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  the 
  mide'wiwin 
  of 
  the 
  ojibwa. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  of 
  their 
  traditions 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   tri 
  In 
  ■these 
  people 
  are 
  termed 
  A-nish'-in-a'-beg 
  — 
  original 
  people 
  — 
  a 
  

   term 
  surviving 
  also 
  among 
  the 
  Ottawa, 
  Patawatomi, 
  and 
  Menonn 
  mi, 
  

   indicating 
  that 
  the 
  tradition 
  of 
  their 
  westward 
  migration 
  was 
  extant 
  

   prior 
  to 
  the 
  final 
  separation 
  of 
  these 
  tribes, 
  which 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  

   have 
  occurred 
  at 
  Sault 
  Ste. 
  Marie. 
  

  

  Mi'nabo'zho 
  (Great 
  Rabbit), 
  whose 
  name 
  occurs 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  rites, 
  was 
  the 
  servant 
  of 
  Dzhe 
  Man'ido, 
  the 
  Good 
  

   Spirit, 
  and 
  acted 
  in 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  intercessor 
  and 
  mediator. 
  It 
  is 
  

   generally 
  supposed 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  his 
  good 
  offices 
  that 
  the 
  Indian 
  owes 
  

   life 
  and 
  the 
  good 
  things 
  necessary 
  to 
  his 
  health 
  and 
  subsistence. 
  

  

  The 
  tradition 
  of 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  and 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin, 
  as 
  

   given 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  birch-bark 
  record 
  obtained 
  at 
  Red 
  

   Lake 
  (PI. 
  m 
  A), 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  When 
  Mi'nabo'zho, 
  the 
  servant 
  of 
  Dzhe 
  Man'ido, 
  looked 
  down 
  upon 
  

   the 
  earth 
  he 
  beheld 
  human 
  beings, 
  the 
  Ani'shina'beg, 
  the 
  ancestors 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ojibwa. 
  They 
  occupied 
  the 
  four 
  quarters 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  — 
  the 
  north- 
  

   east, 
  the 
  southeast, 
  the 
  southwest, 
  and 
  the 
  northwest. 
  He 
  saw 
  how 
  

   helpless 
  they 
  were, 
  and 
  desiring 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  warding 
  

   i 
  iff 
  the 
  diseases 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  constantly 
  afflicted, 
  and 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   vide 
  them 
  with 
  animals 
  and 
  plants 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  food 
  and 
  with 
  other 
  

   comforts, 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  remained 
  thoughtfully 
  hovering 
  over 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  devise 
  some 
  means 
  of 
  communicat- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  them, 
  when 
  he 
  heard 
  something 
  laugh, 
  and 
  perceived 
  a 
  

   dark 
  object 
  appear 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  (No. 
  2). 
  

   He 
  could 
  not 
  recognize 
  its 
  form, 
  and 
  while 
  watching 
  it 
  closely 
  it 
  

   slowly 
  disappeared 
  from 
  view. 
  It 
  next 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  (No. 
  

   3), 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  short 
  lapse 
  of 
  time 
  again 
  disappeared. 
  Mi'nabfi 
  zho 
  

   hoped 
  it 
  would 
  again 
  show 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  

   it 
  did 
  iu 
  the 
  east 
  (No. 
  4). 
  Then 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  wished 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  ap- 
  

   proach 
  him, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  him 
  to 
  communicate 
  with 
  it. 
  When 
  it 
  

   disappeared 
  from 
  view 
  in 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  made 
  its 
  reappearance 
  in 
  the 
  

   south 
  (No. 
  1), 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  asked 
  it 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  

   that 
  lie 
  might 
  behold 
  it. 
  Again 
  it 
  disappeared 
  from 
  view, 
  and 
  after 
  

   reappearing 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  observed 
  it 
  slowly 
  approaching 
  

   the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  (i. 
  e., 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  circle), 
  when 
  he 
  de- 
  

   scended 
  and 
  saw 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  Otter, 
  now 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  man'idds 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin. 
  Then 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  instructed 
  the 
  Otter 
  in 
  the 
  

   mysteries 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin, 
  and 
  gave 
  him 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  

   sacred 
  rattle 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  at 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  sick; 
  the 
  sacred 
  Mide' 
  

   drum 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  during 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  of 
  initiation 
  and 
  at 
  sacred 
  

   feasts, 
  and 
  tobacco, 
  to 
  be 
  employed 
  in 
  invocations 
  ami 
  in 
  making 
  

   peace. 
  

  

  The 
  place 
  where 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  descended 
  was 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  mid- 
  

   dle 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  Mide' 
  who 
  is 
  feared 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  

   others 
  is 
  called 
  Mini'sino'shkwe 
  (He-who-lives-on-the-island). 
  Then 
  

  

  