The Mide'wiwin or "Grand Medicine Society" of the Ojibwa Part 18

priest lowest in order of precedence begins to utter quick, deep tones, resembling the sound ho', ho', ho', ho', ho', at the same time grasping his mide' sack with both hands, as if it were a gun, and moving it in a serpentine and interrupted manner toward one of the large joints of the candidate's arms or legs. At the last utterance of this sound he produces a quick puff with the breath and thrusts the bag forward as if shooting, which he pretends to do, the missile being supposed to be the invisible sacred mi'gis. The other priests follow in order from the lowest to the highest, each selecting a different joint, during which ordeal the candidate trembles more and more violently until at last he is overcome with the magic influence and falls forward upon the ground unconscious. The Mide' priests then lay their sacks upon his back, when the candidate begins to recover and spit out the mi'gis sh.e.l.l which he had previously hidden within his mouth. Then the chief Mide' takes it up between the tips of the forefinger and thumb and goes through the ceremony described in connection with the initiation into the first degree, of holding it toward the east, south, west, north, and the sky, and finally to the mouth of the candidate, when the latter, who has partly recovered from his apparently insensible condition, again relapses into that state. The eight priests then place their sacks to the respective joints at which they previously directed them, which fully infuses the body with the magic influence as desired. Upon this the candidate recovers, takes up the mi'gis sh.e.l.l and, placing it upon his left palm, holds it forward and swings it from side to side, saying he! he! he! he! he! and pretends to swallow it, this time only reeling from its effects. He is now restored to a new life for the second time; and as the priests go to seek seats he is left on the southern side and seats himself. After all those who have been occupied with the initiation have hung up their mide' sacks on available projections against the wall or branches, the new member goes forward to the pile of tobacco, blankets, and other gifts and divides them among those present, giving the larger portions to the officiating priests. He then pa.s.ses around once more, stopping before each one to pa.s.s his hands over the sides of the priests' heads, and says:

Mi-gwetsh' ga-s.h.i.+-to'-win bi-ma'-di-si-win, Thanks for giving to me life,

after which he retreats a step, and clasping his hands and bowing toward the priest, says:

Ni-ka'-ni ni-ka'ni ni-ka'-ni ka-nia', fellow mide' fellow mide' fellow mide',

to which each responds hau', en. The word hau' is a term of approbation, en signifying yes, or affirmation, the two thus used together serving to intensify the expression. Those of the Mide' present who are of the second, or even some higher degree, then indulge in the ceremony of pa.s.sing around to the eastern part of the inclosure, where they feign coughing and gagging, so as to produce from the mouth the mi'gis sh.e.l.l, as already narrated in connection with the first degree, p. 192.

This manner of thanking the officiating Mide' for their services in initiating the candidate into a higher degree is extended also to those members of the Mide'wiwin who are of the first degree only, in acknowledgment of the favor of their presence at the ceremony, they being eligible to attend ceremonial rites of any degree higher than the cla.s.s to which they belong, because such men are neither benefited nor influenced in any way by merely witnessing such initiation, but they must themselves take the princ.i.p.al part in it to receive the favor of a renewed life and to become possessed of higher power and increased magic influence.

Various members of the society indulge in short harangues, recounting personal exploits in the performance of magic and exorcism, to which the auditors respond in terms of gratification and exclamations of approval.

During these recitals the ushers, appointed for the purpose, leave the inclosure by the western door to return in a short time with kettles of food prepared for the mide' feast. The ushers make four circuits of the interior, giving to each person present a quant.i.ty of the contents of the several vessels, so that all receive sufficient to gratify their desires. When the last of the food has been consumed, or removed, the mide' drum is heard, and soon a song is started, in which all who desire join. After the first two or three verses of the song are recited, a short interval of rest is taken, but when it is resumed dancing begins and is continued to the end. In this manner they indulge in singing and dancing, interspersed with short speeches, until the approach of sunset, when the members retire to their own wig'iwams, leaving the Mide'-wigan by the western egress.

The ushers, a.s.sisted by the chief Mide', then remove the sacred post from the inclosure and arrange the interior for new initiations, either of a lower or higher cla.s.s, if candidates have prepared and presented themselves. In case there is no further need of meeting again at once, the members of the society and visitors return upon the following day to their respective homes.

DESCRIPTIVE NOTES.

