Bruce Savage says he and his wife Tawny started Spirit Lake Native Products (Sawyer, MN) to show their children the contributions their ancestors made to American food systems, and to show the youth the contributions that Native people are making today.
While Bruce's family has been producing wild rice and maple syrup for generations, in 1999, Bruce (a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) and Tawny (a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Northern Nevada), purchased 78 1/2 acres in the Fond du Lac Reservation to give them a permanent place to finish wild rice, tap trees, and launch Spirit Lake Native Farms.
Today with the help of a crew of family, friends, and community members, Spirit Lake Native Farms produces 400 gallons of wood-fired maple syrup and 5,000-10,000 pounds of wild rice each year. They also purchase green rice from local Native American harvesters and finish it using their unique wood-fired parching method. This processing method makes a grain that is more flavorful, palatable, and quicker-cooking than most wild rice found in stores.
Spirit Lake Native Farms is dedicated to continuing Native American food traditions. "The wild rice & maple syrup economy was controlled by Native peoples until the early 1900s when the logging industry decimated forest lands, leaving no way for us to have a harvestable lifestyle. Native peoples today are only a fraction of one percent of that whole economy," said Bruce, and Spirit Lake Native Farms is proud that their work and your purchases go directly towards supporting that local economy and keeping it strong and growing for generations to come.
Consumers can buy Spirit Lake Native Farms' wild rice and maple syrup at Indigenous First Art & Gift Shop, Duluth Kitchen and Whole Foods Co-ops Duluth, and learn more at their website - https://www.spiritlakenativefarms.com/
Wholesale buyers, learn more how you can buy Spirit Lake Native Farms wild rice at their Minnesota Grown wholesale directory listing: https://minnesotagrown.com/whol.../spirit-lake-native-farms/