﻿236 
  THE 
  mide'wiwin 
  of 
  the 
  ojibwa. 
  

  

  rest 
  is 
  taken, 
  but 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  resumed 
  dancing 
  begins 
  and 
  is 
  contin- 
  

   ued 
  to 
  the 
  end. 
  In 
  this 
  manner 
  they 
  indulge 
  in 
  singing 
  and 
  danc- 
  

   ing, 
  interspersed 
  with 
  short 
  speeches, 
  until 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  sunset, 
  

   when 
  the 
  members 
  retire 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  wig'iwams, 
  leaving 
  the 
  Mide'- 
  

   wigan 
  by 
  the 
  western 
  egress. 
  

  

  The 
  ushers, 
  assisted 
  by 
  the 
  chief 
  Mide', 
  then 
  remove 
  the 
  sacred 
  

   post 
  from 
  the 
  inclosure 
  and 
  arrange 
  the 
  interior 
  for 
  new 
  initiations, 
  

   either 
  of 
  a 
  lower 
  or 
  higher 
  class, 
  if 
  candidates 
  have 
  prepared 
  and 
  

   presented 
  themselves. 
  In 
  case 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  further 
  need 
  of 
  meeting 
  

   again 
  at 
  once, 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  and 
  visitors 
  return 
  upon 
  

   the 
  following 
  day 
  to 
  their 
  respective 
  homes. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTIVE 
  NOTES. 
  

  

  The 
  mi'gis 
  shell 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  degree 
  initiation 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  species 
  as 
  those 
  before 
  mentioned. 
  At 
  White 
  Earth, 
  however, 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  priests 
  claim 
  an 
  additional 
  shell 
  as 
  characteristic 
  of 
  this 
  

   advanced 
  degree, 
  and 
  insist 
  that 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  as 
  nearly 
  round 
  as 
  

   possible, 
  having 
  a 
  perforation 
  through 
  it 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  secured 
  

   with 
  a 
  strand 
  or 
  sinew. 
  In 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  a 
  rounded 
  white 
  shell 
  a 
  

   bead 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  substitute. 
  On 
  PI. 
  XI, 
  No. 
  4, 
  is 
  presented 
  an 
  

   illustration 
  of 
  the 
  bead 
  (the 
  second-degree 
  mi'gis) 
  presented 
  to 
  me 
  on 
  

   the 
  occasion 
  of 
  my 
  initiation. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  facial 
  decoration 
  resorted 
  to 
  in 
  this 
  

   degree 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  members 
  now 
  paint 
  the 
  face 
  according 
  to 
  

   their 
  own 
  individual 
  tastes, 
  though 
  a 
  few 
  old 
  men 
  still 
  adhere 
  to 
  the 
  

   traditional 
  method 
  previously 
  described 
  (pp. 
  180, 
  181). 
  The 
  candidate 
  

   usually 
  adopts 
  the 
  style 
  practiced 
  by 
  his 
  preceptor, 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  

   is 
  officially 
  entitled; 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  preceptor 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  prepara- 
  

   tory 
  instruction 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  degree 
  be 
  not 
  the 
  same 
  individual 
  

   whose 
  services 
  were 
  retained 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  then 
  the 
  candidate 
  

   has 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  painting 
  his 
  face 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  the 
  

   preceding 
  degree. 
  If 
  he 
  follow 
  his 
  last 
  preceptor 
  it 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   an 
  exceptional 
  token 
  of 
  respect, 
  and 
  the 
  student 
  is 
  not 
  expected 
  to 
  

   follow 
  the 
  method 
  in 
  his 
  further 
  advancement. 
  

  

  A 
  Mide' 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  degree 
  is 
  also 
  governed 
  by 
  his 
  tutelary 
  dai- 
  

   nion: 
  e. 
  g.. 
  if 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  fast 
  and 
  vision 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  bear, 
  he 
  now 
  

   prepares 
  a 
  necklace 
  of 
  bear-claws, 
  which 
  is 
  worn 
  about 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  

   crosses 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  breast. 
  He 
  now 
  has 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  changing 
  

   his 
  form 
  into 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  bear; 
  and 
  during 
  that 
  term 
  of 
  his 
  disguise 
  he 
  

   wreaks 
  vengeance 
  upon 
  his 
  detractors 
  and 
  upon 
  victims 
  for 
  whose 
  

   destruction 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  liberally 
  rewarded. 
  Immediately 
  upon 
  the 
  

   accomplishment 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  act 
  he 
  resumes 
  his 
  human 
  form 
  and 
  

   thus 
  escapes 
  identification 
  and 
  detection. 
  Such 
  persons 
  are 
  termed 
  

   by 
  many 
  " 
  bad 
  medicine 
  men," 
  and 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  thus 
  debasing 
  the 
  

   sacred 
  teachings 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin 
  is 
  discountenanced 
  by 
  members 
  

   of 
  the 
  society 
  generally. 
  Such 
  pretensions 
  are 
  firmly 
  believed 
  in 
  

  

  