Wild Rice (Manoomin) in the Tamarack Region is Abundant, Important, and Threatened by Nickel Sulfide Ore Mining

 

Your voice is needed to protect wild rice, Manoomin.

Wild rice, the grain called Manoomin by the Ojibwe/Chippewa peoples and known scientifically as Zizania palustris, supports habitats, families, communities, health, and culture.

The Tamarack region of Aitkin and Carlton Counties is one of the most abundant wild rice areas in the world. Important to both Indigenous and non-Native people, this area is a unique “wild rice basket” for Minnesota and the nation.

Manoomin abundance in the Tamarack region is not only threatened by climate change and invasive species, but by pollution and destruction due to proposed Talon Metals/Rio Tinto mining of nickel and other metals from sulfide ores.

Our report, Wild Rice (Manoomin) in the Tamarack Region: Value, Abundance, and Need for Protection, gathers research, data, and traditional knowledge from interviews with people whose lives are personally connected to Manoomin in the Tamarack region. Miigwech to our lead author, artist, interviewees and partners who shared their stories, wisdom, and expertise with us. We are so grateful for you.

Click on the arrows in the top right to read the report above. Click on the top right icon to download.

 

Mapping Wild Rice Waters, Natural Features and Threats to Manoomin in the Tamarack Region

Wild rice, drinking water wells, and other sensitive features in the Tamarack region are threatened by proposed mining for nickel and other sulfide ores.

This interactive map shows exploration by Kennecott/Rio Tinto and Talon Metals indicated with red dots, the extent of the Tamarack Intrusive Complex described by Talon Metals in orange, and active leases in yellow. Wild rice lakes and rivers are shown in green.

Expand the instructions below to learn how to explore additional areas and features, such as wetlands, wells, and tribal lands, and to get more information about specific map features.

Wild Rice, Natural and Mining Features Map Instructions

  • View the full function map here.
  • Click on the word “Legend” on the left side of the map to see what map shapes and colors mean.
  • Click on the word “Layers” on the left side of the map and use the three dots on the right and the eye icon to change which layers (e.g., leases, wild rice waters, wells, wetlands) are visible.
  • Click on the minus and plus signs and scroll to explore other areas of Minnesota.
  • Additional waterbody names are visible using the plus sign to enlarge a specific section of the map.
  • If you left click on a lake, well, or other feature you can learn more about it.
  • You can also try different basemaps by clicking on “Basemaps “on the left.
  • Click the home icon on the right side to return to the target Tamarack region.

Stories of Manoomin in the Tamarack Region: Family, Culture, Ecosystems, Health

Leanna Goose, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

“Manoomin played a big part of my life growing up, it fed my family. It kept us close, we finished Manoomin together.”

– Leanna Goose, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (Page 4)

Kelly Applegate, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

“Manoomin is a way of life for our people here at Mille Lacs. It’s our identity. It’s literally why we are situated where we’re at, because there was a prophecy, and these Migiz beings told our people, these great beings told us, told our people to travel westward . . . And we will know when we’re home when we find the food that grows upon the waters.”

– Kelly Applegate, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Commissioner of Natural Resources (Page 3)

Jean Skinaway-Lawrence, Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa

“My people came to Sandy Lake, where it’s just lush, abundant wild rice. This is home, for us, for my family. The Sandy Lake Reservation encompasses the whole Sandy Lake and surrounding lakes.”

– Jean Skinaway-Lawrence, Chairwoman of the Sandy Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa (Page 3)

Tania Aubid, Mille Lacs Band East Lake Community

“My first memory of wild rice is going down to the boat landing and seeing the grandmas and grandpas come off the lake, the aunties and uncles come off the lake . . . I remember holding it (wild rice) in my hands . . . and bringing it up to my face and smelling it, just knowing it came out fresh from the lake.”

– Tania Aubid, Mille Lacs Band East Lake Community (Page 4)

Don Wedll, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

“(Within the wild rice) there are resources there that allow a wide diversity of life to exist in the wild rice beds and if you lose that you lose all that diversity. People talk about walleye production and all those kinds of things but wild rice beds provide a substantial area for the growth and development of fry and young walleyes, for food sources and protection.”

– Don Wedll, former Natural Resources Commissioner for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe (Page 8)

Emily Onello, MD

“Based on its nutritional profile, [Manoomin] would, along with a lot of other sustainably harvested or traditional pre-colonial foods of North America, promote health and has a profile that is much more likely to lead to a healthy, non-diabetic lifespan. When you look at stress and addiction, coming around to food quality and connecting with potentially traditional practices may have some very significant benefits as well . . . Generally speaking, the more we study wild rice, the more we recognize the wisdom that Native groups have had all along, calling it a great superfood. We can start to see its impacts, whether it’s on liver fat or cholesterol profile or potentially even colon cancer risk.”

– Emily Onello, MD, Family Physician and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School (Page 10)

Lise and David Abazs

“We tend to go to central Minnesota because they’re really big ricing lakes and you can go and you camp and you can get a lot of rice over a whole weekend . . . Along with nourishing ourselves, wild rice is the only grain our son is able to digest without problems, so it is literally a source of life.”

— Lise and David Abazs, owners and operators of Round River Farm, an organic farm in Finland, Minnesota (Page 6)

“Wild rice has profound value to Indigenous and non-Native harvesters . . . Manoomin in the Tamarack Region is abundant, both for Minnesota and on a global scale.”

Explore Our Story Map

Navigate within the StoryMap by scrolling and using the arrows on the sides of the images to move between stories in the same topic area. Hover over information button in top left corner to see image credits. The StoryMap can also be viewed on its own page here.

 

CLICK HERE to learn about Talon Metals and how you can protect wild rice.

 

CLICK HERE to learn about the protection of wild rice from sulfate pollution.

 

Miigwech to our interviewees and sources who shared their stories, wisdom, and expertise with us. Your generosity and insights help us grow in appreciation for Manoomin’s significance and its irreplaceable value in the Tamarack Region. We are so grateful for you.

Project Team
Annette Drewes
Author and Manoomin Ally

WaterLegacy
Paula Maccabee, Executive Director & Counsel
Sophia Patane, Community Engagement Director
Jan Keough, Board President
Dylan Young, Organizer
Jacob Crawford, Communications Coordinator

Artwork
Moira Villiard

Support for this project was also provided by University of Minnesota’s Northeast and Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and Climate Impact Corps members Larissa Scott and Sarah Clauss.

Sources & Stories
Lise & David Abazs
Kelly Applegate
Tania Aubid
Cliff Crowell
Ricky DeFoe
Leanna Goose
Dale Greene, Sr.
Tom Howes
Martin Jennings
Josh Knopik
Meghan Mitchell
Cindy Olin
Emily Onello
John Persell
Nancy Schuldt
Jean Skinaway-Lawrence
Sydney Trimble
Don Wedll