DENSMORE] CHIPPEWA MUSIC 13 



THE MIUE' 

 Beliefs 



The Mule' (Grand Medicine) is the native rehgion of the Chippewa. 

 It teaches that long hfe is coincident with goodness, and that evil 

 inevitably reacts on the offender. Its chief aim is to secure health 

 and long life to its adherents, and music forms an essential part of 

 every means used to that end. Thus far the study of the subject has 

 revealed no reference to war and no allusions to enemies. The ele- 

 ment of propitiation is also absent from its teaching and practice. 



The organization of this religion is called the Mlde'wlwin (Grand 

 Medicine Society) . Both men and women are eligible to membership ; 

 a male member is called Mlde'wlni'ni, and a female member Mide'- 

 wikwe' . There are eight degrees in the Mide'wiwin, persons being 

 advanced from one degree to another on receiving certain instruc- 

 tions and bestowing valuable gifts. Meetings of the Mide'wiwin are 

 held in the spring of each year, members being initiated at that 

 time; it is also permissible to hold initiation ceremonies in the fall. 

 All members are expected to attend one meeting each year for the 

 renewal of their "spirit power." Smaller gatherings may be held at 

 any time for the treatment of the sick, and it is also permissible for 

 a few members of the society to meet at any time for the purpose of 

 singing the songs and strengthening their faith in the beliefs of the 

 Mide'. A feast and an offering are inseparable features of all these 

 gatherings. 



Ritual exactness is not obligatory in the Mide'. Its ceremony of 

 initiation has a general outline which is universally followed, but the 

 details vary in different localities. No ceremonial garments are worn, 

 and there are no ceremonial articles connected with the organization. 

 It is said that each leader has a pipe which he smokes only at meet- 

 ings of the JSIide'wiwin, but this seems a matter of custom rather than 

 of requirement. There is nothing which corresponds to an hereditary 

 priesthood, the leaders of a ceremony being men who hold high degrees 

 in the society, and are chosen for the office at each meeting of the 

 society. The selection of songs at the various parts of the initiation 

 ceremony is decided by the leaders of the ceremony, as there are 

 many songs which may be sung. 



Since ritual exactness is not obligatory in the Mide', there is no 

 penalty attached to a mistake in the singing of a song. De'bwawen'- 

 dunk, an old member of the Mide'wiwin, states that there is a cor- 

 rect way to sing each song and that an effort is made to sing it in 

 this manner because failure to do so is displeasing to the Mide' 

 manido'. Added importance is given to this statement by the fact 

 that De'bwawen'dtJink lives on the Bois Fort reservation, where the 

 Indians have had little direct contact with white men and where the 

 old traditions are particularly well preserved. 



