1090 WILD RICE GATHERERS OF UPPER LAKES (ETH. ANN.19 
October. All of these synonyms, except that in the Menomini 
language, are clearly from the same root terms, viz, mano'’min, wild 
rice,.and /eez/s or gisiss, moon or month, 
In the language of the Dakota Indians, two moons, roughly corre- 
sponding to our September and October, have received their names 
from wild rice. September is called Psin-na-ke-tu-wee, or **the ripe- 
rice moon,” and October is designated Wa-zu-pee-wee, or Wee-wa-2u- 
gathered and laid up for winter.”? 
Neill* gives the following synonyms for the same months: September 
“the moon when rice is laid up to dry,” and 
October is Wi-wajup?, or Wazupi-wi, ‘*the drying-rice moon.” As 
early as 1828 Beltrami® cited the names for these two months. One 
of the words given by him is clearly a synonym of the above and the 
other is apparently so. As this author is an Italian it is easy to see 
that the difference may be due largely to spelling. However, he con- 
fused the words and called September Was/pi-ow2, ‘*the moon of oats,” 
and October Sezwostapi-our, ‘the second moon of oats.” Long gives 
Wajopi we or “*commencement of wild rice” as the name for Sep- 
tember; and Stushtaupl we or ‘end of wild rice” as the name for 
October. Wewakhikshoo is also given as meaning ‘*the moon when 
the wild rice is ripe.”° 
Thus, with the three great branches of the Algonquian stock in the 
district of the upper lakes—the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi—the 
autumnal harvest of wild rice was so important an event that at least 
one month was named from it. This is true also of the smaller tribe 
of the same stock, the Menomini, while the Dakota, of the Siouan 
stock, were so influenced in their household economy by this grain 
that two of their autumn months bear its name. 
pee, “the moon when wild rice is 
is Psinhnaketu-wi, ov 

Wixtp Rick 1x InpIAN CEREMONY AND MyTHOLOGY 
The mythology of primitive people is usually an attempted explana- 
tion of phenomena, and for the purposes of comparison much credit 
may be attached to it. The following facts have been collected which 
show at what relative periods some of the Indians came into possession 
of wild rice. The first totem of the Menomini Indians was the Bear; 
consequently Bear is the name of the chief phratry. This bear came 
from the earth at Minikanisepe (Menomini river) between the upper 
peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin, where the Bear phratry lone 
resided. The second totem was the Eagle, which was at the head of 
the Big Thunder phratry, dwelling at Lake Winnebago. The Good 
Mystery made this phratry the laborers; they also brought rain. 

1Gordon, Winona, p. 134, note. % Beltrami, Sources of the Mississippi, ii, p. 274. 
“Neill, History of Minnesota, p. 86. 4Long, Narrative, vol. 1, p. 422. 
Atwater, Indians, p. 170. This author says that the ‘' Dacotas reckon time by Junations,” but he 
mentions only seven months. 
