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  THE 
  MIDE'WIWIN 
  OF 
  THE 
  OJIBWA. 
  

  

  The 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin 
  or 
  Mide' 
  Society, 
  commonly, 
  though 
  

   erroneously, 
  termed 
  Grand 
  Medicine 
  Society, 
  is 
  buried 
  in 
  obscurity. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Jesuit 
  Relations, 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1642, 
  frequent 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  

   to 
  sorcerers, 
  jugglers, 
  and 
  persons 
  whose 
  faith, 
  influence, 
  and 
  prac- 
  

   tices 
  are 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  "Manitous," 
  or 
  mysteri- 
  

   ous 
  spirits: 
  though, 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  discrimination 
  made 
  between 
  

   these 
  different 
  professors 
  of 
  magic, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  positively 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  which 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  classes 
  were 
  met 
  with 
  at 
  that 
  early 
  day. 
  

   It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  Jes'sakkid', 
  or 
  juggler, 
  and 
  the 
  Mide', 
  or 
  Sha- 
  

   man, 
  were 
  referred 
  to. 
  

  

  The 
  Mide', 
  in 
  the 
  true 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  word, 
  is 
  a 
  Shaman, 
  though 
  he 
  

   has 
  by 
  various 
  authors 
  been 
  termed 
  powwow, 
  medicine 
  man, 
  priest, 
  

   seer, 
  prophet, 
  etc. 
  Among 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  the 
  office 
  is 
  not 
  hereditary; 
  

   but 
  among 
  the 
  Menomoni 
  a 
  curious 
  custom 
  exists, 
  by 
  which 
  some 
  

   one 
  is 
  selected 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  vacancy 
  one 
  year 
  after 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  a 
  Sha- 
  

   man. 
  Whether 
  a 
  similar 
  practice 
  prevailed 
  among 
  other 
  tribes 
  of 
  

   the 
  Algonkian 
  linguistic 
  stock 
  can 
  be 
  ascertained 
  only 
  by 
  similar 
  

   research 
  among 
  the 
  tribes 
  constituting 
  that 
  stock. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  Ojibwa, 
  however, 
  a 
  substitute 
  is 
  sometimes 
  taken 
  to 
  

   till 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  prepared 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  first 
  degree 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin, 
  or 
  Society 
  of 
  the 
  Mide', 
  but 
  who 
  is 
  removed 
  by 
  

   death 
  before 
  the 
  proper 
  initiation 
  has 
  been 
  conferred. 
  This 
  occurs 
  

   when 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  dies, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  his 
  father 
  or 
  mother 
  may 
  be 
  

   accepted 
  as 
  a 
  substitute. 
  This 
  will 
  be 
  explained 
  in 
  more 
  detail 
  un- 
  

   der 
  the 
  caption 
  of 
  Dzhibai' 
  Mide'wigan 
  or 
  "'Ghost 
  Lodge," 
  a 
  collat- 
  

   eral 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  shall 
  have 
  occasion 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  

   Warren, 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  respecting 
  him 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  inappropriate. 
  Mr. 
  

   Warren 
  was 
  an 
  Ojibwa 
  mixed 
  blood, 
  of 
  good 
  education, 
  and 
  later 
  a 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  legislature 
  of 
  Minnesota. 
  His 
  work, 
  entiled 
  "His- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  Nation," 
  was 
  published 
  in 
  Vol. 
  v 
  of 
  the 
  Collec- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  Minnesota 
  Historical 
  Society, 
  St. 
  Paul, 
  1885, 
  and 
  edited 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  D. 
  Neill. 
  Mr. 
  Warren's 
  work 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  labor 
  

   of 
  a 
  lifetime 
  among 
  his 
  own 
  people, 
  and, 
  had 
  he 
  lived, 
  he 
  would 
  

   undoubtedly 
  have 
  added 
  much 
  to 
  the 
  historical 
  material 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  printed 
  volume 
  chiefly 
  consists. 
  His 
  manuscript 
  was 
  completed 
  

   about 
  the 
  year 
  1852, 
  and 
  he 
  died 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  In 
  speaking 
  of 
  

   the 
  Society 
  of 
  the 
  Mide',' 
  he 
  says: 
  

  

  The 
  grand 
  rite 
  of 
  Me-da-we-win 
  (or, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  learned 
  to 
  term 
  it, 
  " 
  Grand 
  Medi- 
  

   cine," 
  and 
  the 
  beliefs 
  incorporated 
  therein, 
  are 
  not 
  yet 
  fully 
  understood 
  by 
  the 
  

   whites. 
  This 
  important 
  custom 
  is 
  still 
  shrouded 
  in 
  mystery 
  even 
  to 
  my 
  own 
  eyes, 
  

   though 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  much 
  pains 
  to 
  inquire 
  and 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  every 
  advantage 
  pos- 
  

   sessed 
  by 
  speaking 
  their 
  language 
  perfectly, 
  being 
  related 
  to 
  them, 
  possessing 
  their 
  

   friendship 
  and 
  intimate 
  confidence 
  has 
  given 
  me, 
  and 
  yet 
  I 
  frankly 
  acknowledge 
  

   that 
  I 
  stand 
  as 
  yet, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  on 
  the'threshold 
  of 
  the 
  Me-da-we 
  lodge. 
  I 
  believe, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  obtained 
  full 
  as 
  much 
  and 
  more 
  general 
  and 
  true 
  information 
  

  

  'Op.cit.,pp.65,66. 
  

  

  