d Megis Shell'sappearance, the Anishinabeg were eventually led to Northern Minnesotawhere they found Manomin (Wild Rice) growing on water. This marked theend of the last great migration of Ojibway people; although many bandscontinued to move west and north in the decades to follow because of theencroaching White Man. Ojibway Manomin (Wild Rice) "Manomin" or wild rice is an essential part of Ojibway culture, and as described above, figures prominently in Ojibway Oral History. The harvesting of wild rice has always been an important part of life for Ojibway people. In addition to the contribution of food,"Manomin" has played a key role in the social life of Ojibway people; asharvest time provided an opportunity to visit with nearby relatives andfriends in neighboring bands. Wild rice has always been regarded by theOjibway as the sacred gift of their chosen ground. Any effort today toover-harvest or commercialize wild rice by Non-Indians has met with failure.Wild rice has always been generous to those who gather and use her in arespectful way. Today, many Ojibway families still harvest "Manomin" justas our ancestors did; one person steers the canoe and another sweeps therice into the canoe and beats it with a stick, knocking the husks to the floorof the canoe. Ojibway Maple Sugar Like wild rice, the Ojibway people have for centuries tapped the abundance of Maple Trees in their woodland homeland for Maple Sugar. Small bands would break up into smaller groups of families usually around early springtime and move into temporary "mapleing" camps. These camps,located inpreselected areas for each family, would then become home for a few weeksto a few months while the family tapped, collected, processed and storedMaple Syrup a...
