Journeying westward to the land that is now Michigan, ancestors of the Anishinaabek followed a prophecy telling them to settle in the place “where the food grows on water.” Manoomin, the Anishinaabemowin word for wild rice, thrived in the shallow lakes and rivers near the Lower Peninsula’s coastal regions. Imbibed with spiritual power, wild rice had ceremonial value, promoted social interaction, and served as a trade commodity between Native Americans and European fur trappers. Though treaty cessions and the commodification of agriculture hindered traditional ricing, contemporary tribal projects seek to restore Manoomin back to the environment and its place within indigenous culture.
