Tom Howes explained in Anishinaabe, then in English, why restoring wild rice to the St. Louis River in Minnesota is so important to the Fond du Lac people.
It’s here, along the 26-mile estuary upstream of Lake Superior, that his ancestors settled after a long journey from the east. They chose the river because of the plentiful food — especially manoomin, wild rice, which they believe is a gift from the creator who led them here.
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is playing a key role in the first major wild rice restoration project now underway on the St. Louis River estuary. Work began in recent weeks to clear the way for wild rice to make a comeback on the estuary, with a giant weed-harvesting machine chewing away at lily pads, coontail, reeds, sedges and other plants that have filled in where rice once thrived.