From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence

Manomin (also called manoomin) is a native Canadian grain (Zizania palustris) that was the main carbohydrate food for many Indigenous people in Ontario for many generations and over a million pounds were harvested per year in the 20th century. However, changes to the landscape, especially the constr...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dowsley, Martha, Loukes, Keira, Taylor-Hollings, Jill, Beaver, Jeff
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/5434
_version_ 1832470441273327616
author Dowsley, Martha
Loukes, Keira
Taylor-Hollings, Jill
Beaver, Jeff
author_facet Dowsley, Martha
Loukes, Keira
Taylor-Hollings, Jill
Beaver, Jeff
author_sort Dowsley, Martha
collection Lakehead University Knowledge Commons
description Manomin (also called manoomin) is a native Canadian grain (Zizania palustris) that was the main carbohydrate food for many Indigenous people in Ontario for many generations and over a million pounds were harvested per year in the 20th century. However, changes to the landscape, especially the construction of dams, have destroyed much of the habitat of this plant. This project is a knowledge synthesis of the archaeological evidence and ethnohistorical information about manomin in Ontario, along with an introduction to the cultural traditions and local histories of partner First Nations. It serves as a starting point for further investigations into the relationship between people and manomin in Ontario. The main applied conclusion was that water level management in Ontario needs to include Indigenous governance for the support of manomin growth. This report was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and conducted in in partnership with Obishikokaang (Lac Seul First Nation) and members of Alderville First Nation in Ontario. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in partnership with Canadian Heritage
format Report
genre anishina*
First Nations
genre_facet anishina*
First Nations
geographic Canada
geographic_facet Canada
id ftlakeheaduniv:oai:knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca:2453/5434
institution Open Polar
language English
op_collection_id ftlakeheaduniv
op_relation https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/5434
publishDate 2024
record_format openpolar
spelling ftlakeheaduniv:oai:knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca:2453/5434 2025-05-18T13:53:08+00:00 From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence Dowsley, Martha Loukes, Keira Taylor-Hollings, Jill Beaver, Jeff 2024-12 application/pdf https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/5434 en eng https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/5434 Anishinaabe manomin manoomin wild rice Lac Seul First Nation Alderville First Nation Technical Report 2024 ftlakeheaduniv 2025-04-28T14:12:05Z Manomin (also called manoomin) is a native Canadian grain (Zizania palustris) that was the main carbohydrate food for many Indigenous people in Ontario for many generations and over a million pounds were harvested per year in the 20th century. However, changes to the landscape, especially the construction of dams, have destroyed much of the habitat of this plant. This project is a knowledge synthesis of the archaeological evidence and ethnohistorical information about manomin in Ontario, along with an introduction to the cultural traditions and local histories of partner First Nations. It serves as a starting point for further investigations into the relationship between people and manomin in Ontario. The main applied conclusion was that water level management in Ontario needs to include Indigenous governance for the support of manomin growth. This report was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and conducted in in partnership with Obishikokaang (Lac Seul First Nation) and members of Alderville First Nation in Ontario. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in partnership with Canadian Heritage Report anishina* First Nations Lakehead University Knowledge Commons Canada
spellingShingle Anishinaabe
manomin
manoomin
wild rice
Lac Seul First Nation
Alderville First Nation
Dowsley, Martha
Loukes, Keira
Taylor-Hollings, Jill
Beaver, Jeff
From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence
title From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence
title_full From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence
title_fullStr From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence
title_full_unstemmed From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence
title_short From Manomin to ‘Wild’ Rice and Back Again: Understanding the Transformations of a Native Ontario Grain and Indigenous Cultural Resurgence
title_sort from manomin to ‘wild’ rice and back again: understanding the transformations of a native ontario grain and indigenous cultural resurgence
topic Anishinaabe
manomin
manoomin
wild rice
Lac Seul First Nation
Alderville First Nation
topic_facet Anishinaabe
manomin
manoomin
wild rice
Lac Seul First Nation
Alderville First Nation
url https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/5434