﻿190 
  

  

  THE 
  MIDE 
  WIWIN 
  OF 
  THE 
  O.IIBWA. 
  

  

  quire 
  information. 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  remuneration 
  being 
  settled, 
  to- 
  

   bacco 
  is 
  furnished 
  at 
  each 
  sitting, 
  as 
  the 
  Mide' 
  never 
  begins 
  his 
  lecture 
  

   until 
  after 
  having 
  made 
  a 
  smoke-offering, 
  which 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  taking 
  a 
  

   whiff 
  and 
  pointing 
  the 
  stem 
  to 
  the 
  east; 
  then 
  a 
  whiff, 
  directing 
  the 
  

   stem 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  ; 
  another 
  whiff, 
  directing 
  the 
  stem 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  ; 
  then 
  

   a 
  whiff 
  and 
  a 
  similar 
  gesture 
  with 
  the 
  stem 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  ; 
  another 
  whiff 
  

   is 
  taken 
  slowly 
  and 
  with 
  an 
  expression 
  of 
  reverence, 
  when 
  the 
  stem 
  

   is 
  pointed 
  forward 
  and 
  upward 
  as 
  an 
  offering 
  to 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man'ido; 
  and 
  

   finally, 
  after 
  taking 
  a 
  similar 
  whiff, 
  the 
  stem 
  is 
  pointed 
  forward 
  and 
  

   downward 
  toward 
  the 
  earth 
  as 
  an 
  offering 
  to 
  Noko'mis, 
  the 
  grand- 
  

   mother 
  of 
  the 
  universe, 
  and 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  passed 
  before. 
  After 
  

   these 
  preliminaries, 
  the 
  candidate 
  receives 
  at 
  each 
  meeting 
  only 
  a 
  

   small 
  amount 
  of 
  information, 
  because 
  the 
  longer 
  the 
  instruction 
  is 
  

   continued 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  before 
  the 
  meeting 
  at 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  

   the 
  candidate 
  may 
  be 
  admitted 
  the 
  greater 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  fees 
  ; 
  and 
  

   also, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  instruction 
  may 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  with 
  awe 
  and 
  

   reverence, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  information 
  imparted 
  is 
  frequently 
  a 
  mere 
  

   repetition, 
  the 
  ideas 
  being 
  clothed 
  in 
  ambiguous 
  phraseology. 
  The 
  

   Mide' 
  drum 
  (Fig. 
  12 
  a) 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  drum 
  commonly 
  \ised 
  in 
  

   dances 
  (Fig. 
  12 
  b) 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  cylindrical, 
  consisting 
  of 
  an 
  

   elongated 
  kettle 
  or 
  wooden 
  vessel, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  hollow 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1'-' 
  Ojibwa 
  drums. 
  

  

  trunk 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  about 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  from 
  18 
  to 
  20 
  inches 
  

   in 
  length, 
  over 
  both 
  ends 
  of 
  which 
  rawhide 
  is 
  stretched 
  while 
  wet, 
  

   so 
  that 
  upon 
  drying 
  the 
  membrane 
  becomes 
  hard 
  and 
  tense, 
  produc- 
  

   ing, 
  when 
  beaten, 
  a 
  very 
  hard, 
  loud 
  tone, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  heard 
  at 
  a 
  

   great 
  distance. 
  

  

  Frequently, 
  however, 
  water 
  is 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  drum 
  

   and 
  the 
  drum-head 
  stretched 
  across 
  the 
  top 
  in 
  a 
  wet 
  state, 
  which 
  

   appears 
  to 
  intensify 
  the 
  sound 
  very 
  considerably. 
  

  

  The 
  peculiar 
  and 
  special 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  drum 
  are 
  described 
  to 
  

   the 
  applicant 
  : 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  the 
  gift 
  of 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man'ido, 
  who 
  

   gave 
  it 
  through 
  the 
  intercession 
  of 
  Mi'nabo'zho; 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  in- 
  

   voke 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  Mide' 
  Mau'idos, 
  or 
  sacred 
  spirits, 
  when 
  seek- 
  

  

  