Doing as the Romans Do: Conserve School Students Learn to Harvest Wild Rice

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The Ojibwe comprise the majority of the Native American communities in the Lake Superior area.  According to oral tradition, the Ojibwe once lived along the East Coast until a prophecy led them west to the land where food grows on water. The food is manoomin, or wild rice (Wild Rice).  Delicious and nutritious, manoomin is an amazing food of the Northwoods.

On Saturday a handful of Conserve School students visited a traditional Ojibwe wild rice camp hosted by the Lac Vieux Desert tribe, the Native Wild Rice Coalition, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. The camp was a 4 day affair in Watersmeet, Michigan, and involved every step in the ricing process, from the preparation of tools to harvesting to processing.  During Conserve School’s visit the students carved ricing sticks, or “knockers,” that are used to collect the wild rice in the canoes during harvesting.  Our students also got to practice maneuvering canoes through the water using a long wooden tool called a push pole (traditional paddles risk damaging the rice).  Unfortunately, a storm blew in just as our students struck out for the rice beds and they were unable to actually collect any rice.

Nonetheless, the traditional Ojibwe method for harvesting and processing wild rice will continue to be a part of the Conserve School semester.  Earlier this summer before the students arrived, our staff was busy making paper birch baskets which are used in the processing stage of ricing (see the blog post here).  Students have also been making ricing tools during Stewardship in Action.  During our upcoming Family Weekend in October Roger LaBine, the host of the wild rice camp, will visit Conserve School and present on hands-on demonstration of the harvesting process of wild rice.

In order to foster responsible environmental stewardship, Conserve School realizes that students need to learn to view and relate to the environment from a variety of perspectives.  Some of these perspectives come from cultures other than our own. We are fortunate to have local tribal connections that are willing to offer our students direct experiences about their environmental practices.  It is experiences such as these that will help Conserve School students understand not only one another better but also themselves, as we all work together for the sake of the environment.

- Graduate Fellow Amy Nosal

Conserve School students spend the morning carving wild rice harvesting sticks called “knockers”

Meghan looks on as Hailey and Danielle carve ricing sticks

Andy was a speedy carver and completed a set of wild ricing knocking sticks in no time flat!

CS science teacher Robert Eady examines some wild rice

Robert Eady, Meghan, and Ellie help camp host Roger LaBine prepare wild rice for a processing demonstration

Andy, Danielle, Meghan, and Hailey pause for a picture as they work on their wild rice knocking sticks

Carving a set of wild rice knockers proves no challenge for Andy

Conserve School students ready to hit the water and harvest some wild rice!

Mei-Jing assists camp host Roger LaBine in demonstrating how to manuever a canoe while harvesting

Meghan and Hailey practice using a push pole to manuever their canoe

Ellie and Mei-Jing practice maneuevering a canoe with a push pole

Danielle, Andy, Ellie, and Mei-Jing practice in the canoes before they set out for the wild rice

Alex and Robert Eady get a feel for canoeing with a push pole

Alex, Robert Eady, Danielle, and Andy cruise thru the water towards the wild rice beds

Andy and Danielle practice working together to collect wild rice

Ellie and Meghan use push poles to guide their canoes thru the vegetation

Danielle finds shelter from the storm that snuck up as our group set out in the canoes to harvest

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