JENKS] PROPERTY-RIGHT IN WILD RICE 1073 
quently unite their labors and divide the product according to some 
prearranged agreement or social custom. It must not be lost sight 
of, however, that if the food of any worthy family fails, the entire 
food supply of the social group is available to make up the deficiency. 
Chief Pokagon writes of wild rice among the Pottawatomi: ‘* Our 
people always divide everything when want comes to the door.” ' 
Among many North American Indian tribes, especially those culti- 
vating fields of maize, certain harvest lands are set aside by the tribe, 
in which the family has a sort of fee tail. In general, it may be said 
that such a family controls for its own use, but not for disposal in 
any way, definite harvest lands for stated periods of time, provided it 
comply with certain requirements—usually those of cultivation. 
Marquette reported something similar among the Dakota in 1671. 
They divided the wild-rice fields so that each could gather his crop 
separately without trespassing upon his neighbor’s rights. Wild rice 
‘“‘qwils partagent entr’eux, pour y faire la récolte chacun a part, sans 
empiéter les uns sur Jes autres.” 
Among the Ojibwa Indians property right is quite generally recog- 
nized in wild rice. It seems to be due not to tribal allotment, but to 
preoccupation. Certain harvest fields are habitually visited by fami- 
lies which eventually take up their temporary or permanent abode 
at or near the fields. No one disputes their ownership, unless an 
enemy from another tribe, in which case might establishes right. The 
field or crop is sometimes distinguished by a personal mark, as is 
shown in the following cases. Carver said that after having tied the 
bunches they went to gather the crop, *‘ when each family having its 
feperate allotment, and being able to diftinguifh their own property 
by the manner of faftening the fheaves, gathers in the portion that 
belongs to them.”* Ellis referred to a similar custom at Green bay. 
He spoke of twisting the standing stalks into bunches, and says: ** This 
gives the party twisting the bunches, a kind of pre-emption to so 
much of the rice, which before was all common.”* Schoolcraft, in 
speaking in a general way of wild rice gathering in Michigan, Wis- 
consin, Lowa, Minnesota, and the upper Mississippi and Missouri val- 
leys, said that the places where each family is to gather are generally 
selected and known beforehand.‘ Of course, if one has sowed a field, 
no one, unless a tribal enemy, would think of disputing the owner- 
ship of the sower, and such rice beds fall to the kin, as would personal 
property. 
Amounts oF Witp Rick HarvestED 
The primitive Indians do not take production very seriously. Indeed, 
they do not take it seriously enough for their own welfare, for often 
they are in want in an unnecessarily short time after the harvest. In 

1 Pokagon, letter, November 16, 1898. $ Ellis, Recollections, p. 265. 
2Carver, Travels, p. 523. 4Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, vol. 11, p. 62 et seq. 
