﻿hoffmak.] 
  EXPLANATION 
  OF 
  WHITE 
  EARTH 
  RECORD. 
  185 
  

  

  repi 
  - 
  esentation 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  ideas, 
  variants 
  which 
  are 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  not 
  recognized 
  by 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  who 
  are 
  not 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mide'wiwin 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  mnemonic 
  charts 
  had 
  their 
  origin. 
  As 
  

   there 
  are 
  variants 
  in 
  the 
  pictographic 
  delineation 
  of 
  originally 
  simi- 
  

   lar 
  ideas, 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  corresponding 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  traditions 
  

   pertaining 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  tradition 
  relating 
  to 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  and 
  the 
  sacred 
  objects 
  re- 
  

   ceived 
  from 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man'ido 
  for 
  the 
  Ani'shina'beg 
  is 
  illustrated 
  in 
  

   Fig. 
  6, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  reproduction 
  of 
  a 
  chart 
  preserved 
  at 
  White 
  Earth. 
  

  

  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  

  

  Fra. 
  6.— 
  Birch 
  bark 
  record, 
  from 
  White 
  Garth. 
  

  

  The 
  record 
  is 
  read 
  from 
  left 
  to 
  right. 
  No. 
  1 
  represents 
  Mi'nabo'zho, 
  

   who 
  says 
  of 
  the 
  adjoining 
  characters 
  representing 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  

   the'Mide'wiwin: 
  " 
  They 
  are 
  the 
  ones, 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  ones, 
  who 
  put 
  into 
  

   my 
  heart 
  the 
  life.'' 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  holds 
  in 
  his 
  left 
  hand 
  the 
  sacred 
  

   Mide' 
  sack, 
  or 
  pin-ji'-gu-san'. 
  Nos. 
  Sand 
  3 
  represent 
  the 
  drummers. 
  

   At 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  drum 
  all 
  the 
  Mide' 
  rise 
  and 
  become 
  inspired, 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man'ido 
  is 
  then 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  wig'iwam. 
  No. 
  4 
  de- 
  

   notes 
  that 
  women 
  also 
  have 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  becoming 
  members 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mide'wiwin. 
  The 
  figure 
  holds 
  in 
  the 
  left 
  hand 
  the 
  Mide' 
  sack, 
  

   made 
  of 
  a 
  snake 
  skin. 
  No. 
  5 
  represents 
  the 
  Tortoise, 
  the 
  guardian 
  

   spirit 
  who 
  was 
  the 
  giver 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  objects 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   rite. 
  No. 
  6, 
  the 
  Bear, 
  also 
  a 
  benevolent 
  Man'ido, 
  but 
  not 
  held 
  in 
  so 
  

   great 
  veneration 
  as 
  the 
  Tortoise. 
  His 
  tracks 
  are 
  visible 
  in 
  the 
  Mide'- 
  

   wiwin. 
  No. 
  7, 
  the 
  sacreil 
  Mide' 
  sack 
  or 
  pin-ji'-gu-san', 
  which 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  life, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Mide' 
  to 
  prolong 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  sick 
  

   person. 
  No. 
  8 
  represents 
  a 
  Dog, 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  Mide' 
  Man'idos 
  to 
  

   Mi'nabo'zho 
  as 
  a 
  companion. 
  

  

  Such 
  was 
  the 
  interpretation 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  chart, 
  but 
  

   the 
  informant 
  was 
  unconsciously 
  in 
  error, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  ascertained 
  

   not 
  only 
  from 
  other 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  consulted 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  true 
  

   meaning, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  later 
  information 
  and 
  research 
  in 
  

   the 
  exemplification 
  of 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin. 
  

  

  Mi'nabo'zho 
  did 
  not 
  receive 
  the 
  rite 
  from 
  any 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  (Nos. 
  

   2 
  and 
  5), 
  but 
  from 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man'ido. 
  Women 
  are 
  not 
  mentioned 
  in 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  traditions 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  society, 
  neither 
  was 
  

   the 
  dog 
  given 
  to 
  Mi'nabo'zho, 
  but 
  Mi'nabo'zho 
  gave 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  Ani'shin- 
  

   a'beg. 
  

  

  The 
  chart, 
  therefore, 
  turns 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  mnemonic 
  song 
  similar 
  to 
  

   others 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  hereafter, 
  and 
  the 
  owner 
  probably 
  copied 
  it 
  from 
  

  

  