Manoomin Named Michigan State Grain, Honoring Native American Importance of the Grain
In partnership with: Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development
Wild rice, also known as Manoomin, has been part of the culture and heritage of Tribal nations in Michigan for centuries. Now, it’s being recognized as the state’s first official Native grain.
“Michigan is home to 12 federally recognized Tribes, and a fundamental issue is food sovereignty,” says Brad Deacon, Tribal liaison for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Before the settlers came to this region, rice was an integral part of daily and seasonal life. There’s been a renewed interest in engaging and recognizing the cultural heritage and component of harvesting rice.”
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Wild Rice Initiative
Named the official Michigan state grain in 2023, Manoomin used to flourish along waterways and marshes, but as the environment was developed for farming, it became less common. Native American Tribes have pushed for the restoration of the grain to showcase how it influenced their cultures and hope it helps educate consumers about its history.
Roger LaBine of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has been a key advocate and has a longstanding history with Manoomin after attending his first wild rice camp in 1972. LaBine was there when the first Michigan Wild Rice meeting was conducted in 2017. For LaBine and the Tribal communities he represents, there is hope that the passage of Manoomin as the state official grain isn’t simply an honorary status.
“It opens the door for the Wild Rice Initiative to be able to make recommendations to legislators and lawmakers on how we address wild rice,” LaBine says. “It also gives us the ability to approach other issues like habitat improvement so Manoomin can grow.”
The Michigan Wild Rice Initiative is also developing a statewide Manoomin stewardship plan with steps needed to protect, enhance and restore the wild rice for present and future generations, ensuring it remains in Michigan’s ecosystem.
“Manoomin is very much an indicator of healthy water and ecosystems,” Deacon says. “With a renewed emphasis on Manoomin, ‘Pure Michigan’ will remain so.”
The initiative includes representatives from MDARD, the Department of Natural Resources, local government boards, colleges and a representative from each of the 12 Tribes, among others.
“It is the goal of the Tribes to make sure wild rice is available for their communities but also other communities, and the other orders, such as birds, wildlife and fish,” LaBine says.
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