Manomin: Caring for Ecosystems and Each Other (Paperback or Softback)

Reclaiming crops and culture on Turtle Island

Manomin, more commonly known by its English misnomer “wild rice,” is the only cereal grain native to Turtle Island (North America). Long central to Indigenous societies and diets, this complex carbohydrate is seen by the Anishinaabeg as a gift from Creator, a “spirit berry” that has allowed the Nation to flourish for generations. Manomin: Caring for Ecosystems and Each Other offers a community-engaged analysis of the under-studied grain, weaving together the voices of scholars, chefs, harvesters, engineers, poets, and artists to share the plant’s many lessons about the living relationships between all forms of creation.

Grounded in Indigenous methodologies and rendered in full colour, Manomin reveals and examines our interconnectedness through a variety of disciplines―history, food studies, ethnobotany, ecology―and forms of expression, including recipes, stories, and photos. A powerful contribution to conversations on Indigenous food security and food sovereignty, the collection explores historic uses of Manomin, contemporary challenges to Indigenous aquaculture, and future possibilities for restoring the sacred crop as a staple.

In our time of ecological crisis, Manomin teaches us how to live well in the world, sustaining our relations with each other, our food, and our waterways.

Brittany Luby, author of Dammed: The Politics of Loss and Survival in Anishinaabe Territory, is an award-winning historian and educator whose paternal ancestors originate from Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation. She is the English language author of two bilingual picture books that were illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley.

Margaret Lehman is a settler researcher who joined the Manomin Project in May 2019. Lehman is currently working on the land and caring for her plant relations in lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon Covenant.

Andrea Bradford obtained her PhD from Queen’s University and teaches Resources Engineering at the University of Guelph. She was awarded the Faculty Association Distinguished Professor Award for Innovation in Teaching in 2020.

Samantha Mehltretter is a Water Resources Engineer in Training. Her doctoral research, in collaboration with Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation, is looking at restoring manomin on the Upper Winnipeg River. 

Jane Mariotti is a graduate from the University of Guelph with a BA in environmental science with a major in ecology. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same field.