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© Copyright 2009 AACC International.
Published January 2009.
Synergy and cultural diversity: At what level?
C. Hassel. University of Minnesota, Food Science and Nutrition, St. Paul, MN
Hassel, C. 2009. Synergy and cultural diversity: At what level? Online. AACC International Cereal Science Knowledge Database
To the Anishinaabeg, manoomin (wild rice) is a sacred gift, perfect in its natural form, and in part, defines their cultural identity as a people. To many European Americans, wild rice, like many other foods, is seen as a food resource to be domesticated and improved. European American worldviews tend to emphasize food in terms of its physiochemical and economic dimensions. Anishinaabe worldviews allow for physiochemical differences but also emphasize spiritual and metaphysical dimensions of food and health relationships. Here, we scientifically assess and compare the nutritional value of manoomin and cultivated paddy rice, but also explore the larger context of cross-cultural worldviews. The study offers two findings. First, wild rice is a healthy food source with several statistically significant nutritional differences between the natural stand and cultivated varieties. However these differences appear unlikely to be physiologically significant. Second, Anishinaabe worldviews, when considered alongside a biomedical worldview, may better define a holistic view of health. While a biomedical approach to nutrient analysis can help to explain the nutritional value and some health benefits of wild rice, it cannot capture a complete understanding of either the complex interrelationships or web of health effects between manoomin and humankind. The challenge here is to bridge the metaphysical divide between western and indigenous conceptions of health.
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