Jim Northrup "Ricing Again"

This is the second piece of Jim Northrup's that I have read that deals with harvesting rice. So obviously this is a huge part of his tribe's culture. In this short story the main character, Jim, and his new rice harvesting partner, Dolly, go ricing with the other members of their community, the majority of which are Luke's relatives. Harvesting rice is a communal ritual, something that brings relatives together and is a time to appreciate the joy and abundance of life and to be thankful for a good harvest. Luke lives on a reservation, and it is common knowledge among many people that alcohol abuse is very common on Native American reservations. Luke wakes up to morning of the harvesting with a major headache from drinking too much the night before. His partner Dolly is feeling the same way. However, they manage to have a successful harvest and Luke's interests spike in his new harvesting partner. This story shows how traditions, like ricing, keep communities and families well connected on the reservations and how essential ricing is to this culture.