Manoominike-Giizis

The Middleville and District Museum includes the education of visitors in its mandate. It provides information about the significance and harvest of wild rice by Indigenous Peoples in an exhibit by using the voices of Indigenous Peoples to share knowledge of this subject through short videos.

Taylor Lake where wild rice has been spotted

Manoomin (man-oo-min) (Ojibway language) is the only wild grain that is indigenous to North America. Manoomin is not only a very good source of protein, but also has great significance to the Anishinaabeg and is a crucial part of their migration story on Turtle Island (North America). Elders recount the story of ancestors being instructed to head west until they found the food that grows on water. The story tells that they travelled until they found the lake now called Rice Lake. 
Manoomin is so important to the Anishinaabeg that it was the first solid food given to their babies (as mazaan, or broken rice) and the last food an Elder was served before passing to the Spirit world. 

Manoomin once grew in abundance in shallow lakes and rivers. It provided food and habitat for many wetland fowl and animals. Manoomin is harvested in late August and early September during what is known as the manoominike-giizis or wild rice moon. 

Wild rice can be spotted by canoeists and kayakers in some of the shallower waterways in Lanark Highlands. To learn more about wild rice, be sure to visit plentycanada.com where you will find a comprehensive history and report of the subject.