﻿184 
  THE 
  MIDK'WIWIN 
  OF 
  THE 
  0J1BWA. 
  

  

  proceeding 
  westward, 
  lit 
  not 
  their 
  fires 
  till 
  they 
  reached 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Lake 
  Huron, 
  

   where 
  again 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  Me-da-we 
  were 
  practiced. 
  

  

  "Again 
  these 
  rites 
  were 
  forgotten, 
  and 
  the 
  Me-da-we 
  lodge 
  was 
  not 
  built 
  till 
  the 
  

   Ojibways 
  found 
  themselves 
  congregated 
  at 
  Bow-e-ting 
  (outlet 
  of 
  Lake 
  Superior), 
  

   where 
  it 
  remained 
  for 
  many 
  winters. 
  Still 
  the 
  Ojibways 
  moved 
  westward, 
  and 
  for 
  

   the 
  last 
  time 
  the 
  Me-da-we 
  lodge 
  was 
  erected 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  La 
  Pointe. 
  and 
  here. 
  

   long 
  before 
  the 
  pale 
  face 
  appeared 
  among 
  them, 
  it 
  was 
  practiced 
  in 
  its 
  purest 
  and 
  

   most 
  original 
  form. 
  Many 
  of 
  our 
  fathers 
  lived 
  the 
  full 
  term 
  of 
  life 
  granted 
  to 
  man- 
  

   kind 
  by 
  the 
  Great 
  Spirit, 
  and 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  many 
  old 
  people 
  were 
  mingled 
  with 
  each 
  

   rising 
  generation. 
  This, 
  my 
  grandson, 
  is 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  words 
  you 
  did 
  not 
  

   understand; 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  repeated 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  our 
  fathers 
  for 
  many 
  generations." 
  

  

  Iii 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  chart 
  obtained 
  at 
  Red 
  Lake, 
  together 
  

   with 
  the 
  tradition, 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  otter, 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  most 
  sacred 
  

   em 
  Idem 
  of 
  society, 
  is 
  also 
  verified 
  in 
  a 
  brief 
  notice 
  of 
  a 
  tradition 
  by- 
  

   Mr. 
  Warren,' 
  as 
  follows: 
  ' 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  another 
  tradition 
  told 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  Ojibway 
  village 
  of 
  Fond 
  du 
  

   Lac, 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  which 
  tells 
  of 
  their 
  former 
  residence 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   salt 
  water. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  so 
  similar 
  in 
  character 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  I 
  have 
  related 
  that 
  

   its 
  introduction 
  here 
  would 
  only 
  occupy 
  unnecessary 
  space. 
  The 
  only 
  difference 
  

   between 
  the 
  two 
  traditions 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  otter, 
  which 
  is 
  emblematical 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   four 
  Medicine 
  Spirits 
  who 
  are 
  believed 
  to 
  preside 
  over 
  the 
  Midawe 
  rites, 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  

   one 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  figurative 
  manner 
  as 
  the 
  seashell 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  other, 
  first 
  appear- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  ancient 
  An-ish-in-aub-ag 
  from 
  the 
  depths 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  salt 
  water, 
  again 
  

   on 
  the 
  river 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  then 
  on 
  Lake 
  Huron 
  at 
  Sault 
  Ste. 
  Marie, 
  again 
  at 
  La 
  

   Pointe, 
  but 
  lastly 
  at 
  Fond 
  du 
  Lac, 
  or 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   forced 
  the 
  sand 
  bank 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Louis 
  River. 
  The 
  place 
  is 
  still 
  pointed 
  

   out 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  where 
  they 
  believe 
  the 
  great 
  otter 
  broke 
  through. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  affirmed 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  that 
  at 
  Sault 
  Ste. 
  Marie 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   ( 
  )jibwa 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  body 
  of 
  that 
  tribe 
  and 
  traversed 
  

   the 
  country 
  along 
  the 
  northern 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  toward 
  the 
  

   west. 
  These 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  known 
  of 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Bois 
  Forts" 
  (hard- 
  

   wood 
  people 
  or 
  timber 
  people), 
  other 
  bands 
  being 
  located 
  at 
  Pigeon 
  

   River, 
  Rainy 
  Lake, 
  etc. 
  Another 
  separation 
  occurred 
  at 
  La 
  Pointe, 
  

   one 
  party 
  going 
  toward 
  Fond 
  du 
  Lac 
  and 
  westward 
  to 
  Red 
  Lake, 
  

   where 
  they 
  claim 
  to 
  have 
  resided 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  hundred 
  years, 
  

   while 
  the 
  remainder 
  scattered 
  from 
  La 
  Pointe 
  westward 
  and 
  south- 
  

   west 
  ward, 
  lc 
  tcating 
  at 
  fav< 
  irable 
  places 
  throughout 
  the 
  timbered 
  coun- 
  

   try. 
  This 
  early 
  dismemberment 
  and 
  long-continued 
  separation 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ojibwa 
  nation 
  accounts, 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent, 
  for 
  the 
  several 
  

   versions 
  of 
  the 
  migration 
  and 
  the 
  sacred 
  emblems 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  Mide'wiwin, 
  the 
  northern 
  bands 
  generally 
  maintaining 
  their 
  

   faith 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  Otter 
  as 
  the 
  guide, 
  while 
  the 
  southern 
  bodies 
  

   are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  supporters 
  of 
  the 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  mi'gis. 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  independent 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Midi 
  3 
  ' 
  priests 
  in 
  

   the 
  various 
  settlements 
  of 
  the 
  Ojibwa, 
  and 
  especially 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   slight 
  intercourse 
  between 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  divi- 
  

   sions 
  of 
  the 
  nation, 
  there 
  has 
  arisen 
  a 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  pictographic 
  

  

  'Op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  81. 
  

  

  