JENKS] WILD-RICE TALES 1093 
of the Big Thunder phratry, the second phratry of the Menomini 
tribe. The world mission of this eagle, whom Miéi’niibush had also 
changed into an Indian, was to bring rain, and fire, and maize to 
men. When Shekatcheke’nau saw the eagle, he said, **I am glad to 
receive you. You will always stand by me. You will always be my 
warrior. You see everything—the river with fish, the beds of wild 
rice, everything—I turn all of these over to you.” When the wild 
rice was ripe in the fall, the eagles, all decorated with feathers, had 
their canoes and rice sticks ready. After they had gathered four 
canoe loads, a thunderstorm came. It destroyed all of the grain 
which had not been gathered, and spoiled the beautiful feathers on 
the heads of the eagles. Then Wishki’no said to Shekatcheke’nau, 
‘Tt won’t do for you to give me the wild rice, for wherever I go there 
is thunder, and wind, and rain. I will give it all back to you, and 
you'd better control it always.” So after that when rice harvest 
‘ame Shekatcheke’nau called all of his people together, and they made 
a feast, and smoked, and asked the Great Spirit to give them fair 
weather during the harvest. Since then there has always been a fine, 
stormless harvest season. 
It is remembered that Mi’nibush told Shekatcheke’nau that he 
would always have wild rice. This fact has so influenced the Meno- 
mini Indians that they will not sow the grain. If the Great Spirit 
wants them to have it, it will grow of itself. According to their tra- 
ditions, when the tribe moved from Menominee river to Lake Winne- 
bago and vicinity, no wild rice grew there, but it soon came to supply 
their wants; Lake Poyganeven being named by them. It is called ** Po- 
wa-hé’-ciinné” or ‘threshing [or] striking [wild rice].” Mr Gauthier, 
who was government interpreter for over forty years among the 
Menomini, said, in 1899, that the Indian agent who removed the tribe 
in 1852 from the vicinity of Lake Winnebago to their present reserya- 
tion, desired them to gather wild rice and sow it in their new home. 
At each council he sought to induce them, but they unanimously 
refused. Nio’pet, the very intelligent chief of the tribe, says that 
when they came to their present home, wild rice grew only in scatter- 
ing stalks in Shawano lake. In about ten years it was plentiful, and 
has been their annual harvest field since. He also says that it has 
nearly died out in the vicinity of Lake Winnebago, where previously 
they gathered it in great quantities. Then the old chief asked 
Why?” and smiled satisfiedly as though he knew. 
Among the Ojibwa of Wisconsin wild rice is frequently spoken 
of in folktales. Generally it does not characterize these stories, but 
is mentioned as any other natural product might be. However, two 
tales were found among the Wenibojo’ stories at Lac Courte Oreille 
reservation which explain the discovery of wild rice. Wenibojo’, 
the mythic personage of the Ojibwa Indians (the same as Mi/niibush 
