The Mide'wiwin or "Grand Medicine Society" of the Ojibwa Part 3

The ill.u.s.tration presented in Pl. III C represents the outlines of a birch-bark record (reduced to one-third) found among the effects of a lately deceased Mide' from Leech Lake, Minnesota. This record, together with a number of other curious articles, composed the outfit of the Mide', but the Rev. James A. Gilfillan of White Earth, through whose courtesy I was permitted to examine the objects, could give me no information concerning their use. Since that time, however, I have had an opportunity of consulting with one of the chief priests of the Leech Lake Society, through whom I have obtained some interesting data concerning them.

The chart represents the owner to have been a Mide' of the second degree, as indicated by the two outlines of the respective structures at Nos. 1 and 2, the place of the sacred posts being marked at Nos. 3 and 4. Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are Mide' priests holding their Mide' bags as in the ceremony of initiation. The disks represented at Nos. 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 denote the sacred drum, which may be used by him during his initiation, while Nos. 14, 15, 16, and 17 denote that he was one of the four officiating priests of the Mide'wigan at his place of residence.

Each of these figures is represented as holding their sacred bags as during the ceremonies. No. 18 denotes the path he has been pursuing since he became a Mide', while at Nos. 19 and 20 diverging lines signify that his course is beset with temptations and enemies, as referred to in the description of the Red Lake chart, Pl. III A.

The remaining objects found among the effects of the Mide' referred to will be described and figured hereafter.

The diagram represented on Pl. IV is a reduced copy of a record made by Sikas'sige, a Mille Lacs Ojibwa Mide' of the second degree, now resident at White Earth.

The chart ill.u.s.trating pictorially the general plan of the several degrees is a copy of a record in the possession of the chief Mide' at Mille Lacs in 1830, at which time Sikas'sige, at the age of 10 years, received his first degree. For a number of years thereafter Sikas'sige received continued instruction from his father Baie'dzhek, and although he never publicly received advancement beyond the second degree of the society, his wife became a fourth degree priestess, at whose initiation he was permitted to be present.

Since his residence at White Earth Sikas'sige has become one of the officiating priests of the society at that place. One version given by him of the origin of the Indians is presented in the following tradition, a pictorial representation having also been prepared of which Pl. V is a reduced copy:

In the beginning, Dzhe Man'ido (No. 1), made the Mide' Man'idos. He first created two men (Nos. 2 and 3), and two women (Nos. 4 and 5); but they had no power of thought or reason. Then Dzhe Man'ido (No. 1) made them rational beings. He took them in his hands so that they should multiply; he paired them, and from this sprung the Indians.

When there were people he placed them upon the earth, but he soon observed that they were subject to sickness, misery, and death, and that unless he provided them with the Sacred Medicine they would soon become extinct.

Between the position occupied by Dzhe Man'ido and the earth were four lesser spirits (Nos. 6, 7, 8, and 9) with whom Dzhe Man'ido decided to commune, and to impart to them the mysteries by which the Indians could be benefited. So he first spoke to a spirit at No. 6, and told him all he had to say, who in turn communicated the same information to No. 7, and he in turn to No. 8, who also communed with No. 9. They all met in council, and determined to call in the four wind G.o.ds at Nos. 10, 11, 12, and 13. After consulting as to what would be best for the comfort and welfare of the Indians, these spirits agreed to ask Dzhe Man'ido to communicate the Mystery of the Sacred Medicine to the people.

Dzhe Man'ido then went to the Sun Spirit (No. 14) and asked him to go to the earth and instruct the people as had been decided upon by the council. The Sun Spirit, in the form of a little boy, went to the earth and lived with a woman (No. 15) who had a little boy of her own.

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

Origin of ani's.h.i.+na'beg.]

This family went away in the autum to hunt, and during the winter this woman's son died. The parents were so much distressed that they decided to return to the village and bury the body there; so they made preparations to return, and as they traveled along, they would each evening erect several poles upon which the body was placed to prevent the wild beasts from devouring it. When the dead boy was thus hanging upon the poles, the adopted child--who was the Sun Spirit--would play about the camp and amuse himself, and finally told his adopted father he pitied him, and his mother, for their sorrow. The adopted son said he could bring his dead brother to life, whereupon the parents expressed great surprise and desired to know how that could be accomplished.

