Chairman

September2026 Chairman's Report

Aaniin Boozhoo Gaa-waabaabiganikaag
Niminwendam Waabaminaan!

Manoominike-Giizis!

Aaniish inaa akawe ninga-gaagiizomaag aadi-
zookaanag.

Weweni-sago-na

Greetings White Earth Nation I am Happy to See You!

It is already September, the Rice Picking Moon!
Everyone Be Safe & Stay Safe,
We sometimes we need to remember who we were as Anishinaabe people. This Haudenosaunee story is a powerful reminder of the importance of
humility, respect, generosity, and caring for others.

Each Clan had its own longhouse, marked by a carved symbol above the door. One evening, an old man arrived in the village. His clothes were torn, his hair was unkempt, and he was weak with hunger. He asked each Clan longhouse for food and shelter, but one by one, the Clans rejected him because of his appearance; some even made fun of him.

At last, he reached a small, poorly kept long house at the edge of the village. A Bear was carved above the door. The Bear Clan Mother welcomed him warmly, offering him a place by the fire, her best furs, and a bowl of corn soup.

The Old Man asked why she would share what little she had. She replied that the Creator had instructed them to respect their elders and care for travelers who came to their village.

While he stayed, the Bear Clan Mother repaired his moccasins sewing beautiful porcupine quills on them and cared for him when he became sick. Throughout his time there he taught her about medicines found in the forest, including sassafras, and showed her how different plants, roots, and leaves could be prepared to treat illness. She carefully remembered his teachings and promised to share them with her Clan.

After many days, the Old Man recovered and prepared to leave. The Bear Clan Mother gathered strawberries for his journey. When she returned, she saw a brilliant light surrounding her longhouse. A young man appeared and told her not to be afraid.

“I am Creator,” he said.

She realized that the Old Man had been the Creator in disguise. He explained that he had visited every longhouse seeking food and shelter, but the other Clans had forgotten their responsibility to respect elders and care for travelers. She alone had
remembered.

As a gift, the Creator had taught her the medicines of the forest. He instructed her to share this knowledge with her Clan so it could help their people.

The Bear Clan Mother promised to keep her word. From that time forward, the Bear Clan became known for its knowledge of traditional medicines and the healing plants of the forest.

The story reminds us that teachings are not only something we remember, they are something we practice, protect, and pass on. Respecting elders, caring for others, sharing what we have, and preserving knowledge are responsibilities that strengthen our Gaawaabaabiganikaag Ishkoning, White Earth Nation.

Wild Rice Update
The White Earth Wild Rice Department has been continually monitoring the ricing lakes and water levels since spring thaw. We are seeing lower than average water levels across the state due to low snowpack over last winter and lack of rainfall over
the spring and summer months. At the time of writing, the lakes on the reservation and within Tamarac Refuge were at the flowering stage, which is slightly later than average.

All the lakes look to have good stand density, and some lakes are predicted to have better stand density than last year. Early summer storms uprooted some plants during the floating leaf and emergent stages, resulting in some rice bed thinning compared to an average year. Lower water levels helped the reservation and refuge lakes to germinate but may result in a harder harvest for ricers. Lakes seem to be
ripening slightly later than average throughout the area, on and off reservation. Water levels being reported across the state are favorable to low for harvesting.

The outlook for the 2026 harvest season looks to be slightly later than average, and ideally dodging any severe weather, we can have another record breaking year! White Earth Wild Rice has purchased 7,600 pounds of rice during the first two days of buying.

White Earth Wild Rice has also been working with White Earth Community Councils to develop educational programs for their communities around harvesting wild rice. Two community councils have begun programming to provide workshops on ricing
tools or establishing needs assessments. We look forward to those partnerships to help educate our community ricers.

We wish everyone a safe and successful harvest season!

Chi-miigwech bizindawiyeg miinawaa anooj
ninda-gikinoo’amaadiwin.
Baamaapii wiingezin.
Miigwech bizindawiyeg.
Gigawaabamininim naagaj.
Thank you for listening and continuing to learn together.
Take it easy.
Thank you for listening and continuing to learn together,
See you all later.
Chairman Michael Fairbanks