Project Summary

Although mistaken for a wetland plant of only the far north, Mnomen (wild rice, Zizania aquatica Z. palustris) is a staple food for Anishinaabek peoples across the Great Lakes—including those who once made their home on lands now owned by U-M. But after centuries of ecological degradation across Michigan’s lower peninsula, Mnomen now survives in just a fraction of its former abundance.

This project—called the Mnomen Initiative—aimed to build a partnership of Anishinaabek community members, tribal nations, U-M faculty, and allies at other Michigan universities. Tribal partners contributed with time-tested traditional ecological knowledge and years of hard-earned experience in Mnomen socio-ecology, while regional wild rice experts brought the range of available current knowledge and best practices. Together, the group was able to assess the feasibility of Mnomen restoration on ten U-M properties and propose a pilot restoration project on the most appropriate site, exemplifying sustainability grounded in reconciliation principles.

In the Media

• MBGNA Work Propels $30M NSF Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Sciences | Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum Blog

This project received a $10,000 Catalyst Grant in 2020.

Project team: David Michener, PI (Botanical Gardens | U-M Ann Arbor); Rebecca Hardin (SEAS | U-M Ann Arbor); Gregory Dowd (LSA | U-M Ann Arbor); Benjamin Secunda (Office of Research | U-M Dearborn); Samantha Stokes (SEAS | U-M Ann Arbor); Maeghen Goode (SEAS | U-M Ann Arbor); Scott Herron (Ferris State University); Kyle Whyte (Michigan State University); Manavi Jaluka (Vassar University); Doug Taylor (Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi); John Rodwan (Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi); Eric Kerney (Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi); Gary Morseau (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi); Marcus Winchester (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi); Christine Morseau (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi); Shannon Martin (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe); Carey Pauquette (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe); Kathy Hart (Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College); William Johnson (Michigan Anishinaabe Cultural and Repatriation Alliance); Alex Wieten (Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish (Gun Lake) Band of Potawatomi Indians); Montana Riley (Walpole Island Cultural Center); Roger Labine (Lac Vieux Desert); Ricki Oldencamp (Pierce Cedar Creek Institute); Corey Lucas (Pierce Cedar Creek Institute); Barb Barton (Author of Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan).