politics for the 99%

with Winona LaDuke – Published on nourishing the planet, by Devon Ericksen, September 15, 2013.

… One of the indigenous foods that LaDuke and the WELRP (White Earth Land Recovery Project) are working to protect is wild rice, a sacred part of Anishinaabeg culture. Wild rice is the only grain native to North America, found mainly in the Great Lakes region. It is higher in protein than other grains and contains numerous vitamins. The Anishinaabeg people have used sustainable harvesting methods for generations, relying on canoes and beater sticks to collect the ripe seeds.  

Winona LaDuke and the WELRP are working to protect their tribe’s harvest by fighting attempts by mining companies and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to lower water quality standards in the area, an act that would destroy wild rice harvests by allowing about 25 times the current level of sulfates in the water. Currently, only 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulfates is allowed in the water, the maximum level at which wild rice stands can survive. The proposal would allow 250 ppm, which would free up areas for mining but eliminate wild rice harvests entirely.

Winona LaDuke and the WELRP are working to protect their tribe’s harvest by fighting attempts by mining companies and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to lower water quality standards in the area, an act that would destroy wild rice harvests by allowing about 25 times the current level of sulfates in the water. Currently, only 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulfates is allowed in the water, the maximum level at which wild rice stands can survive. The proposal would allow 250 ppm, which would free up areas for mining but eliminate wild rice harvests entirely.

Harvesting wild rice is not only an ancient tradition of the Anishinaabeg people, but a job that brings good money. In LaDuke’s article “Wild Rice Moon,” published in Yes! magazine, she quotes Eugene Davis, a young rice harvester, saying,  “This is the only job we can make US$50 an hour at up here.” In Native communities where high-paying jobs are scarce, harvesting this traditional crop is like a gold mine. Not only will the change in regulations wipe out a source of healthy, indigenous food, but it will also wipe out a significant source of income for these communities.

How would our society be different if we all valued food not only as nourishment for the body, but also as a spiritual connection to history, ancestors, and the land? Can we lower obesity and diabetes rates and protect livelihoods by listening to the voices of people like Winona LaDuke and returning to local, sustainable food production? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
(full text and links to related articles).

(Devon Ericksen is a former media and communications intern with the Worldwatch Institute’s Food and Agriculture Program).

Links:

Wiona’s official website: honor the earth.org; and on en.wikipedia with it’s External Links;

Anishinaabe, Wiona’s tribe;

What We Could Do with a Postal Savings Bank: Infrastructure that Doesn’t Cost Taxpayers a Dime, on Washington’s Post, by blog owner, Sept 24, 2013;

Salon des Refuses: Inspiration for Real World Economics? on WEA Pedagogy Blog, by Jack Reardon, Sept 21, 2013;

Innovation of the Week: A Low-Cost Composting Toilet, on nourishing the planet, by Sarah Alvarez, September 22, 2013:  Across the Asia-Pacific region, millions of people have inadequate access to sustainable sanitation infrastructure—in other words, they don’t have a safe and sanitary place to go to the bathroom. In the Philippines alone, 28 million people do not have access to the sanitation services needed to prevent contamination and disease. As a result, millions of people suffer from preventable diseases like dysentery.