As winter turns to spring, Wisconsinites look forward to new life. However, to truly enjoy new beginnings, we must pay respect to our prehistoric relatives.
Sturgeon, or Nama’o, date back to the early Jurassic period. Living up to 150 years, these prehistoric fish have sustained the Menominee since time immemorial. After a long winter, the return of the sturgeon brought relief and sustenance to the tribe. Traveling over 135 miles from Lake Winnebago, sturgeon migrate north each spring to spawn in Keshena Falls, where their ancestors have always returned.
The sturgeon are not able to return home. The Shawano Dam and the Balsam Road Dam stand in the way. After this arduous trek, the sturgeon cannot complete their journey. This doesn’t just impact the sturgeon; it deprives the Menominee Reservation of a keystone species.
This ancient fish is vital to the health of the reservation. Sturgeon are bottom feeders that eat invasive species such as zebra mussels. Scouring the riverbed for food, sturgeon aerate the sediment, boosting oxygen levels and improving the overall quality of the river’s ecosystem. Further, they are nutrient cyclers — breaking down organic and inorganic materials into beneficial nutrients. They are Earth’s original recyclers, sustaining fresh and saltwater habitats.
Sturgeon are vital to our ecological health and cultural well-being. They inform our cultural values, our clan system and help steward the ecosystem we all rely on. According to Menominee oral history, the Sturgeon Clan is responsible for tending to the wild rice beds.
Because of the Balsam and Shawano dams, the sturgeon are unable to fulfill their responsibility to the rice. Wild rice, or Manōmaeh, is another sacred being on the Menominee Reservation. As the People of the Wild Rice, our cultural, geographical and agricultural history is interwoven with the presence of this aquatic plant. Environmental degradation, climate change and invasive species are threatening the production of wild rice, which is already in an alarming decline.
Luckily, the Menominee Nation is dedicated to bolstering our wild rice growth. With new data sampling techniques, indigenous knowledge and intertribal cooperation, every possible solution is tested to bring the rice back to its former abundance on the Menominee Reservation.
Yet, there is only so much we can do when deprived of keystone species. Wild rice relies on organic, rich sediment and a healthy ecosystem free of invasive species. This is something the sturgeon can provide.
Sometimes, the solution to ecological challenges is a relative that was here long before us. Our contemporary problems can be solved with pre-colonial solutions. We must allow nature to heal itself. When we help reintroduce a native species that has been deprived of its ancestral homeland, we are creating a better homeland for every organism that resides there.
When observing our relationship with sturgeon and wild rice, I often think back to a moment at the spawning site, Keshena Falls, where now, only a small patch of wild rice grows. It was summertime, and the director of the Sustainable Development Institute, Jennifer Gauthier, explained this sacred migration to the internship cohort.
“At a certain point in the year, Keshena Falls make a sound similar to a drum,” Gauthier said. “The sturgeon hear that, and they know it’s time to come home.”
The Wolf River should be covered with wild rice. The sturgeon should be able to travel home freely.
Thanks to the Menominee Historic Preservation Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, a small population of sturgeon are tagged and transported home each spring. While this is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. To truly restore the balance, we must take action — advocate for solutions that enable all sturgeon to return freely to their native spawning grounds. Let us urge decision-makers to rethink barriers on the Wolf River so the sturgeon can fulfill their vital ecological and cultural role.
This spring, as we gather in Sturgeon Park, let us be reminded that the Shawano Dam was never meant to be their final destination. With each year they cannot return, another year goes by without their positive impact on our water quality and biodiversity. As we observe the ancient relationship between sturgeon and wild rice, it is clear we cannot have one without the other. Our environment is an intricate system of beings that rely on one another to thrive.
The sturgeon have been here long before us, and hopefully, will continue to be here long after us. As we share this earth together, it is our responsibility to reduce barriers and ease their migration in a good way.
Gracie Waukechon is a Bad River tribal member and a Menominee descendant. She is a college student, community organizer and environmental activist who interns at the College of Menominee Nation’s Sustainable Development Institute.
