Human remains believed to be hundreds of years old found on shores of Minnesota's Leech Lake

For centuries, native tribes in Minnesota have harvested wild rice from the state's 10,000 (and more) lakes. That includes Minnesota's third-largest, Leech Lake.

Last weekend, people gathering wild rice from Leech Lake stumbled across human skeletal remains that are believed to be several hundred years old, something you might find to be an extremely odd sighting considering the lake is one of the state's most popular for vacationing and fishing.

Authorities suspect erosion caused the remains of at least three people to surface on the shores of Leech Lake, where they were discovered Saturday. Covering more than 100,000 acres, the lake is located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in the north-central part of the state.

Several tribes have called the area home, most recently the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. However, remains periodically are found in the area, said the tribe’s police chief, Ken Washington.

“They’ll just arise like that just through natural erosion of the water coming up on shorelines,” he said.

Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said the rice harvesters called after spotting the remains up on land. Harvesters usually use a canoe with a push pole or paddles to collect the rice, which is considered spiritually, culturally, nutritionally and economically significant to Ojibwe, Dakota and other tribal communities, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Deputies responded, determined the remains were ancient and then contacted the Leech Lake Heritage Sites program, which conducts archeological research in the area.

The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council was also called to assist, with the goal of handling the remains in “culturally appropriate manner,” the tribal and county law enforcement explained in a joint statement.

Welk said in an interview with the AP that besides erosion, remains also are unearthed through construction projects.

“It has happened a couple times a year, but then they can go several years in between,” Welk said. “It just depends.”

Authorities urged people to contact law enforcement if they encounter suspected human remains and not to disturb the area.

“In doing so, this ensures vital evidence is preserved, along with being respectful of those who were here before us,” the statement said.

The Dakota had settlements along Leech Lake going back to the 1600s and the Ojibwe bands started moving into the area in the middle and late-1700s. The first treaty that created the reservation in the area was created in 1855.

Drained by the headwaters of the Mississippi River, the area is generally swampy. With some 40 wild rice producing lakes, it has the largest natural wild rice production of any of the State's reservations.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.