The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-10-10
INDIAN RICE PICKERS.
How They Inaugurate the Season
in the Wisconsin Fields
The Exercises Include the Execution and
Mock Eating of a Dog and the WeIIkin
Is Made to Ring by the Red
mems ReveIs.

Up in Chippewa county, Wis, around
the shores of Rice lake, weird fires
break the darkness during the August
nights, and the OCCASIONAL lone white
man, camped in the neighboring wilder
ness, hears, apparently emanating from
the flames, unearthly kinds of noises,
echoing over the waters. This is the
season of the year the Chippewa In
dians come down from their settlement
on Sand lake to pick the wild rice
which grows in profusion at Rice lake,
about ten miles from the village of
Cartwright.
Hundreds of braves and squaws and
papooses assemble on the borders of
the lake, and the night is sometimes
made hideous with their historic dances
and revelries, says the Chippewa Falls
Herald. Last season the rice picking
was inaugurated with the most solemn
dance in the traditions of the tribe
the dog dance. 1t requires a milk
white dog for the occasion, whose sac
rifice is demanded before the dance can
proceed, and while the animals blood
is flowing from the wound which
causes its death, the dance is begun
and continues with the greatest fervor
until the dog has breathed its last. The
carcass is afterward baked in a boiling
pot of water and the Indians, after GO
ing through an imitation of feasting
on the remains, bury it with exagger-
ated ceremonies.
The next day rice-picking is COM
menced, and to those who never wit
messed the mode of gathering the seed
tainly interesting. Several of the
tribe take a canoe, and while one pad
dies around through the rice fields, the
others knock the seeds from the heads
into the bottom of the boat. After q
load is obtained it is rowed to shore,
where others await it to take charge
of the touring" operations. 1t is
thrown into a large kettle, which
stands over blazing fire, and is al
lowed to bake there until turned into a
beautiful brown. Then another set of
workers take charge of it, and it is sub
jected to the stamping" operation. At
this part of the proceedings the spec
;ators are liable to become a little dis
gusted with the work. The rice is
.owered in deer skin into pit in the
earth, and swarthy Indian, stripped
to the waist, jumps into the hole and
commences to stamp with all his
might. If he sees a doubtful express
sion on the faces of those not familiar
with this method of cleaning the rice
he treasures them with the statement
that his feet are heap clean, wash
'em good before getting in,'' and goes
on with the arduous exercise amid
clouds of dust. After the foreign sub
stances are thus removed it is set
away in baskets, ready for the market.
The rice is sold to stores and private
families for ten cents a pound. About
six hundred bushels are CLEANED yearly
and the tribe is amply repaid for its
trouble in gathering and preparing it.
This year the yield has not been SO
large as it has been in former seasons.
The plant is said to be gradually dying
out, owing to the manner in which the
Indians gather it, and it may require
only few seasons more to kill it eff
fectually. The land on which it stands
is owned by Menominee company and
is donated to the Chippewa tribe for
the picking.
After the rice season is over cranber-
rying commences, and several weeks
employment is obtained on the marshes
near Cartwright.