Wild Rice Harvesting
Harvested in the early autumn, wild rice was an immensely important commodity to Native Americans, particularly the Ojibwe and Menominee, who lived in the areas where it grew abundantly. The Menominee even took their name from the Indian word for wild rice, manomin, and were often referred to as the Wild Rice People by Europeans. According to Menominee oral traditions, wild rice was a gift to humans from one of the Underneath Beings. When the rice was mature, the Menominee offered tobacco to this spirit to insure a good harvest. After that, the Underneath spirits and the Thunderbirds could claim... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
| A Ho-Chunk warrior cautiously acknowledges the U.S. in 1816. |
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| A brief look at the use of wild rice among Indians |
| An anthropologist gives a comprehensive account of wild rice, 1634-1900 |
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| Fr. Baraga's 1853 Ojibwe Dictionary |
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| Report on the Menominee at Termination, 1958 |
| Pictures of wild rice harvesting and preparation |
| Madeline Island Historical Museum |
Primary Sources Available Elsewhere
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| An early French overview of Wisconsin |
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| A description of the harvesting and cooking of wild rice, 1854 |
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| Henry Schoolcraft's Personal Memoirs (1812-1842) |
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| The death of Father Rene Menard. |
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| Images of Ojibwe harvesting wild rice |
Related Links
 Visit the Web site of the Menominee Indian Tribe
Discover the standard book about Wisconsin Indians, by Patty Loew
Discover classroom resources available from our Office of School Services
The Sokoagon Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe provide a history of wild rice
An overview of wild rice harvesting from the Milwaukee Public Museum
Search our catalogs for materials on this topic that aren't yet available online.
Borrow books about this topic through our interlibrary loan service
Borrow manuscripts about this topic through our Area Research Center network.
Learn about other topics from our new book, Wisconsin History Highlights
Arrange a tour on this topic at our Museum
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