teen to twenty families
to a lake, depending upon the size of the harvest. Some of the Indians
hunted buffalo upon the prairie at this season, but there were more who
preferred to go to the lakes to gather wild rice, fish, gather berries
and hunt the deer. There was an abundance of water-fowls among the
grain; and really no season of the year was happier than this.

The camping-ground was usually an attractive spot, with shade and cool
breezes off the water. The people, while they pitched their teepees upon
the heights, if possible, for the sake of a good outlook, actually lived
in their canoes upon the placid waters. The happiest of all, perhaps,
were the young maidens, who were all day long in their canoes, in twos
or threes, and when tired of gathering the wild cereal, would sit in the
boats doing their needle-work.

These maidens learned to imitate the calls of the different water-fowls
as a sort of signal to the members of a group. Even the old women and
the boys adopted signals, so that while the population of the village
was lost to sight in a thick field of wild rice, a meeting could be
arranged without calling any one by his or her own name. It was a great
convenience for those young men who sought opportunity to meet certain
maidens, for there were many canoe paths through the rice.

August is the harvest month. There were many preliminary feasts of fish,
ducks and venison, and offerings in honor of the "Water Chief," so
that there might not be any drowning accident during the harvest. The
preparation consisted of a series of feasts and offerings for many days,
while women and men were making birch canoes, for nearly every member
of the family must be provided with one for this occasion. The blueberry
and huckleberry-picking also preceded the rice-gathering.

There were social events which enlivened the camp of the harvesters;
such as maidens' feasts, dances and a canoe regatta or two, in which not
only the men were participants, but women and young girls as well.

On the appointed day all the canoes were carried to the shore and placed
upon the water with prayer and propitiatory offerings. Each family took
possession of the allotted field, and tied all the grain in bundles of
convenient size, allowing it to stand for a few days. Then they again
entered the lake, assigning two persons to each canoe. One manipulated
the paddle, while the foremost one gently drew the heads of each bundle
toward him and gave