Native Wise IN publications

David Wise of Native Wise shares the cultural significance and traditional harvesting methods of Minnesota wild rice, known as manoomin in Ojibwe, which his ancestors found when seeking “the place where food grows on water.” The article details the traditional two-person canoe harvesting process and four-step processing method that transforms freshly harvested rice into the flavorful, nutrient-rich superfood Native Wise is known for.

David Wise (Ojibwe) and his wife Patra operate Native Wise LLC on the Fond du Lac Reservation, where they raise buffalo after David discovered his ancestral connection to Chief Buffalo and received a dream telling him to “bring back my namesake.” Their herd has grown from 12 to 47 buffalo since 2022, and they host youth programs teaching traditional knowledge and cultural connections through buffalo stewardship.

David Wise, descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and founder of Native Wise farm, discusses reintroducing bison to his northern Minnesota farm in 2022 to honor his great-grandfather Chief Buffalo while participating in a carbon sequestration study to improve soil health on land that hadn’t grazed animals for years. Wise is also working to help save the nearly extinct Ojibwe horses through a breeding program and emphasizes his role as a land steward guided by Ojibwe values that view “Earth as our mother.”