It was the staple grain of all the Western Great Lakes tribes and the tribes to their west. The predominant tribe in northern Minnesota is known as the Ojibwa or Chippewa. As a sustainer of life, wild rice was, and still is, considered sacred by these Native Americans. It is not only consumed on a daily basis, but also has a very important role in ceremonies and is highly valued as a gift. Many people are now aware that wild rice is not a rice at all, but a grass, whose seeds are harvested.
Native peoples harvest it by hand from a birch bark canoe.
Two people sit in the canoe. The person toward the front and middle of the canoe holds two sticks. With one stick, he bends the grass stalks so that they lean over the canoe. With the other stick, he knocks the grains off the stalks into the canoe. The person in the back of the canoe uses a pole to maneuver it alongside the grass stalks.