LaDuke: In praise of the resilient wild rice

The manoomin harvest is in. This is the only place in the world where manoomin, or wild rice, grows and this year s harvest was better than many. The White Earth tribal government purchased around 300,000 pounds of wild rice from tribal members this season, making it one of the best years. That means about 130,000 pounds finished. In a time when food from the grocery store is being recalled, becoming scary and expensive, having manoomin is about food security and our future. This is a season which defines the north country. Indeed, the full moon that just passed is known as the Wild Rice Making Moon, or Manoominike Giizis, in Anishinaabemowin. Amazing as it may seem, the Anishinaabe calendar lacks a single month named after a Roman emperor. A land- and water-based economy can feed generations longer than an economy made by corporations or emperors. That s a historic fact. This plant has provided for us apane , forever. The grains store for years, and the biodiversity o