The adopted boy then had the party hasten to the village, when he said, "Get the women to make a wig'iwam of bark (No. 16), put the dead boy in a covering of birch bark and place the body on the ground in the middle of the wig'iwam." On the next morning after this had been done, the family and friends went into this lodge and seated themselves around the corpse.

When they had all been sitting quietly for some time, they saw through the doorway the approach of a bear (No. 17) which gradually came towards the wig'iwam, entered it, and placed itself before the dead body and said hu, hu, hu, hu, when he pa.s.sed around it towards the left side, with a trembling motion, and as he did so, the body began quivering, and the quivering increased as the bear continued until he had pa.s.sed around four times, when the body came to life again and stood up. Then the bear called to the father, who was sitting in the distant right-hand corner of the wig'iwam, and addressed to him the following words:

Nos ka-wi'-na ni'-s.h.i.+-na'-bi wis-si' a'-ya-wi'-an man'-i-do My father is not an Indian not you are a spirit

nin-gi'-sis. Be-mai'-a-mi'-nik ni'-dzhi man'-i-do mi-a-zhi'-gwa son. Insomuch my fellow spirit now

ts.h.i.+-gi-a'-we-an'. Nos a-zhi'-gwa a-se'-ma ts.h.i.+'-a-to'-yek.

as you are. My father now tobacco you shall put.

A'-mi-kun'-dem mi-e'-ta a'-wi-d.i.n.k' dzhi-gosh'-kwi-tot'

He speaks of only once to be able to do it

wen'-dzhi-bi-ma'-di-zid'-o-ma' a-ga'-wa bi-ma-di-zid'-mi-o-ma'; why he shall live here now that he scarcely lives;

ni-dzhi man'-i-do mi-a-zhi'-gwa ts.h.i.+-gi-we'-an.

my fellow spirit now I shall go home.

The little bear boy (No. 17) was the one who did this. He then remained among the Indians (No. 18) and taught them the mysteries of the Grand Medicine (No. 19); and, after he had finished, he told his adopted father that as his mission had been fulfilled he was to return to his kindred spirits, for the Indians would have no need to fear sickness as they now possessed the Grand Medicine which would enable them to live. He also said that his spirit could bring a body to life but once, and he would now return to the sun from which they would feel his influence.

This is called Kwi-wi-sens' we-di'-s.h.i.+-ts.h.i.+ ge-wi-nip-- "Little-boy-his-work."

From subsequent information it was learned that the line No. 22 denotes the earth, and that, being considered as one step in the course of initiation into the Mide'wiwin, three others must be taken before a candidate can be admitted. These steps, or rests, as they are denominated (Nos. 23, 24, and 25), are typified by four distinct gifts of goods, which must be remitted to the Mide' priests before the ceremony can take place.

Nos. 18 and 19 are repet.i.tions of the figures alluded to in the tradition (Nos. 16 and 17) to signify that the candidate must personate the Makwa' Man'ido--Bear Spirit--when entering the Mide'wiwin (No. 19).

No. 20 is the Mide' Man'ido as Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido is termed by the Mide'

priests. The presence of horns attached to the head is a common symbol of superior power found in connection with the figures of human and divine forms in many Mide' songs and other mnemonic records. No. 21 represents the earth's surface, similar to that designated at No. 22.

Upon comparing the preceding tradition of the creation of the Indians with the following, which pertains to the descent to earth of Mi'nabo'zho, there appears to be some discrepancy, which could not be explained by Sikas'sige, because he had forgotten the exact sequence of events; but from information derived from other Mide' it is evident that there have been joined together two myths, the intervening circ.u.mstances being part of the tradition given below in connection with the narrative relating to the chart on Pl. III A.

This chart, which was in possession of the Mille Lacs chief Baie'dzhek, was copied by him from that belonging to his preceptor at La Pointe about the year 1800, and although the traditions given by Sikas'sige is similar to the one surviving at Red Lake, the diagram is an interesting variant for the reason that there is a greater amount of detail in the delineation of objects mentioned in the tradition.

