﻿lui; 
  THE 
  mide'wiwin 
  of 
  the 
  OJIBWA. 
  

  

  Washington, 
  District 
  of 
  Columbia, 
  in 
  1888, 
  says, 
  regarding 
  this 
  

   subject: 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  his 
  voluminous 
  publications 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  as- 
  

   sure 
  modern 
  critics 
  of 
  his 
  accuracy, 
  and 
  the 
  wonderful 
  minuteness, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  com- 
  

   prehension, 
  attributed 
  by 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  hieroglyphs 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  re- 
  

   garded 
  of 
  late 
  with 
  suspicion. 
  It 
  was 
  considered 
  in 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Ethnology 
  an 
  

   important 
  duty 
  to 
  ascertain 
  how 
  much 
  of 
  truth 
  existed 
  in 
  these 
  remarkable 
  

   accounts, 
  and 
  for 
  that 
  purpose 
  its 
  pictographic 
  specialists, 
  myself 
  and 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  J. 
  

   Hoffman 
  as 
  assistant, 
  were 
  last 
  summer 
  directed 
  to 
  proceed 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  

   points 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  namely, 
  the 
  northern 
  region 
  of 
  Minnesota 
  

   and 
  Wisconsin, 
  to 
  ascertain 
  how 
  much 
  was 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  discovered. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  

   general 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  comparison 
  of 
  Schoolcraft's 
  statements 
  with 
  .vhat 
  is 
  now 
  

   found 
  shows 
  that, 
  in 
  substance, 
  he 
  told 
  the 
  truth, 
  but 
  with 
  much 
  exaggeration 
  and 
  

   coloring. 
  The 
  word 
  "coloring" 
  is 
  particularly 
  appropriate, 
  because, 
  in 
  his 
  copious 
  

   illustrations, 
  various 
  colors 
  were 
  used 
  freely 
  with 
  apparent 
  significance, 
  whereas, 
  

   in 
  fact, 
  the 
  general 
  rule 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  birch-bark 
  rolls 
  was 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  never 
  

   colored 
  at 
  all: 
  indeed, 
  the 
  bark 
  was 
  not 
  adapted 
  to 
  coloration. 
  The 
  metaphorical 
  

   coloring 
  was 
  also 
  used 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  which, 
  to 
  any 
  thorough 
  student 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  philosophy 
  and 
  religion, 
  seems 
  absurd. 
  Metaphysical 
  expressions 
  are 
  

   attached 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  devices, 
  or, 
  as 
  he 
  calls 
  them, 
  symbols, 
  which 
  could 
  never 
  

   have 
  been 
  entertained 
  by 
  a 
  people 
  in 
  the 
  stage 
  of 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  Ojibwa. 
  

  

  SHAMANS. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  extant 
  among 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  Indians 
  three 
  classes 
  of 
  mys- 
  

   tery 
  men, 
  termed 
  respectively 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  of 
  importance 
  the 
  Mide', 
  

   the 
  JPs'sakkld', 
  and 
  the 
  Wabend', 
  but 
  before 
  proceeding 
  to 
  elaborate 
  

   in 
  detail 
  the 
  Society 
  of 
  the 
  Mide', 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin, 
  a 
  brief 
  

   description 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  is 
  necessary. 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  Wabeno' 
  has 
  been 
  explained 
  by 
  various 
  intelligent 
  Indi- 
  

   ans 
  as 
  signifying 
  "Men 
  of 
  the 
  dawn," 
  " 
  Eastern 
  men," 
  etc. 
  Their 
  

   profession 
  is 
  not 
  thoroughly 
  understood, 
  and 
  their 
  number 
  is 
  so 
  ex- 
  

   tremely 
  limited 
  that 
  but 
  little 
  information 
  respecting 
  them 
  can 
  be 
  

   obtained. 
  Schoolcraft, 
  1 
  in 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  several 
  classes 
  of 
  Sha- 
  

   mans, 
  says 
  " 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  third 
  form 
  or 
  rather 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  me- 
  

   dawin, 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  the 
  Wabeno'; 
  a 
  term 
  denoting 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  midnight 
  

   orgies, 
  which 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  corruption 
  of 
  the 
  Meda." 
  This 
  writer 
  

   furthermore 
  remarks' 
  that 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  by 
  judicious 
  persons 
  among 
  

   themselves 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  modern 
  origin. 
  They 
  regard 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  degraded 
  

   form 
  of 
  the 
  mysteries 
  of 
  the 
  Meda." 
  

  

  From 
  personal 
  investigation 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  ascertained 
  that 
  a 
  Wabeno' 
  

   does 
  not 
  affiliate 
  with'others 
  of 
  his 
  class 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  constitute 
  a 
  society, 
  

   but 
  indulges 
  his 
  pretensions 
  individually. 
  A 
  Wabenf/ 
  is 
  primarily 
  

   prompted 
  by 
  dreams 
  or 
  visions 
  which 
  may 
  occur 
  during 
  his 
  youth, 
  

   for 
  which 
  purpose 
  he 
  leaves 
  his 
  village 
  to 
  fast 
  for 
  an 
  indefinite 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  days. 
  It 
  is 
  positively 
  affirmed 
  that 
  evil 
  man'idos 
  favor 
  his 
  de- 
  

  

  1 
  Information 
  respecting 
  the 
  history, 
  condition, 
  and 
  prospects 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  tribes 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Philadelphia, 
  1851, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  319. 
  

   Hbid., 
  p. 
  362. 
  

  

  