Manoomin, Michigan's official native grain

Michigan made manoomin its official native grain in a 2023 law. The law took effect on February 13, 2024. It names two forms of wild rice, Zizania palustris and Zizania aquatica. It also says manoomin is sacred, helps wetlands, and matters to Indigenous people in Michigan. EGLE calls this the first native-grain designation in the United States. The word native is important to that claim.

Manoomin is an Ojibwe word. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission translates it as “the good berry.” The commission says an Ojibwe prophecy told the people to find a place where food grows on water. That journey led them to the Great Lakes and northern inland lakes. The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi uses Mnomen in Bodwewadmimwen. The Tribe describes wild rice as food, medicine, and part of ceremony. These are living Tribal accounts, not just an old story added to a state symbol.

Wild rice is a tall grass that grows in water. It likes shallow, quiet marshes, lakes, and slow streams. EGLE says rice beds give food and cover to wildlife, help water quality, and support Native food systems. The beds are at risk from lost habitat, poor water, climate change, and careless harvest. The Michigan Wild Rice Initiative brings together the state’s 12 federally recognized tribes and government partners to care for the plant.

The new title did not come with money for restoration, according to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band. Tribal and state work was already underway. At Dollarville Flooding west of Newberry, DNR has planted manoomin since 2016. A public campground, boardwalk, and viewing blind offer a way to see the wetland. Stay on the public access and ask the land manager before harvesting anything.