American Indian Initiatives

Nibi and Manoomin Symposium

A partnership between reservation communities of the upper Midwest and the University of Minnesota, this group works to build understanding within the university of the significant role that wild rice (manoomin, Zizania palustris) plays within the communities of the Anishinaabe people of the upper Midwest and Cree of Canada, and the threats to wild rice in the future. The 2023 symposium was held from April 23-25, 2023. The symposium will not reconvene until 2025.

Kawe Gidaa-Naanaagadawendaamin Manoomin/Psiη Project

First. We Must Consider Manoomin/Psiη 

Launched in January 2018, this project is a collaboration among tribes, intertribal treaty organizations, and University of Minnesota faculty, staff, and students, that prioritizes tribal views on the cultural significance and ecology of Manoomin / Psiη (Wild Rice), and the policies related to it. A flagship for environmental preservation and Indigenous resource sovereignty, the project aims to center tribal perspectives and research questions.

Wild Rice Research Database (in development)

Wild rice (Manoomin) has flourished in the cool waters of Minnesota for thousands of years. More than a nutritional food, wild rice is a central feature in the spiritual and cultural lives of the Dakota, Menominee and Ojibwe people. Minnesota features more acres of natural wild rice than any other state in the country and, in the 1950s, the University of Minnesota studied wild rice production on a small scale. By 1973, the University officially established a wild rice research program which helped lead to the growth of Minnesota’s commercial wild rice industry. Throughout its history, this program has led to new varieties, best practices, nutritional data and water (nibi) quality research, among other discoveries. In this database, you will find documents related to the wild rice research done at the University of Minnesota dating back to the 1960s. Please note: This site is in development and available for demonstration purposes only. Data sets are not deemed complete, nor can the University of Minnesota guarantee that all represented features will be available in the released site.