by Melissa Newland
A Wild Rice (manoomin) Camp was held in partnership with Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) and Ojibwa Community College (OCC), MTU Ford Center and Forest, and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. The camp was held at the Ford Center and Forest (FCF) in Alberta this past weekend, Friday, Sept. 22-24, 2017, with breakfast and registration starting at 8 a.m on Sept. 22. Instructors for the three-day event included Roger LaBine, Scott Heron, and Charles Fox. Starting out the first day at 9 a.m. were instructions on the teachings and making of harvesting tools, including knocking sticks, push poles, and parching paddles. There were a total of 75 people who participated in the Wild Rice Camp, according to Director, Ford Center and Forest, School of ForestR esources and Environmental Science, Ken Vrana. Attendees included students from Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University; members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, KBOCC, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC); and wild rice enthusiasts from as far away as Massachusetts. “It was a great start to what we intend to be–an annual event at the Ford Center, in historic Alberta, Michigan!” said Vrana. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.