This was often done by treading on the rice in a pit lined with animal skins or some other material. The last step was to remove the chaff by winnowing. On a windy day, the hulled rice was placed in a long shallow basket and then flipped into the air to allow the chaff to blow away. Since this rice could be stored longer than meat or fish, food was readily available during the winter months. This increase in available food, along with other factors, led to population growth and cultural expansion throughout the region.
Wild rice continues to be an important food source for the Native American peoples today.
Undoubtedly, the northern regions felt the presence of eastern colonization long before the first explorer pressed into the area. These groups fought for the area almost to the turn of the 20th century. Fur trading posts became established in the area in the latter half of the 18th century. However, less than 75 years later, fur trading had all but vanished. Trappers overhunted the beaver in the area, and the demand for beaver fur declined as a fashionable item in Europe.