Feature Article September 16, 2004
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The Special Gift
by Kathleen Airdrie 
Manomin. The wild rice. Seeds waiting in the water'smud bottom during winter. Floating leaves upon the surface mid summer. Tall, graceful stalks, gem-like flowers, seeds swelling and ripening. Harvest time!
During the early 1930's when he was a young man, Fred Antoine received word that Bill Beaver wanted him to travel from Sharbot Lake and meet him at his
cabin on the Mississippi River near the wild rice fields. Fred walked 'the trail' and located the canoe that Bill left for him on the shore. Years later, he recalled the first time that he saw and paddled through the tall stalks. "I knew it was special, very special."Bill Beaver was a man of many places. He had family members at the Alderville Reserve, but preferred to travel the open waters and trails and to visit with folks along the way. His stories are legendary, and most people who lived in this area during his lifetime remember him well.
During that long ago summer's day when Fred Antoine arrived at Bill's home, he learned that Bill had decided that it was time for him to participate in the wild rice harvest.
They ate some homemade bread, drank some tea, then went on the river for catfish. Fred happily recalled that venture. "I was in the back of the canoe and did mostly ducking because Bill, who did not use a worm bob, was in constant motion. With two poles, one on each side, he caught the fish, threw the line back, and before I could remove the catch, he had another one on the other line. It didn't take long for us to have a good amount of fish for our breakfast.
"Early the next day, after our good meal, we joined with many other people and I started to learn about the rice. I'll always remember that time."
There are many stories related to the origins of the wild rice fields at Mud Lake in the Mississippi River. Fred believed that there could be some truth to each of them and that in all likelihood their presence was one of the reasons for people to travel to that area before recorded time. He remembered well that during some lean years when the growth was sparse they gathered seeds to replant.
Some years ago Mary Debo (1917-1989), daughter of Bill Beaver, kindly responded to our questions about her childhood and her family. When Fred asked her about the wild rice on the river, she told us about a special time in her life when, prior to her marriage at age sixteen, her father planted a large amount of wild rice seeds that he'd brought from Alderville on Rice Lake.
The people of Alderville have, for generations, gathered wild rice and replanted it on the river and in other areas, especially since construction of the Trent-Severn Waterway flooded the large fields near their homes.
Fred Antoine, who had a true affinity for all things natural, loved the harvesting and the processing of our special gift. During his last years he gladly shared his knowledge and his wisdom with young people who expressed interest in learning about their heritage. It was a time of good friendship, good humour and lessons well learned, especially, we hope, that of gathering wild rice only for planting during the years of sparse growth.
Fred and I thoroughly enjoyed our times 'in the quiet' of the river, and during our first day of harvesting together, while we sat on the shore, I told him about my first sighting of the wild rice fields.
"I watched a small flock of ducks take flight and a Great Blue Heron travel towards the far shore. Then, in a borrowed canoe, I paddled a short distance into the field, and paused to photograph my surroundings and to savour the wonderful feelings of peace that enveloped me. Back on the shore, I sensed the presence of the ancestors who had gathered here. It was as though I could hear their paddles in the water."
Fred smiled, and together we sat quietly and we listened.
