﻿bopfman.] 
  INITIATION 
  CEREMONIES. 
  227 
  

  

  from 
  experiments 
  made 
  by 
  several 
  well 
  known 
  physiologists, 
  and 
  

   particularly 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Coxe 
  (Dispensatory, 
  1839), 
  who 
  employed 
  the 
  

   contents 
  of 
  the 
  venom 
  sack, 
  mixed 
  with 
  bread, 
  for 
  the 
  cure 
  of 
  rheu- 
  

   matism. 
  

  

  I 
  mention 
  this 
  because 
  of 
  my 
  personal 
  knowledge 
  of 
  six 
  cases 
  at 
  

   White 
  Earth, 
  in 
  which 
  paralysis 
  of 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  face 
  occurred 
  

   soon 
  after 
  the 
  Mide' 
  administered 
  this 
  compound. 
  In 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  

   them 
  the 
  distortion 
  disappeared 
  after 
  a 
  lapse 
  of 
  from 
  six 
  weeks 
  to 
  

   three 
  months, 
  though 
  one 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  continued 
  for 
  several 
  

   years 
  with 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  recovery. 
  The 
  Catholic 
  missionary 
  at 
  White 
  

   Earth, 
  with 
  whom 
  conversation 
  was 
  held 
  upon 
  this 
  subject, 
  feels 
  

   impressed 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  bad 
  Mide' 
  " 
  have 
  a 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  some 
  substance, 
  possibly 
  procured 
  from 
  the 
  whites, 
  which 
  they 
  

   attempt 
  to 
  employ 
  in 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  enemies, 
  rivals, 
  or 
  others. 
  

   It 
  may 
  be 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  instances 
  above 
  referred 
  to 
  were 
  cases 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  dose 
  was 
  not 
  sufficient 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  victim, 
  but 
  was 
  enough 
  

   to 
  disable 
  him 
  temporarily. 
  Strychnia 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  substance 
  attain- 
  

   able 
  by 
  them 
  that 
  could 
  produce 
  such 
  symptoms, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  when 
  

   given 
  in 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  small 
  dose. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  alleged 
  by 
  almost 
  

   every 
  one 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  possess 
  poisons, 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  employ 
  them 
  when 
  occasion 
  demands 
  in 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  

   personal 
  enemies 
  or 
  the 
  enemies 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  amply 
  reward 
  the 
  

   Mide' 
  for 
  such 
  service. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  ceremony 
  of 
  initiation 
  approaches, 
  the 
  chief 
  

   Mide' 
  priest 
  sends 
  out 
  a 
  courier 
  to 
  deliver 
  to 
  each 
  member 
  an 
  invita- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  attend 
  (PI. 
  xn), 
  while 
  the 
  candidate 
  removes 
  his 
  wig'iwam 
  

   to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  Mide'wigan 
  has 
  been 
  erected. 
  

   On 
  the 
  fifth 
  day 
  before 
  the 
  celebration 
  he 
  visits 
  the 
  sweat-lodge, 
  

   where 
  he 
  takes 
  his 
  first 
  vapor 
  bath, 
  followed 
  on 
  the 
  next 
  by 
  another; 
  

   on 
  the 
  following 
  day 
  he 
  takes 
  the 
  third 
  bath, 
  after 
  which 
  his 
  pre- 
  

   ceptor 
  visits 
  him. 
  After 
  making 
  an 
  offering 
  to 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man 
  ido 
  the 
  

   priest 
  sings 
  a 
  song, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  characters 
  are 
  reproduced 
  in 
  PI. 
  

   XIII, 
  A. 
  The 
  Ojibwa 
  words 
  employed 
  in 
  singing 
  arc 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  

   first 
  lines, 
  and 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  ancient 
  phraseology 
  as 
  taught 
  for 
  

   many 
  generations. 
  They 
  are 
  archaic, 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent, 
  and 
  have 
  

   additional 
  meaningless 
  syllables 
  inserted, 
  and 
  used 
  as 
  suffixes 
  which 
  

   are 
  intoned 
  to 
  prolong 
  notes. 
  The 
  second 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  Ojibwa 
  text 
  

   consists 
  of 
  the 
  words 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  spoken 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  to 
  each 
  

   of 
  which 
  is 
  added 
  the 
  interpretation. 
  The 
  radical 
  similarity 
  between 
  

   the 
  two 
  is 
  readily 
  perceived. 
  

  

  Hi'-na-wi'-a-ni-ka". 
  (As 
  sung.) 
  

  

  We'-iue-a' 
  ni-kau 
  mi'-sha 
  man 
  -i-do 
  

   I 
  am 
  cryiug 
  my 
  colleague 
  great 
  spirit. 
  

  

  ni-wa 
  -nia-bi-go 
  ma 
  -wi-yan 
  . 
  

  

  He 
  sees 
  me 
  crying. 
  

  

  [The 
  singer 
  is 
  represented 
  as 
  in 
  close 
  relationship 
  or 
  communion 
  

   with 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man 
  ido, 
  the 
  circle 
  denoting 
  union; 
  the 
  short 
  zigzag 
  

   lines 
  within 
  which, 
  in 
  this 
  instance, 
  represent 
  the 
  tears, 
  i. 
  e., 
  

   "eye 
  rain." 
  directed 
  toward 
  the 
  sky.] 
  

  

  