42 BTJREAtT OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 45 



Other examples of the ni'miwCig are given at the close of this 

 chapter. 



The za'gimag;' then carry the miti'gwakik' around the lodge and 

 place it west of the stone, where it remains during the rites of 

 initiation. 



The leader then encircles the lodge four times, with right hand 

 extended, left hand shaking the rattle, and head bent forward; this 

 being finished, the oc'kabe'wis takes down the gifts from the place 

 where they have been hung; the blankets are folded and laid at the 

 foot of the pole, care being taken to have them placed in the proper 

 order for distribution, the other gifts being conveniently })laced on 

 the ground. 



The person to be initiated is then escorted to the pole by the 

 leader, moving along the dotted lines indicated in the diagram (fig. 6). 



^ © r* ; ^, w 



Fig. 6. Diagram showing course followed by candidate, escorted by leader, in dance at MIde' 

 initiation ceremony of first degree. 



He moves slowly at first, then very rapidl}^, ejaculating lii hi hi, and 

 shaking his rattle. 



The candidate is seated on the pile of blankets at the foot of the 

 pole, facing the east. 



Wliile escorting the candidate to the pole the following song may 

 be sung: 



No. 10. Escorting the Candidate (Catalogue no. 237) 



Sung by Main'Ans 



Analysis. — This song was sung three times, the transcription being 

 from the third rendition; the others are identical in the pulse of 

 measure beginnings and the outline of intervals, but vary slightly in 

 unimportant note values. 



This song is a particularly good example of a feature which char- 

 acterizes the Mide' songs and which has a direct bearing on the 

 problem of musical development. The unvarying portion of the 

 song is the pulse of the measure beginnings, which is uniform in all 

 the renditions, while the pulse of the "counts" in the measures is not 

 mechanically regular and more nearly resembles the rhythm of cere- 

 monial speech. This suggests the possibility that the transition from 



