Conserve Staff Make Wild Rice Winnowing Baskets

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Conserve School students will have the opportunity this semester to harvest, thresh, winnow, and parch wild rice under the tutelage of Roger LaBine, an expert on wild rice habitat and traditional Ojibwe harvesting and processing practices.  Roger, a member of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, based in Watersmeet, Michigan, has visited Conserve School previously to show students how wild rice — actually a grass —  is prepared after harvesting, and to coach them as they danced on the rice in moccasins to loosen the seed husks. This year, Roger will be teaching students how to harvest wild rice in canoes: one student will stand in the back of the canoe,  using a long pole to push through rice beds in shallow lake water; the other student will kneel in the bow, using two wooden sticks to bend the rice stalks over the canoe and knock the mature seeds off the stalk.

A few days ago, during the second week of our staff summer in-service, Roger and his colleague Charlie Fox visited Conserve School to teach staff members how to prepare some of the tools the students will use during the experience: traditional winnowing baskets made of birch bark, and ricing sticks, or knockers, made from lightweight wood.

Take a look at the accompanying photos to see Conserve School staff members concentrating on their task as they examine pieces of birch bark for holes (not good, because the rice will fall through), punch holes in the birch bark with an awl, sew up seams with artificial sinew, and finish their baskets with willow rims.

Roger and Charlie were patient teachers, frequently coming to our rescue when the birch bark threatened to split or refused to bend into the proper shape. Their work restoring wild rice habitat and teaching students and community members traditional methods of harvesting and processing wild rice is supported by grants from a variety of environmental stewardship organizations, including the Stewardship Network.

Mary Anna Thornton, Assistant Head of School

Roger LaBine, an expert on wild rice habitat and traditional methods of processing and harvesting the native grass, teaches Conserve School staff members.

Spanish Teacher/Academic Dean Kathleen O’Connor and Graduate Fellow Heather Lumpkin select pieces of birch bark that have been soaked in lake water to make them flexible.

Kathleen holds a piece of birch bark up to the light to check for holes.

Charlie Fox, a colleague of Roger LaBine, assists Director of Residential Life and Outdoor Programs Cathy Palmer and Graduate Fellow Program Coordinator Fran McReynolds.

Cathy trims her birch bark.

Graduate Fellow Amy Nosal shapes the birch bark into a shallow bowl shape.

Robert Eady, Science and Art Teacher, watches as Roger LaBine demonstrates how to shape the birch bark.

Roger listens as Amy poses a question.

Graduate Fellow Julia Dodd concentrates as she shapes her basket.

Roger gives some pointers on sewing birch bark to Cathy and Amy.

Math Teacher Arjen Krijgsman shares a good work spot with Fran: the unfinished dug-out canoe students will be working on this semester.

Julia sews her basket as I trim mine.

Little Donahue Lake, behind Arjen, is smooth as glass.

I’m working my sheet of birch bark into a basket shape and using clothespins to hold the nips and tucks together before sewing.

Heather sews up one side of her basket.

Robert uses an awl to punch holes for sewing.

Julia sews one side of her basket.

Fran listens as Roger gives advice to the group.

Charlie takes a look at the progress Jean Haack, Stewardship Coordinator, has made on her basket.

Robert looks over at Heather’s work.

Heather begins to put the finishing touches on her basket.

Roger helps Cathy with a difficult bit of sewing; the birch bark has to be handled gently because it tears easily.

Roger helps Cathy as she ties off one end.

Staff members enjoy one another’s company as they work together on the student path between the main academic building and Little Donahue Lake.

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