Bill Proposes Adding Indigenous Names and ‘Inherent Right’ for Wild Rice

State Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, remembers eating the wild rice her father prepared and cooked when she was a child. In her career as a state leader, she said a gift she often receives is wild rice.

Kunesh, a descendant of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said it is an honorable gift to be given.

“The pride and the reinforcement of how important wild rice is to [people] is always evident. It’s like a firm, hearty handshake,” Kunesh said.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee heard testimony Tuesday on a proposal that would change the language around Minnesota’s state grain, wild rice.

The amendment, authored by Kunesh, would update Minnesota’s state grain language to include the Dakota and Ojibwe words for wild rice — psíŋ and manoomin. The plant is recognized as significant to Indigenous cultures in the state.