You don’t need to look very hard to see how much the Northland loves wild rice. But for many people, the rice has a greater importance than just tasting good. UW-S students are learning how to gather and process wild rice from tribal elders and members of the indigenous community at Pokegma Bay.

The University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Indigenous Cultures Resource Center, in collaboration with the Manoomin Reserve, offered demonstrations for students and staff on how to harvest and process wild rice.

Valerie Zhaawendaagozikwe is a descendant of the Fond Du Lac and Red Cliff bands. She says people who are new to harvesting wild rice, it’s okay if you don’t get as much rice the first time you’re out on the water.

“You’re putting your hard work into it, your time, your energy. We’re out here in 80-degree weather, trying to teach people the process,” Zhaawendaagozikwe said. “If you’re out on the water and it’s your first time or you’re pretty new to it, don’t rush. You’re not going to be able to get hundreds and hundreds of pounds on your first try. Having good balance and a good teammate makes it that much better. The thing is you could always fall in. You can always lose your rice. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because you’re planting rice for the next season.”

The Anishinaabe people traveled to the Northland hundreds of years ago in search of wild rice, the food that grows on the water. They eventually settled in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“We migrated here to find the food that grows in water. That’s, a prevalent thing in a lot of our sacred winter stories, our “Aadizookaan,” is what we call them. Wild Rice is very important to us. We use it in, almost every ceremony that we have,” Zhaawendaagozikwe said. “There’s always Wild Rice present. we use it at feasts, at gatherings, powwows. We give it away as gifts. So it’s, like, a really, honorable food source to us.”

The wild rice harvest season runs between August 15 and September 30. But in Minnesota it’s illegal to harvest unripe or “green” rice, even within the dates of the harvest season. Also in Wisconsin, it’s illegal to harvest wild rice between sunset and 10 a.m.

Although gathering and processing wild rice takes several steps, it also requires different environmental conditions for a hearty harvest. Liza Shelquist is from the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Link Center Career Development. She says students from UW-S are learning the intricate process of harvesting and cooking wild rice at the Manoomin Reserve because the Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa use it for cultural ceremonies.

“It’s an opportunity for students to get outside their comfort zones and try new things. Maybe it’s outside their culture or outside of their normal daily routine. It’s a lifelong experience that you can take away,” Shelquist said. “I think you can find that across UW superior in our community, connecting with different cultures, learning something new or something outside your comfort zone. It’s something that you can take away and have a higher understanding and more care for our fellow neighbors.”

While there is a narrow window for harvesting wild rice, people throughout the Northland enjoy it in local dishes like wild rice soup, wild rice cupcakes, etc. In fact, the Minnesota DNR offers a Wild Rice Harvester license for $25 or a daily license for $15.

On the other hand, the Wisconsin DNR says only Wisconsin residents may harvest wild rice in the state. Wisconsin wild rice harvesters must purchase and possess a Wisconsin wild rice harvesting license for $8.25 annually. Also for Indigenous stories, you can read more here.