The mi'gis sh.e.l.l employed in the second degree initiation is of the same species as those before mentioned. At White Earth, however, some of the priests claim an additional sh.e.l.l as characteristic of this advanced degree, and insist that this should be as nearly round as possible, having a perforation through it by which it may be secured with a strand or sinew. In the absence of a rounded white sh.e.l.l a bead may be used as a subst.i.tute. On Pl. XI, No. 4, is presented an ill.u.s.tration of the bead (the second-degree mi'gis) presented to me on the occasion of my initiation.

With reference to the style of facial decoration resorted to in this degree nearly all of the members now paint the face according to their own individual tastes, though a few old men still adhere to the traditional method previously described (pp. 180, 181). The candidate usually adopts the style practiced by his preceptor, to which he is officially ent.i.tled; but if the preceptor employed in the preparatory instruction for the second degree be not the same individual whose services were retained for the first time, then the candidate has the privilege of painting his face according to the style of the preceding degree. If he follow his last preceptor it is regarded as an exceptional token of respect, and the student is not expected to follow the method in his further advancement.

A Mide' of the second degree is also governed by his tutelary daimon; e.g., if during the first fast and vision he saw a bear, he now prepares a necklace of bear-claws, which is worn about the neck and crosses the middle of the breast. He now has the power of changing his form into that of a bear; and during that term of his disguise he wreaks vengeance upon his detractors and upon victims for whose destruction he has been liberally rewarded. Immediately upon the accomplishment of such an act he resumes his human form and thus escapes identification and detection.

Such persons are termed by many "bad medicine men," and the practice of thus debasing the sacred teachings of the Mide'wiwin is discountenanced by members of the society generally. Such pretensions are firmly believed in and acknowledged by the credulous and are practiced by that cla.s.s of Shamans here designated as the Wabeno'.

In his history[15] Rev. Mr. Jones says:

As the powwows always unite witchcraft with the application of their medicines I shall here give a short account of this curious art.

Witches and wizards are persons supposed to possess the agency of familiar spirits from whom they receive power to inflict diseases on their enemies, prevent good luck of the hunter and the success of the warrior. They are believed to fly invisibly at pleasure from place to place; to turn themselves into bears, wolves, foxes, owls, bats, and snakes. Such metamorphoses they pretend to accomplish by putting on the skins of these animals, at the same time crying and howling in imitation of the creature they wish to represent. Several of our people have informed me that they have seen and heard witches in the shape of these animals, especially the bear and the fox. They say that when a witch in the shape of a bear is being chased all at once she will run round a tree or a hill, so as to be lost sight of for a time by her pursuers, and then, instead of seeing a bear they behold an old woman walking quietly along or digging up roots, and looking as innocent as a lamb. The fox witches are known by the flame of fire which proceeds out of their mouths every time they bark.

Many receive the name of witches without making any pretensions to the art, merely because they are deformed or ill-looking. Persons esteemed witches or wizards are generally eccentric characters, remarkably wicked, of a ragged appearance and forbidding countenance. The way in which they are made is either by direct communication with the familiar spirit during the days of their fasting, or by being instructed by those skilled in the art.

[Footnote 15: History of the Ojebway Indians, etc., London (1843?), pp. 145, 146.]

A Mide' of the second degree has the reputation of superior powers on account of having had the mi'gis placed upon all of his joints, and especially because his heart is filled with magic power, as is shown in Pl. III, No. 48. In this drawing the disk upon the breast denotes where the mi'gis has been "shot" into the figure, the enlarged size of the circle signifying "greater abundance," in contradistinction to the common designation of a mi'gis shown only by a simple spot or small point. One of this cla.s.s is enabled to hear and see what is transpiring at a remote distance, the lines from the hands indicating that he is enabled to grasp objects which are beyond the reach of a common person, and the lines extending from the feet signifying that he can traverse s.p.a.ce and transport himself to the most distant points. Therefore he is sought after by hunters for aid in the discovery and capture of game, for success in war, and for the destruction of enemies, however remote may be their residence.

