Limited Edition Zine: Hotdish

to the land, its people, and the food grown upon it.
A leak along the new Line 3 will destroy hundreds of miles of wetlands. One of those
includes Big Sandy Lake, which sits just 11 miles below the new proposed line, and only 20
miles north of where we rice. For some people, ricing is their livelihood. Others depend on
the rice to feed and nourish them in ways colonial food never will. I’ve always known that
stopping Line 3 was something I felt strongly about, and after experiencing ricing, those
feelings have been reinforced.
C H E F E X C L U S I V E
I will fight hard to protect my culture from being eradicated. I got involved with the Stop Line 3 campaign
because of what it means for the ecosystems of Northern Minnesota, the rice, and the people that live along
the new route, most of whom are indigenous relatives. I do it for the amazing Indigenous leaders I have met in
my time up North that have been in this fight for years. For the Sandy Lakers, the people on Fond Du Lac,
White Earth, Red Lake, and Leech Lake. I do this for my ancestors who fought hard for the basic rights we
have today and for our treaties.
After all, my people have seen the impacts of tar sands before. The Alberta tar sands nicknamed “Tar Island”
destroyed the Athabasca River, a river that Mikisew Cree, Dene, and Metis people depended on for fish.(17)
By allowing these permits to pass, The Walz Administration is directly attacking the Anishinaabe way of life,
access to clean water, and right to health.(18)
During the 2020 pandemic, Governor Walz allowed out-of-state workers to begin work on Line 3,
threatening spread of the virus.(19) There is also a deep and terrible history of indigenous women and girls
going missing and being murdered when workers from outside of the community come into Anishinaabe land.
(20) These threats to our health and safety are unacceptable.
As I walk down to the ricing canoes, I think about how much ricing means
to me and the threat that Line 3 poses to this tradition. As we made our
way to the lake, an elder pointed out that the nearby highway was once a
wetland teeming with rice. With the construction of the highway, it was
destroyed.
She continued to tell us that wild rice will always grow back if we let it.
I’m reminded of her words as I continue to fight Line 3 and to protect
manoomin. Wild rice. The food that grows on water.
The rice that we used to prepare and shoot the hotdish recipe was
harvested and prepared by Waabigonikwe Raven from lands threatened
by the Line 3 pipeline.