Bigboy said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cDuring feasts my parents and grandparents told us about certain teachings and aspects of our traditions. We would enjoy each other&#8217;s company, share thoughts and feelings. Now, I do the same with my children and grandchildren; I hope it never gets lost for our people,\u201d she said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201c<em>Manoomin<\/em> will carry you through the winter when times get tough, like they are now,\u201d she said. \u201cYou know you can always make a kettle of rice soup for your family.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Mary Annette Pember, citizen of the Red Cliff Ojibwe tribe, is national correspondent for Indian Country Today. Follow Pember on <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/mapember>Twitter @mapember<\/a>. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pember loves film, books and jingle dress dancing.<\/em><HR>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cOur stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support\u201d:\r\nThis article originally <a href=https:\/\/indiancountrytoday.com\/news\/manoomin-will-carry-you-through-11SEDVG6nk29x1aadoj5vw>appeared on Indian Country Today<\/a> LLC, a <a href=http:\/\/bit.ly\/2V4LgEh>nonprofit, public media enterprise<\/a>. Reader support is critical. ICT does not charge for subscriptions and tribal media (or any media, for that matter) can use the publiciation&#8217;s content for free.  Contribute to the <a href=https:\/\/support.indiancountrytoday.com\/>nonprofit Indian Country Today<\/a>.\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the Ojibwe people, the healing power of the annual wild rice harvest transcends the pandemic.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,19,1],"tags":[433,437,5,40,129,175,130,436,438,434,435,408],"class_list":["post-1641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-health","category-national","tag-bad-river","tag-bruce-savage","tag-coronavirus","tag-food","tag-ict","tag-languages","tag-mary-annette-pember","tag-mary-bigboy","tag-melvin-maday","tag-philomena-kebec","tag-powwows","tag-wisconsin","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/melanieconnors-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-qt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}