By referring to Pl. IV it will be noted that the circle, No. 1, resembles the corresponding circle at the beginning of the record on Pl.

III, A, with this difference, that the four quarters of the globe inhabited by the Ani's.h.i.+na'beg are not designated between the cardinal points at which the Otter appeared, and also that the central island, only alluded to there (Pl. III A), is here inserted.

The correct manner of arranging the two pictorial records, Pls. III A and IV, is by placing the outline of the earth's surface (Pl. V, No. 21) upon the island indicated in Pl. IV, No. 6, so that the former stands vertically and at right angles to the latter; for the reason that the first half of the tradition pertains to the consultation held between Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido and the four lesser spirits which is believed to have occurred above the earth's surface. According to Sikas'sige the two charts should be joined as suggested in the accompanying ill.u.s.tration, Fig. 2.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 2.--Sikas'sige's combined charts, showing descent of Min'abo'zho.]

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

Ojibwa Facial Decoration.]

Sikas'sige's explanation of the Mille Lacs chart (Pl. IV) is substantially as follows:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 3.--Origin of Ginseng.]

When Mi'nabo'zho descended to the earth to give to the Ani's.h.i.+na'beg the Mide'wiwin, he left with them this chart, Mide'wigwas'. Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido saw that his people on earth were without the means of protecting themselves against disease and death, so he sent Mi'nabo'zho to give to them the sacred gift. Mi'nabo'zho appeared over the waters and while reflecting in what manner he should be able to communicate with the people, he heard something laugh, just as an otter sometimes cries out. He saw something black appear upon the waters in the west (No. 2) which immediately disappeared beneath the surface again. Then it came up at the northern horizon (No. 3), which pleased Mi'nabo'zho, as he thought he now had some one through whom he might convey the information with which he had been charged by Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido. When the black object disappeared beneath the waters at the north to reappear in the east (No. 4), Mi'nabo'zho desired it would come to him in the middle of the waters, but it disappeared to make its reappearance in the south (No. 5), where it again sank out of sight to reappear in the west (No. 2), when Mi'nabo'zho asked it to approach the center where there was an island (No. 6), which it did.

This did Ni'gik, the Otter, and for this reason he is given charge of the first degree of the Mide'wiwin (Nos. 35 and 36) where his spirit always abides during initiation and when healing the sick.

Then Ni'gik asked Mi'nabo'zho, "Why do you come to this place?" When the latter said, "I have pity on the Ani's.h.i.+na'beg and wish to give them life; Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido gave me the power to confer upon them the means of protecting themselves against sickness and death, and through you I will give them the Mide'wiwin, and teach them the sacred rites."

Then Mi'nabo'zho built a Mide'wigan in which he instructed the Otter in all the mysteries of the Mide'wiwin. The Otter sat before the door of the Mide'wigan four days (Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10), sunning himself, after which time he approached the entrance (No. 14), where his progress was arrested (No. 11) by seeing two bad spirits (Nos. 12 and 13) guarding it. Through the powers possessed by Mi'nabo'zho he was enabled to pa.s.s these; when he entered the sacred lodge (No. 15), the first object he beheld being the sacred stone (No. 16) against which those who were sick were to be seated, or laid, when undergoing the ceremonial of restoring them to health. He next saw a post (No. 17) painted red with a green band around the top. A sick man would also have to pray to the stone and to the post, when he is within the Mide'wigan, because within them would be the Mide' spirits whose help he invoked. The Otter was then taken to the middle of the Mide'wigan where he picked up the mi'gis (No. 18) from among a heap of sacred objects which form part of the gifts given by Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido. The eight man'idos around the mide'wigan (Nos. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26) were also sent by Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido to guard the lodge against the entrance of bad spirits.

A life is represented by the line No. 27, the signification of the short lines (Nos. 28, 29, 30, and 31) denoting that the course of human progress is beset by temptations and trials which may be the cause of one's departure from such course of conduct as is deemed proper, and the beliefs taught by the Mide'. When one arrives at middle age (No. 32) his course for the remaining period of life is usually without any special events, as indicated by the plain line No. 27, extending from middle age (No. 32) to the end of one's existence (No. 33). The short lines at Nos.

