﻿102 
  THE 
  MIDB'WIWIN 
  OF 
  THE 
  OJIBWA. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin 
  is 
  based 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent 
  

   upon 
  traditions 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  cosmogony 
  and 
  genesis 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  

   thoughtful 
  consideration 
  by 
  the 
  Good 
  Spirit 
  for 
  the 
  Indian, 
  it 
  is 
  

   looked 
  upon 
  by 
  them 
  as 
  " 
  their 
  religion," 
  as 
  they 
  themselves 
  desig- 
  

   nate 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  rapid 
  changes 
  occurring 
  among 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   Western 
  tribes 
  of 
  Indians, 
  and 
  the 
  gradual 
  discontinuance 
  of 
  abo- 
  

   riginal 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  customs, 
  Mr. 
  Warren 
  remarks 
  ' 
  in 
  reference 
  

   to 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  : 
  

  

  Even 
  among 
  these 
  a 
  change 
  is 
  so 
  rapidly 
  taking 
  place, 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  close 
  contact 
  

   with 
  the 
  white 
  race, 
  that 
  ten 
  years 
  hence 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  too 
  late 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  traditions 
  of 
  

   their 
  forefathers 
  from 
  total 
  oblivion. 
  And 
  even 
  now 
  it 
  is 
  with 
  great 
  difficulty 
  that 
  

   genuine 
  information 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  of 
  them. 
  Their 
  aged 
  men 
  are 
  fast 
  falling 
  into 
  

   their 
  graves, 
  and 
  they 
  carry 
  with 
  them 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  history 
  of 
  their 
  peo- 
  

   ple; 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  initiators 
  of 
  the 
  grand 
  rite 
  of 
  religious 
  belief 
  which 
  they 
  believe 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Spirit 
  has 
  granted 
  to 
  his 
  red 
  children 
  to 
  secure 
  them 
  long 
  life 
  on 
  earth 
  

   and 
  life 
  hereafter; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  bosoms 
  of 
  these 
  old 
  men 
  are 
  locked 
  up 
  the 
  original 
  

   secrets 
  of 
  this 
  their 
  most 
  ancient 
  belief. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

  

  They 
  fully 
  believe, 
  and 
  it 
  forms 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  religion, 
  that 
  the 
  world 
  has 
  once 
  

   been 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  deluge, 
  and 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  now 
  living 
  on 
  what 
  they 
  term 
  the 
  " 
  new 
  

   earth." 
  This 
  idea 
  is 
  fully 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  their 
  vague 
  traditions; 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  

   Me-da-we-win 
  or 
  religion, 
  hieroglyphs 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  denote 
  this 
  second 
  earth. 
  

  

  Furthermore, 
  

  

  They 
  fully 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  red 
  man 
  mortally 
  angered 
  the 
  Great 
  Spirit 
  which 
  

   caused 
  the 
  deluge, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  earth 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  through 
  

   the 
  medium 
  and 
  intercession 
  of 
  a 
  powerful 
  being, 
  whom 
  they 
  denominate 
  Man- 
  

   ab-o-sho, 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  exist, 
  and 
  means 
  were 
  given 
  them 
  whereby 
  to 
  

   subsist 
  and 
  support 
  life; 
  and 
  a 
  code 
  of 
  religion 
  was 
  more 
  lately 
  bestowed 
  on 
  them, 
  

   whereby 
  they 
  could 
  commune 
  with 
  the 
  offended 
  Great 
  Spirit, 
  and 
  ward 
  off 
  the 
  ap- 
  

   proach 
  and 
  ravages 
  of 
  death. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  appropriate 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  to 
  present 
  the 
  description 
  

   given 
  by 
  Rev. 
  Peter 
  Jones 
  of 
  the 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  and 
  priestesses. 
  Mr. 
  

   Jones 
  was 
  an 
  educated 
  Ojibwa 
  Episcopal 
  clergyman, 
  and 
  a 
  member 
  

   of 
  the 
  Missasauga 
  — 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  Eagle 
  totemic 
  division 
  of 
  that 
  tribe 
  of 
  

   Indians 
  living 
  in 
  Canada. 
  In 
  his 
  work 
  ■ 
  he 
  states 
  : 
  

  

  Each 
  tribe 
  has 
  its 
  medicine 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  — 
  an 
  order 
  of 
  priesthood 
  consulted 
  

   and 
  employed 
  in 
  all 
  times 
  of 
  sickness. 
  These 
  powwows 
  are 
  persons 
  who 
  are 
  be- 
  

   lieved 
  to 
  have 
  performed 
  extraordinary 
  cures, 
  either 
  by 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  roots 
  and 
  

   herbs 
  or 
  by 
  incantations. 
  When 
  an 
  Indian 
  wishes 
  to 
  be 
  initiated 
  into 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  

   a 
  powwow, 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  he 
  pays 
  a 
  large 
  fee 
  to 
  the 
  faculty. 
  He 
  is 
  then 
  taken 
  

   into 
  the 
  woods, 
  where 
  he 
  is 
  taught 
  the 
  names 
  and 
  virtues 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  useful 
  plants; 
  

   next 
  he 
  is 
  instructed 
  how 
  to 
  chant 
  the 
  medicine 
  song, 
  and 
  how 
  to 
  pray, 
  which 
  

   prayer 
  is 
  a 
  vain 
  repetition 
  offered 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  Master 
  of 
  Life, 
  or 
  to 
  some 
  munedoo 
  

   whom 
  the 
  afflicted 
  imagine 
  they 
  have 
  offended. 
  

  

  The 
  powwows 
  are 
  held 
  in 
  high 
  veneration 
  by 
  their 
  deluded 
  brethren: 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  

   for 
  their 
  knowledge 
  of 
  medicine 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  magical 
  power 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  possess. 
  It 
  is 
  for 
  their 
  interest 
  to 
  lead 
  these 
  credulous 
  people 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  

   can 
  at 
  pleasure 
  hold 
  intercourse 
  with 
  the 
  munedoos, 
  who 
  are 
  ever 
  ready 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  

   whatever 
  information 
  they 
  require. 
  

  

  ■Op.cit.,p.25. 
  'History 
  of 
  the 
  Ojebway 
  Indians, 
  London 
  [1843C?)], 
  pp. 
  143, 
  144. 
  

  

  