1060 WILD RICE GATHERERS OF UPPER LAKES (ETH, ANN. 19 
woman reaches out around the stalks with a curved stick and hauls 
them toward the side of the canoe (see figure 47). Both this sickle- 
shaped stick and her hands are employed to form the stalks into a bunch. 
When the bunch is formed the woman reaches up to her shoulder and 
pulls over the bark string, which passes from the ball behind her 
through a loop on the back of her dress immediately below the shoulder. 
While holding the stalks with one hand, she lays the string down alone 
the bunch for several inches, and, suddenly checking this movement, 
begins rapidly to wind the string around the stalks toward their tops. 
In this way she makes secure the lower end of the fastening by put- 
ting several wrappings of the string around it. She winds the stalks 

Fic. 47—Sickle-shape sticks used to draw the stalks within reach for tying. 
for about 2 feet, and then bends the top of the bunch over in the 
form A and fastens it to the upright part by a single loop and single 
knot of the string, which is then cut with a knife, and the tying proc- 
ess is completed. These bunches are usually 3 feet long from the 
lowest wrapping to the top of the stalks, but the stalks are usually 
not tied closer than 10 or 12 inches to the ends. Such long bunches 
are made necessary by the uneven length of the stalks. The fruit 
heads are quite uniformly 1 foot long. Probably one-half of the ker- 
nels are securely wrapped with the string, while the others, at the top 
of the stalks, are kept from jarring out by the steady support of the 
bunch. As much as 8, 10, and 12 feet of the string is used to tie a 
single sheaf. 
