Manoomin—The Sacred Food That Grows on Water
with Roger LaBine, Wild Rice Expert
Wednesday, April 30, 6:30pm at Portage District Library
For Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones April 30 program, wild-rice expert Roger Labine will travel from his home territory around Watersmeet in the Upper Peninsula to speak to us on “Manoomin, the Sacred Food That Grows on Water.” An enrolled member of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Anishinaabe), Roger serves as Water Resource Technician for the Band’s Environmental and Planning Department.
Roger will tell the story of how his Anishinaabe ancestors migrated from the Eastern seacoast, over 600 years ago, in search of the prophesied “food that grows on water.” They found it here, in the Great Lakes, and it became a sacred part of their culture. He will tell us about the “first treaty,” before all others, which obligates all orders of creation—plant beings, animal beings, and human beings—to care for one another. “Nibi is life,” Roger affirms, “and Manoomin is how we live it.”
Roger has been a ricer and advocate since 1972, when he first saw wild rice during a visit to Wisconsin. At that time there was no manoomin in his home territory because a power-company dam had raised the water level of the lake. He fought for over 20 years to restore the original water level. “I believe,” Roger says, “Manoomin must have been sent to me by Creator to teach me patience and perseverance.”
Manoomin is an “indicator” species; if you find it growing vigorously, then the water must be pure. Part of a complex ecosystem, it provides food, shelter, and breeding habitat for many species. According to MNFI, there are more than 35 threatened and endangered species in its natural communities. Roger will cover some of the special associated species of plants.
Roger emphasizes that the same teachings which instructed the Anishinaabe people to live alongside Manoomin also prophecy that the “Time of the Seventh Fire” would come when humanity must choose between a scorched road of destruction or a green path of restoration. That time is now. Lighting the Eighth Fire, to restore the unity that has been lost, will require collective cleansing of our poisoned water and the healing of the natural world.
The Anishinaabe nearby us, in southwest Michigan—the Gun Lake Tribe, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, and the Huron Nottawaseppi Band of Potawatomi—are all engaged in Manoomin restoration on their ancestral homelands. Roger will suggest ways we all can support these efforts.
Roger LaBine is a founder of the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative, which received a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to develop a wild-rice stewardship plan. He received the “2019 Heritage Award” from the State of Michigan for his work with Manoomin restoration and preservation. Roger is an active member of the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge, an Anishinaabe society of the keepers of healing knowledge and spiritual wisdom.
