﻿HOFFMAN.) 
  THE 
  MIPE'WIGAN. 
  187 
  

  

  No. 
  6, 
  denotes 
  that 
  No. 
  5 
  is 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin. 
  This 
  character, 
  with 
  the 
  

   slight 
  addition 
  of 
  lines 
  extending 
  upward 
  from 
  the 
  straight 
  top 
  line, 
  

   is 
  usually 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  more 
  southern 
  Ojibwa 
  to 
  denote 
  the 
  wig'i- 
  

   wam 
  of 
  a 
  Jess 
  akkid 
  . 
  or 
  jugglery. 
  

  

  No. 
  7, 
  is 
  a 
  woman, 
  and 
  signifies 
  that 
  women 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  admitted 
  to 
  the 
  Mide'- 
  

   wiwin. 
  

  

  No. 
  8. 
  a 
  pause 
  or 
  rest. 
  

  

  No. 
  9. 
  a 
  snake-skin 
  pin-ji-gu-san' 
  possessing 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  giving 
  life. 
  This 
  

   power 
  is 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  lines 
  radiating 
  from 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  the 
  back 
  

   of 
  the 
  skin. 
  

  

  No. 
  10. 
  represents 
  a 
  woman. 
  

  

  No. 
  11. 
  is 
  another 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  mi'gis. 
  or 
  otter. 
  

  

  No. 
  12. 
  denotes 
  a 
  priestess 
  who 
  is 
  inspired, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  line 
  extending 
  from 
  

   the 
  heart 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  in 
  Pig. 
  7, 
  and 
  simply 
  showing 
  the 
  heart 
  in 
  

   Fig. 
  6. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  she 
  is 
  also 
  empowered 
  to 
  cure 
  with 
  magic 
  

   plants. 
  

  

  No. 
  13, 
  in 
  Fig. 
  7, 
  although 
  representing 
  a 
  Mide 
  priest, 
  no 
  explanation 
  was 
  

   given. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  9 
  is 
  presented 
  as 
  a 
  variant 
  of 
  the 
  characters 
  shown 
  in 
  No. 
  1 
  

   of 
  Figs. 
  7 
  and 
  8. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  denotes 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  curing 
  by 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  magic 
  plants 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  indicate 
  an 
  older 
  

   and 
  more 
  appropriate 
  form 
  than 
  the 
  delineation 
  of 
  the 
  

   bow 
  and 
  arrows, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  being 
  more 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  the 
  

   general 
  rendering 
  of 
  the 
  tradition. 
  Esh^bi'ga. 
  

  

  MIDE 
  WIGAN. 
  

  

  Initiation 
  into 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin 
  or 
  Mide' 
  Society 
  is, 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  

   performed 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  summer. 
  The 
  ceremonies 
  are 
  

   performed 
  in 
  public, 
  as 
  the 
  structure 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  conducted 
  is 
  

   often 
  loosely 
  constructed 
  of 
  poles 
  with 
  intertwined 
  branches 
  and 
  

   leaves, 
  leaving 
  the 
  top 
  almost 
  entirely 
  exposed, 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   difficulty 
  in 
  observing 
  what 
  may 
  transpire 
  within. 
  Furthermore. 
  

   the 
  ritual 
  is 
  unintelligible 
  to 
  the 
  uninitiated, 
  and 
  the 
  important 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  necessary 
  information 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  candidate 
  in 
  a 
  precep- 
  

   tor's 
  wig'iwam. 
  

  

  To 
  present 
  intelligibly 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  of 
  initia- 
  

   tion 
  as 
  it 
  occurred 
  at 
  White 
  Earth, 
  Minnesota, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  first 
  describe 
  the 
  structure 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  occurs, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  sweat 
  

   lodge 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  candidate 
  has 
  also 
  to 
  do. 
  

  

  The 
  Mide'wigan, 
  i. 
  e.. 
  Mide'wig'iwam, 
  or, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  desig- 
  

   nated 
  " 
  Grand 
  Medicine 
  Lodge,'" 
  is 
  usually 
  built 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  grove 
  

   or 
  clearing 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  structure 
  measuring 
  about 
  80 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  

   20 
  in 
  width, 
  extending 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  entrance 
  toward 
  

   that 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  compass 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  sun 
  rises. 
  The 
  walls 
  con- 
  

   sist 
  of 
  poles 
  and 
  saplings 
  from 
  S 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  high, 
  firmly 
  planted 
  in 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  wattled 
  with 
  short 
  branches 
  and 
  twigs 
  with 
  leaves. 
  In 
  

   the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  walls 
  are 
  left 
  open 
  spaces, 
  each 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  wide. 
  

  

  