For the love of Manoominikewin

By Julie Kapyrka

PETERBOROUGH – In the auditorium of the Peterborough Public Library on the eve of Nov. 2, over 200 people, both from Indigenous and settler communities, gathered in mutual support and passionate determined resistance to continue to protect, and sustain the Manoomin (wild rice) living and growing in the Kawarthas.

A panel comprised of Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, academic and activist (Nogojiwanong, Alderville), Dave Mowat – historian and Community Consultation Specialist for the Mississauga of Scugog Island First Nation (Alderville), James Whetung – manoomin harvester and restorer, and Doug Williams – Elder (Curve Lake) each offered a presentation for the themed forum on “The challenges of reconciliation: Manoomin.” This presentation was part of the Pine Tree Series, hosted by the Indigenous Studies Program at Trent University, which examines contemporary and historical Indigenous issues through different lenses. One of the organizers Trent Professor, Dr. Lynne Davis, briefly spoke about the significance of the white pine tree and the deeper rationale behind the meaning and purpose of these talks – to gather in the spirit of peace and respect for one another and to listen, dialogue, and learn, and then put that learning into action.

This Pine Tree Talk was part of the response to a much larger story that unfolded at the end of August surrounding the manoomin in Pigeon Lake, north of Peterborough. The controversy ensued as resident and cottage owners on the lake became increasingly “bothered” by the presence of wild rice as it blocked their shorelines and impeded their ability to enjoy water sports on the lake. James Whetung was “demonized” as Dave Mowat put it, this past summer, for harvesting and seeding the rice, an integral part of his way of life and treaty right that he has been engaged in for 25 years.

On August 18th mechanical combines were spotted on the water destroying swaths of manoomin. Disturbingly, the cottagers had applied for and been granted a permit by Parks Canada who administers the Trent Severn Waterway to remove “aquatic weeds.” The local Mississauga First Nations intervened and the activity was stopped. Parks Canada has subsequently admitted to “their bad” in terms of not engaging in the duty to consult mandate and has set dates for meeting with the First Nations communities to resolve the ongoing dispute.

At the core of the issue is the Trent Severn Waterway’s (Federal government) as well as much of the local mainstream society’s lack of acknowledgement and recognition of the constitutional treaty rights that the Williams Treaty First Nations hold with regards to harvesting. This includes the right to eat, to live, to feed their families, and to celebrate their culture.

Chief Phyllis Williams, Curve Lake, welcomed the audience to the territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg and thanked them for attending. She reminded the gathering that although the wild rice situation has been a controversial issue in these past months that “we will stand by our rights and we will defend them.”

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson spoke beautifully about the deep significance of Manoomin in this territory. In doing so she took a step back and spoke about the history of the Mississauga homelands and what they would have looked like over 200 years ago. She wove a beautiful memory of lakes plentiful of salmon and eel migrating from Lake Ontario to Stoney Lake, old growth white pine forests blanketing southern Ontario so thick that nothing grew on the pristine pine needle floor, and the lakes were teeming with wild rice. She argued that it sounds “idyllic”….because it was idyllic: “Our way of living was to generate life.” She pointed out that without permission or consent that her people have been dispossessed of their lands and ways of life. There is no longer any salmon or eel in the waterways here, there are no longer the great white pine forests that covered the land, the sugar bushes are privately owned, and the rice beds have been nearly destroyed.

Manoominikewin is not just about gathering a food staple, it also includes songs, acts of governance, ceremony, families, and philosophies – it is in itself an act of “being Anishinaabeg.”

In this context current federal policy continues to support mechanisms that assault the very act of being Anishinaabe, and in a larger context, of being Indigenous. Thus, all of the panel members had serious feelings regarding the idea of the reconciliation narrative that is currently sweeping the country. As long as the current infrastructure of settler colonialism is still intact and Indigenous peoples are still being dispossessed true reconciliatory processes remain questionable.

For example, Dave Mowat pointed out that the legislative powers inherent in the Planning Act and Conservation Act make it very difficult for First Nations voices to be heard and that they actively support the municipalities’ authority to manage the land in ways that continuously erode upon Indigenous rights. He offered an historical perspective regarding the Mississauga relationship to manoomin and highlighted Treaty 20 (1818) and the Williams Treaties (1923) outlining the original agreements made between his people and the early settlers to share these lands. He said: “I am steadfast in saying this is our rice and we are the people who look after it and we are going to keep harvesting it until the end of time.”

James Whetung, who is also a food consultant, highlighted the right to food sovereignty. He pointed out that his people have very high rates of diabetes and other diseases and that their health is waning since “we have lost our sources of traditional foods, because they have been legislated right out of our use.”

Whetung’s dream is to put Manoomin back into Rice Lake. He acknowledged the voice of the wild rice and how it has been heard and people have been responding to its call. He called on the Canadian, provincial, and municipal governments to be “idle no more” and support efforts to restore the rice in the lakes – to which the gathering erupted in a wave of loud applause. He strongly advocated for everyone to encourage the Canadian government to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as this would be a true demonstration of the spirit of reconciliation.

Doug Williams, Elder from Curve Lake, opened the gathering with a traditional prayer in Anishinaabemowin and rounded out the presentations with a cautionary prophetic approach. He suggested that his role is to offer insight and strategies in terms of how we can all survive and live in these times. He told a story of Mizhiibizhoo, the water spirit/guardian of the Kawartha Lakes who has looked after them for a long time. He cautioned that if we do not take care of the lakes and rivers, plants and aquatic life, that ultimately Mizhiibizhoo will. We have a choice, to help to take care of the water and its life forms or the earth will find ways to protect herself.

He also spoke about the teachings of Sabikeshiinh (the spider) and how the web that it spins is analogous to the web of life – where damage to any one part affects the integrity of the entire web. The web of life is fragile and interconnected, and thus when one part is compromised, the entire structure is weakened and at risk of collapsing. Elder Williams pointed out that “we are in deep trouble and that the ricing issue is just a symbol of what is happening in the bigger picture.”

Mowat firmly advised for people to “get our children back out on the land, walk the land, feel the water, it’s hurting, it needs us.” He worries that this society is taking our kids down an artificial road and that if they do not create relationships with the land and waters and animals that they will not be poised to take care of them in the future.

Mowat did end on a positive note though as he informed the audience that the Williams Treaties First Nations Harvesting Committee has been working closely with the MNR and that they seem to be meeting more on common ground these days and will continue moving forward.

In any case, the wild rice is speaking and people are listening. The message is clear = it is up to all of us to stop the dispossession of Indigenous lands, rights, languages, foods, medicines, bodies, and cultures and to encourage and to teach our children to develop a deep love for the land and the waters. This is what Manoomin is teaching us.