Chapter Events

ZOOM presentation by Barbara J. Barton, Author

In her presentation "Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan", Barb Barton will introduce us to the history, culture, biology, economics, and spirituality surrounding this sacred plant. She begins her story in the days before European colonization and travels in time through the logging and industrialization eras. Barton explores the worlds of the Anishinaabek and the colonizers as she contrasts their different perspectives and relationships with Manoomin. The audience also learns about Michigan’s historic wild rice beds, why many of them vanished, and how both tribal and nontribal people have sought to restore and protect Manoomin across the landscape. Attendees will also learn how Manoomin is harvested and processed. As one reviewer has noted, this book “makes me want to paddle the backwaters of Michigan’s rivers and lakes, searching for lost stands of this amazing grass.”