Spencer Cox and Elianne Farhat head out to harvest wild rice on Flowage Lake in McGregor during a public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
Part of the cultural event was what organizers described as impromptu tours to nearby sites, including the Talon Metals mine site and the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline corridor, pointing out nearby lakes, rivers and wetlands.
TAMARACK — In Ojibwe culture, manoomin is sacred. Manoomin is wild rice, the food that grows on water.
Honor the Earth hosted a public wild rice camp in Aitkin County Sept. 8-10. Featured speakers and collaborators were Rory Wakemup and Leanna Goose.
Goose is an organizer with Honor the Earth and she led an activity around replanting manoomin. As a mom, Goose is trying to combat aquatic invasive species with reseeding wild rice with a method she describes as mud balls.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Rory Wakemup, artist and cultural organizer from the Bois Forte Band, takes part in a public wild rice camp Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County. Wakemup was one of the featured speakers at the Honor the Earth event.
She said in a recentKAXE Morning Showconversation: “I know the world is changing a lot and manoomin is under threat from climate change, invasive species and now mining. So I'm trying to teach my children to remain resilient and teach others, too. We had the neighborhood kids out there planting wild rice with us last year and it was a really good experience.”
Honor the Earth is collaborating with artists and cultural organizer Rory Wakemup from the Bois Forte Band. Participants will learn how to replant manoomin.
Another part of the cultural event was what organizers described as "impromptu tours" to nearby sites, including the Talon Metals mine site and the Enbridge pipeline corridor, pointing out nearby lakes, rivers and wetlands.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Artist as well as cultural and campaign organizer for Honor the Earth, Shanai Matteson, talks about her public art project "Overburden/Overloo"k on the street outside of Talon Metals Corp. in Tamarack. The art installation was part of a public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
“Manoomin and clean water are under threat from climate change, from industries like mining, oil pipelines, and so we also want to give people a chance to be together on the land so that they can understand what Indigenous people and what water protectors are doing, and why it’s so important to protect those places,” said Shanai Matteson, cultural and campaign organizer for Honor the Earth.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
An "Overburden/Overlook" sign on the street outside Talon Metals Corp. in Tamarack marks the spot of an art installation. The art was part of a public wild rice camp event hosted by Honor the Earth on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
Matteson presented a public art installation titled "Overburden/Overlook," which stood outside the headquarters of Talon Metals Corp. in Tamarack. Talon Metals is pursuing plans for an underground copper-nickel mine in Aitkin County. The plan was submitted to state regulators in June and is under environmental review.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
State Sen. Mary Kunesh participates in a public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County. The DFLer from New Brighton is Lakota and is a founding member of the Native American and People of Color & Indigenous caucuses.
State Sen. Mary Kunesh holds wild rice knockers while talking to her daughter Elianne Farhat during a public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
A canoe with "Protect the Water" painted on the side is ready for ricing at a public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Shanai Matteson, cultural and campaign organizer for Honor the Earth, holds an aerial photo of Talon Metals Headquarters and drilling fluid sumps in Tamarack. Matteson installed a public art project as part of a wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Rice camp participants look at photos through a viewfinder from the mobile overlook platform of Shanai Matteson's public art project, "Overburden/Overlook." The art installation outside Talon Metals Corp. in Tamarack was part of a public wild rice camp event hosted by Honor the Earth on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Huck Brock holds a ricing poll used to propel a canoe for wild ricing in shallow, sandy or muddy waters at a public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County. The fork is designed so as not to damage rice stalks when poling.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Wild rice camp participants stand on the mobile overlook platform on the street outside Talon Metals Corp. in Tamarack. The public wild rice camp event on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County featured a public art installation.
Contributed
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Lorie Shaull
Chris Baldwin, an engineer, talks about the impacts of nickel mining outside the Talon Metals Corp. in Tamarack, in front of a public art installation. The art was on display as part of a wild rice camp hosted by Honor the Earth on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Aitkin County.
