Sustaining a ricing culture: An integrated landscape approach to understanding harvest, distribution and management of wild rice (Zizania palustris) across the Upper Great Lakes Region

For more than a thousand years humans have been hand-harvesting wild rice in the Upper Great Lakes Region of North America. Recognized as a vital component of the Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) culture, wild rice and wild rice harvesting today exists under multiple management regimes, includes participants from both indigenous and non-indigenous communities, and is the foundation of a regional identity recognized by a declining number of gatherers. This dissertation uses an integrated landscape approach to document relationships and linkages between the people who harvest wild rice, the wild rice lakes from which they gather and the management regimes influencing use, access, and distribution across the region. Six case study lakes were selected, representing three different management regimes (state, tribal and treaty ceded) across Minnesota and Wisconsin.;Regional characteristics of the wild rice landscape were identified through review of existing data, geospatial analysis, license sales and harvest surveys. Watersheds with wild rice have declined since 1900, primarily in the southern reaches. Harvester distribution across the region reflects the distribution of wild rice. Multiple site visits and 47 semi-structured interviews provided access to harvesters. Motivations for harvesting wild rice include being outdoors and a social/family connection, as well as for personal consumption, income and gifting. Over 70% of harvesters sell wild rice, either directly to a buyer or as a finished product with those selling to buyers typically harvesting larger amounts (500-2000 lbs.). The pattern of harvester experience appears to be changing, with harvesters now starting later in life and typically beginning with friends, rather than with family.;Across case studies wild rice harvesters tend to gather wild rice close to where they live or learned to harvest and 50% have more than 20 years experience. This local knowledge is used by the tribes through the participation of harvesters in monitoring the readiness of the rice beds for harvest. Building on this local knowledge, and expanding participation by harvesters in the conservation of wild rice are key to developing a community-based conservation model for sustaining a ricing culture.