28, 29, 30, and 31, indicating departure from the path of propriety, terminate in rounded spots and signify, literally, "lecture places,"

because when a Mide' feels himself failing in duty or vacillating in faith he must renew professions by giving a feast and lecturing to his confreres, thus regaining his strength to resist evil doing--such as making use of his powers in harming his kinsmen, teaching that which was not given him by Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido through Mi'nabo'zho, etc. His heart must be cleansed and his tongue guarded.

To resume the tradition of the course pursued by the Otter, Sikas'sige said:

The Otter then went round the interior of the Mide'wigan (No. 34), and finally seated himself in the west, where Mi'nabo'zho shot into his body the sacred mi'gis, which was in his Mide' bag. Then Mi'nabo'zho said, "This is your lodge and you shall own it always (Nos. 35 and 36), and eight Mide' Man'idos (Nos. 19-26) shall guard it during the night."

The Otter was taken to the entrance (No. 37) of the second degree structure (No. 38), which he saw was guarded by two evil man'idos (Nos. 39 and 40), who opposed his progress, but who were driven away by Mi'nabo'zho. When the Otter entered at the door he beheld the sacred stone (No. 41) and two posts (Nos. 42, 43), the one nearest to him being painted red with a green band around the top, and another at the middle, with a bunch of little feathers upon the top. The other post (No. 43) was painted red, with only a band of green at the top, similar to the first degree post. Nos. 44 and 45 are the places where sacred objects and gifts are placed. This degree of the Mide'wiwin is guarded at night by twelve Mide' Man'idos (Nos. 46 to 57) placed there by Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido, and the degree is owned by the Thunder Bird as shown in Nos. 58, 59.

The circles (Nos. 60, 61, and 62) at either end of the outline of the structure denoting the degree and beneath it are connected by a line (No. 63) as in the preceding degree, and are a mere repet.i.tion to denote the course of conduct to be pursued by the Mide'. The points (Nos. 64, 65, 66, and 67), at the termini of the shorter lines, also refer to the feasts and lectures to be given in case of need.

To continue the informant's tradition:

When the Otter had pa.s.sed around the interior of the Mide'wigan four times, he seated himself in the west and faced the degree post, when Mi'nabo'zho again shot into his body the mi'gis, which gave him renewed life. Then the Otter was told to take a "sweat bath" once each day for four successive days, so as to prepare for the next degree.

(This number is indicated at the rounded spots at Nos. 68, 69, 70, and 71.)

The third degree of the Mide'wiwin (No. 72) is guarded during the day by two Mide' spirits (Nos. 73, 74) near the eastern entrance, and by the Makwa' Man'ido within the inclosure (Nos. 75 and 76), and at night by eighteen Mide' Man'idos (Nos. 77 to 94), placed there by Ki'ts.h.i.+ Man'ido. When the Otter approached the entrance (No. 95) he was again arrested in his progress by two evil man'idos (Nos. 96 and 97), who opposed his admission, but Mi'nibo'zho overcame them and the Otter entered. Just inside of the door, and on each side, the Otter saw a post (Nos. 98 and 99), and at the western door or exit two corresponding posts (Nos. 100 and 101). These symbolized the four legs of the Makwa' Man'ido, or Bear Spirit, who is the guardian by day and the owner of the third degree. The Otter then observed the sacred stone (No. 102) and the two heaps of sacred objects (Nos. 103 and 104) which Mi'nabo'zho had deposited, and three degree posts (Nos. 105, 106, and 107), the first of which (No. 105) was a plain cedar post with the bark upon it, but sharpened at the top; the second (No. 106), a red post with a green band round the top and one about the middle, as in the second degree; and the third a cross (No. 107) painted red, each of the tips painted green. [The vertical line No. 108 was said to have no relation to anything connected with the tradition.] After the Otter had observed the interior of the Mide'wigan he again made four circuits, after which he took his station in the west, where he seated himself, facing the sacred degree posts. Then Mi'nabo'zho, for the third time, shot into his body the mi'gis, thus adding to the powers which he already possessed, after which he was to prepare for the fourth degree of the Mide'wiwin.

Other objects appearing upon the chart were subsequently explained as follows: