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Expanding the narrative of tribal health: The effects of wild rice water quality rule changes
Citation:
Preiner, K. AND K. Williams. Expanding the narrative of tribal health: The effects of wild rice water quality rule changes. Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, MN, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
The impact of this report will be the identification and characterization of some of the values of wild rice to Anishinaabe people based on a survey and community meeting input.
Description:
Wild rice is important the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for mental, physical, and spiritual health reasons. For that reason, the Band has undertaken a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to characterize the impacts of potential wild rice loss if the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency changes their water quality standards for sulfates. Part of the HIA methodology is to consult with the community to determine which ecosystem services and social determinants of health are most important to potentially impacted communities. This report is an analysis of the data collected in those settings. We utilized content analysis to sort and identify patterns in the responses. As a result of this analysis we found that wild rice contributes to the health, social relations, identity, enjoyment, and connects Band members to the environment. Furthermore, wild rice was cited as an important activity, indicator of environmental health, and a resource to be managed or protected. The Band may apply these findings to their baseline health assessment in the HIA process.
URLs/Downloads:
Expanding the narrative of tribal health: The effects of wild rice water quality rule changes