Climate Change and Other Factors Threaten Ojibwe Tribe Wild Rice Traditions

For the Ojibwe tribe living in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, traditions involve wild rice, which is now in sharp decline in the small lakes of reservations in part due to climate change. This causes fear and uncertainty in many tribal members.

University of Minnesota wild rice expert and hydrologist Crystal Ng says that it is difficult to determine the cause for the impairment of a lake. She is working closely with the tribe, and says that nobody currently has answers.

Wild rice thrives in shallow water in lakes, and to be able to germinate once spring comes, scientists say that it requires low temperatures and hard winter freezing. Unfortunately, according to scientists, Minnesota counts as among the quickest-warming US states. To add to the problem, oil pipeline construction is being planned in northern Minnesota, heart of north Minnesota's Ojibwe territory.

History says wild rice was harvestable in many shallow lakes and rivers within the Ojibwe's Lac du Flambeau reservation. This reservation spans 86,500 acres in north Wisconsin. Presently, only two lakes there has wild rice, one of which is not harvestable, according to the reservation's wild rice cultural enhancement program officials.

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The harvest has also severely dropped. In the 1920's, the lakes in Lac du Flambeau had about 200 pounds harvest for every family, which was sufficient for the long winter until spring. Now, a harvest of 80 pounds for each family would already be good. Each year, the number dwindles even more.

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Northern Wisconsin Tribal Council Member Eric Chapman, Sr. says that the last two years have seen a large drop in harvest, and that it could be completely gone by the middle of the century. Chapman has lived on the reservation all his life.

The Ojibwe are now reviving their traditional ceremonies while also participating in workshops on climate adaptation. They consult non-tribal experts so that they can enhance awareness and knowledge on the native wild rice dilemma.

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According to experts, the drop in yield can be attributed to the channeling of the river, building of the dam, and logging. However, there is also the nuanced effects of environmental changes, such as changes in water temperature and air, extreme precipitation, and alteration of water chemistry due to erosion.

Ng shared that a problem with the wild rice implies that there is something wrong with the ecosystem. This makes wild rice a flagship species for preserving the environment as well as resource sovereignty for indigenous peoples.

Another factor is the increasing lake water levels, which can decimate an entire annual harvest. In addition, even the most subtle variations in water level, chemical composition, and temperature are able to kill them. Pickerel weed and other competing plant species also rob the wild rice of needed essential nutrients and sunlight.

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During the stage when they break out of the surface and start to flower, sudden extreme precipitation can increase the water level and remove the roots out of the bottom, killing many of them.

Wild rice research co-investigator and University of Minnesota assistant professor Michael Dockry said that indigenous tribes have always been marginalized in climate change discussions. He says that research should integrate science and traditional knowledge.

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