WILD RICE Zizania aquatica

Not really a rice at all, this North American grass is a sacred food to the Ojibway people of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Gathered seasonally by families working from canoes, the nutty kernels are knocked off the long stalks with sticks. The wild rice falls into the boats and is then taken to shore, cleaned and packaged. The grains that fall back into the water seed the plants which will be harvested the following year. Local ducks, too, feast from the fallen kernels during harvest.

Large commercial wild rice operations have been established in California. These will tend to drive down the price of the product, making it increasingly difficult for the Indians to make a living from the naturally harvested plant. Gourmands and fine chefs probably will continue to insist on the genuine hand gathered product, however.

Traditional sticks used by Native American wild rice harvesters to knock the ripened grain from the plants

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