Artist

Maker Unknown

Title of Work

Knocking Sticks

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image preview

Medium

Wood engragving

Collection/Provenance

Merry Claymore Ketterling Collection, American Indian Studies Department

Status

Temporarily Stored; ISO BOX 6

Location

American Indian Studies Office

Additional Information

Historically a staple of American Indian sustenance, wild rice remains an important food source for some Native peoples. It is most plentiful in the upper regions of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Growing in shallow water of lakes and streams, it is harvested in early autumn. The knocking sticks were utilized during wild-rice harvesting season to knock wild rice grains off the plants and into a boat. A birch basket was used for winnowing, a traditional agricultural method for separating grain from chaff.

Condition

very good

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