﻿hoffman.] 
  RESISTANCE 
  TO 
  CHRISTIANITY. 
  151 
  

  

  From 
  recent 
  investigations 
  among 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Al- 
  

   gonkian 
  linguistic 
  division 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  traditions 
  and 
  prac- 
  

   tices 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin, 
  Society 
  of 
  the 
  Mide' 
  or 
  Shamans, 
  

   popularly 
  designated 
  as 
  the 
  "Grand 
  Medicine 
  Society," 
  prevailed 
  

   generally, 
  and 
  the 
  rites 
  are 
  still 
  practiced 
  at 
  irregular 
  intervals, 
  

   though 
  in 
  slightly 
  different 
  forms 
  in 
  various 
  localities. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  early 
  travelers 
  and 
  missionaries 
  no 
  special 
  men- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  Mide', 
  the 
  Jes'sakkld', 
  or 
  the 
  Wabenfi', 
  but 
  the 
  

   term 
  sorcerer 
  or 
  juggler 
  is 
  generally 
  employed 
  to 
  designate 
  that 
  

   class 
  of 
  persons 
  who 
  professed 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  prophecy, 
  and 
  who 
  prac- 
  

   ticed 
  incantation 
  and 
  administered 
  medicinal 
  preparations. 
  Con- 
  

   stant 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  opposition 
  of 
  these 
  personages 
  to 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  Christianity. 
  In 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  recent 
  investigation 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  antagonism 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  tradi- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  Indian 
  genesis 
  and 
  cosmogony 
  and 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  initiation 
  

   into 
  the 
  Society 
  of 
  the 
  Mide' 
  constitute 
  what 
  is 
  to 
  them 
  a 
  religion, 
  

   even 
  more 
  powerful 
  and 
  impressive 
  than 
  the 
  Christian 
  religion 
  is 
  to 
  

   the 
  average 
  civilized 
  man. 
  This 
  opposition 
  still 
  exists 
  among 
  the 
  

   leading 
  classes 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  Algonkian 
  tribes, 
  and 
  especially 
  

   among 
  the 
  Ojibwa, 
  many 
  bands 
  of 
  whom 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   isolated 
  and 
  beyond 
  convenient 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  Church. 
  The 
  purposes 
  

   of 
  the 
  society 
  are 
  twofold; 
  first, 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  traditions 
  just 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  and 
  second, 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  certain 
  class 
  of 
  ambitious 
  men 
  and 
  

   women 
  sufficient 
  influence 
  through 
  their 
  acknowledged 
  power 
  of 
  

   exorcism 
  and 
  necromancy 
  to 
  lead 
  a 
  comfortable 
  life 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  

   of 
  the 
  credulous. 
  The 
  persons 
  admitted 
  into 
  the 
  society 
  are 
  firmly 
  

   believed 
  to 
  possess 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  communing 
  with 
  various 
  supernat- 
  

   ural 
  beings 
  — 
  manidos— 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  certain 
  desires 
  may 
  be 
  re- 
  

   alized 
  they 
  are 
  sought 
  after 
  and 
  consulted. 
  The 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  paper 
  is 
  to 
  give 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  society 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  

   of 
  initiation 
  as 
  studied 
  and 
  observed 
  at 
  White 
  Earth, 
  Minnesota, 
  

   in 
  1889. 
  Before 
  proceeding 
  to 
  this, 
  however, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  

   to 
  consider 
  a 
  few 
  statements 
  made 
  by 
  early 
  travelers 
  respecting 
  the 
  

   " 
  sorcerers 
  or 
  jugglers 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  medication. 
  

  

  In 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  practices 
  of 
  the 
  Algonkian 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  North- 
  

   west, 
  La 
  Hontan' 
  says: 
  

  

  When 
  they 
  are 
  sick, 
  they 
  only 
  drink 
  Broth, 
  and 
  eat 
  sparingly; 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  have 
  

   the 
  good 
  luck 
  to 
  fall 
  asleep, 
  they 
  think 
  themselves 
  cur'd: 
  They 
  have 
  told 
  me 
  fre- 
  

   quently, 
  that 
  sleeping 
  and 
  sweating 
  would 
  cure 
  the 
  most 
  stubborn 
  Diseases 
  in 
  the 
  

   World. 
  When 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  weak 
  that 
  they 
  cannot 
  get 
  out 
  of 
  Bed, 
  their 
  Relations 
  

   come 
  and 
  dance 
  and 
  make 
  merry 
  before 
  'em, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  divert 
  'em. 
  To 
  con- 
  

   clude, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  ill, 
  they 
  are 
  always 
  visited 
  by 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  Quacks, 
  (Jongleurs); 
  

   of 
  whom 
  'I 
  will 
  now 
  be 
  proper 
  to 
  subjoin 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  Words 
  by 
  the 
  bye. 
  

  

  A 
  Jongleur 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  Physician, 
  or 
  rather 
  a 
  Quack, 
  who 
  being 
  once 
  cur'd 
  of 
  

   some 
  dangerous 
  Distemper, 
  has 
  the 
  Presumption 
  and 
  Folly 
  to 
  fancy 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  

   immortal, 
  and 
  possessed 
  of 
  the 
  Power 
  of 
  curing 
  all 
  Diseases, 
  by 
  speaking 
  to 
  the 
  

   -Good 
  and 
  Evil 
  Spirits. 
  Now 
  though 
  every 
  Body 
  rallies 
  upon 
  these 
  Fellows 
  when 
  

  

  1 
  New 
  Voyages 
  to 
  North 
  America, 
  London, 
  1703, 
  vol.2, 
  pp. 
  47, 
  48. 
  

  

  