When an enemy or a rival is to be dealt with a course is pursued similar to that followed when preparing hunting charts, though more powerful magic medicines are used. In the following description of a pictograph recording such an occurrence the Mide', or rather the Wabeno', was of the fourth degree of the Mide'wiwin. The indication of the grade of the operator is not a necessary part of the record, but in this instance appears to have been prompted from motives of vanity. The original sketch, of which Fig. 24 is a reproduction, was drawn upon birch-bark by a Mide', in 1884, and the ceremony detailed actually occurred at White Earth, Minnesota. By a strange coincidence the person against whom vengeance was aimed died of pneumonia the following spring, the disease having resulted from cold contracted during the preceding winter. The victim resided at a camp more than a hundred miles east of the locality above named, and his death was attributed to the Mide''s power, a reputation naturally procuring for him many new adherents and disciples.

The following is the explanation as furnished by a Mide' familiar with the circ.u.mstances:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 24.--Mide' destroying an enemy.]

No. 1 is the author of the chart, a Mide' who was called upon to take the life of a man living at a distant camp. The line extending from the mide' to the figure at No. 9, signifies that his influence will reach to that distance.

No. 2, the applicant for a.s.sistance.

Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, represent the four degrees of the Mide'wiwin (of which the operator, in this instance, was a member). The degrees are furthermore specifically designated by short vertical strokes.

No. 7 is the mide' drum used during the ceremony of preparing the charm.

No. 8 represents the body of the intended victim. The heart is indicated, and upon this spot was rubbed a small quant.i.ty of vermilion.

No. 9 is the outline of a lake, where the subject operated upon resided.

War parties are not formed at this time, but mnemonic charts of songs used by priests to encourage war parties, are still extant, and a reproduction of one is given on Pl. XIII, D. This song was used by the Mide' priest to insure success to the parties. The members who intended partic.i.p.ating in the exhibition would meet on the evening preceding their departure, and while listening to the words, some would join in the singing while others would dance. The lines may be repeated ad libitum so as to lengthen the entire series of phrases according to the prevalent enthusiasm and the time at the disposal of the performers. The war drum was used, and there were always five or six drummers so as to produce sufficient noise to accord with the loud and animated singing of a large body of excited men. This drum is, in size, like that employed for dancing. It is made by covering with rawhide an old kettle, or wooden vessel, from 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The drum is then attached to four sticks, or short posts, so as to prevent its touching the ground, thus affording every advantage for producing full and resonant sounds, when struck. The drumsticks are strong withes, at the end of each of which is fastened a ball of buckskin thongs. The following lines are repeated ad libitum:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate XIV.

Mnemonic Songs.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Hu'-na-wa'-na ha'-wa, un-do'-dzhe-na' ha-we'-ne.

I am looking [feeling] for my paint.

[The Mide's hands are at his medicine sack searching for his war paint.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Hia'-dzhi-min-de' non'-da-ko', ho', They hear me speak of legs.

[Refers to speed in the expedition. To the left of the leg is the arm of a spirit, which is supposed to infuse magic influence so as to give speed and strength.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Hu'-wa-ke', na', ha', He said, [The Turtle Man'ido will lend his aid in speed. The turtle was one of the swiftest man'idos, until through some misconduct, Min'abo'zho deprived him of his speed.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Wa'-tshe, ha', hwe, wa'-ka-te', he', wa'-tshe, ha', hwe'.

Powder, he said.

[The modern form of Wa'-ka-te', he', hwa', is ma'-ka-de'-hwa; other archaic words occur also in other portions of this song. The phrase signifies that the Mide' Man'ido favors good results from the use of powder. His form projects from the top of the Mide' structure.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Rest. A smoke is indulged in after which the song is resumed, accompanied with dancing.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Sin-go'-na wa-ki' na-ha'-ka I made him cry.

[The figure is that of a turkey buzzard which the speaker shot.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Te-wa'-ts.h.i.+-me-kwe'-na, ha', na-ke'-nan.

They tell of my powers.

[The people speak highly of the singer's magic powers; a charmed arrow is shown which terminates above with feather-web ornament, enlarged to signify its greater power.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

He'-we-ne-nis'-sa ma-he'-ka-nen'-na.

What have I killed, it is a wolf.

[By aid of his magic influence the speaker has destroyed a bad man'ido which had a.s.sumed the form of a wolf.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Sun'-gu-we'-wa, ha', nin-den', ts.h.i.+'-man-da'-kwa ha'na-nin-den'.

I am as strong as the bear.

[The Mide' likens his powers to those of the Bear Man'ido, one of the most powerful spirits; his figure protrudes from the top of the Mide'wigan while his spirit form is indicated by the short lines upon the back.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]