196 BULLETIN, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE [Vol. 19 



laid down and she told me she was going to tap me as long as she could hold her 

 breath, and that I shouldn't cry out. She dipped the needles into the cup of medicine 

 and tapped me on one temple. It hurt plenty, but they start slowly and then pound 

 faster and faster and by that time the spot is numb. Then she did it on the other 

 temple. Each tapping lasted about two minutes because a person can only hold their 

 breath that long. I had a headache and that is why I had her work on me. They 

 also do this for sore joints, rheumatism, or soreness anywhere. I just gave her a 

 package of tobacco. You can give them a blanket or anything. Mostly women do 

 this, but my uncle used to do it." (J. B., Field Notes 1942.) 



In another account the tattooing instrument was a portion of a northern 



pike jaw bound to a springy cedar stick. With one hand the instrument was 



held over the sore spot, but about a half inch away. With the other hand 



the teeth were driven into the flesh by snapping the second finger off the 



thumb and onto the instrument. This was repeated a number of times after 



which some powdered medicine was placed on the punctured area and a 



piece of buckskin placed over it and held there. This informant stated that 



bird down could be used instead of the buckskin. 



The purpose of the tattooing procedure, according to my informants, is 

 to pierce the skin so that the medicine will penetrate into the blood stream, 

 and frequently blood is drawn as a result. It was said by one informant that 

 the terrific pain experienced during tattooing is really the soreness leaving 

 the body. It is possible, too, to account for any efficacy of this method in 

 terms of modern medical theory. Any such irritation will attract blood, 

 "the great healer," to that area, and the theory behind the directing of 

 ultra-violet rays on a sore or injured area is that it will set up a mild 

 irritation. 



Tattooing, a term somewhat misleading, but one which the Indians them- 

 selves use when referring to this practice in English, is rarely practiced at 

 the present time. 



Other surgical techniques known to the Chippewa include amputation 

 and tooth extraction. Splints of cedar or heavy birch-bark were bound onto 

 fractured limbs with basswood cord. 



The Sweat Bath 



(While the sweat bath was an important part of the religious ritual of 

 the Midewiwin, and also employed on the hunt for "getting rid of human 

 odors," its chief use was for curative purposes, and this is its only function 

 at the present time. It is employed particularly for such ailments as colds, 

 Ifevers, and rheumatism. The sweat-lodge consists of a framework of poles 



