﻿hoffhan.) 
  INITIATION 
  CEREMONIES. 
  237 
  

  

  ami 
  acknowledged 
  by 
  the 
  credulous 
  and 
  are 
  practiced 
  by 
  that 
  class 
  

   of 
  Shamans 
  here 
  designated 
  as 
  the 
  Wabeno'. 
  

   In 
  his 
  history 
  ' 
  Rev. 
  Mr. 
  Junes 
  says: 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  powwows 
  always 
  unite 
  witchcraft 
  with 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  their 
  medicines 
  

   I 
  shall 
  here 
  give 
  a 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  curious 
  art. 
  

  

  Witches 
  and 
  wizards 
  are 
  persons 
  supposed 
  to 
  possess 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  familiar 
  spir- 
  

   its 
  from 
  whom 
  they 
  receive 
  power 
  to 
  inflict 
  diseases 
  on 
  their 
  enemies, 
  prevent 
  good 
  

   luck 
  of 
  the 
  hunter 
  and 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  warrior. 
  They 
  are 
  believed 
  to 
  fly 
  invisibly 
  

   at 
  pleasure 
  from 
  place 
  to 
  place; 
  to 
  turn 
  themselves 
  into 
  bears, 
  wolves, 
  foxes, 
  owls, 
  

   bats, 
  and 
  snakes. 
  Such 
  metamorph 
  ises 
  they 
  pretend 
  to 
  accomplish 
  by 
  putting 
  on 
  

   the 
  skins 
  of 
  these 
  animals, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  crying 
  and 
  howling 
  in 
  imitation 
  of 
  the 
  

   creature 
  they 
  wish 
  to 
  represent. 
  Several 
  of 
  our 
  people 
  have 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  they 
  

   have 
  seen 
  and 
  heard 
  witches 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  these 
  animals, 
  especially 
  the 
  bear 
  and 
  

   the 
  fox. 
  They 
  say 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  witch 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  bear 
  is 
  being 
  chased 
  all 
  at 
  

   once 
  she 
  will 
  run 
  round 
  a 
  tree 
  or 
  a 
  hill, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  by 
  her 
  

   pursuers, 
  and 
  then, 
  instead 
  of 
  seeing 
  a 
  bear 
  they 
  behold 
  an 
  old 
  woman 
  walking 
  

   quietly 
  along 
  or 
  digging 
  up 
  roots, 
  and 
  looking 
  as 
  innocent 
  as 
  a 
  lamb. 
  The 
  fox 
  

   witches 
  are 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  flame 
  of 
  fire 
  which 
  proceeds 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  mouths 
  every 
  

   time 
  they 
  bark. 
  

  

  Many 
  receive 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  witches 
  without 
  making 
  any 
  pretensions 
  to 
  the 
  art, 
  

   merely 
  because 
  they 
  are 
  deformed 
  or 
  ill-looking. 
  Persons 
  esteemed 
  witches 
  or 
  wiz- 
  

   ards 
  are 
  generally 
  eccentric 
  characters, 
  remarkably 
  wicked, 
  of 
  a 
  ragged 
  appearance 
  

   and 
  forbidding 
  countenance. 
  The 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  .ire 
  made 
  is 
  either 
  by 
  direct 
  

   communication 
  with 
  the 
  familiar 
  spirit 
  during 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  their 
  fasting, 
  or 
  by 
  being 
  

   instructed 
  by 
  those 
  skilled 
  in 
  the 
  art. 
  

  

  A 
  Mide' 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  degree 
  has 
  the 
  reputation 
  of 
  superior 
  pow- 
  

   ers 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  having 
  had 
  the 
  niT'gis 
  placed 
  upon 
  all 
  of 
  his 
  joints, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  because 
  his 
  heart 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  magic 
  power, 
  as 
  is 
  

   shown 
  in 
  PI. 
  ill. 
  No. 
  48. 
  In 
  this 
  drawing 
  the 
  disk 
  upon 
  the 
  breast 
  

   denotes 
  where 
  the 
  mi'gis 
  has 
  been 
  '•shot" 
  into 
  the 
  figure, 
  the 
  en- 
  

   larged 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  circle 
  signifying 
  "greater 
  abundance," 
  in 
  contra- 
  

   distinction 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  designation 
  of 
  a 
  mi'gis 
  shown 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  

   simple 
  spot 
  or 
  small 
  point. 
  One 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  is 
  enabled 
  to 
  hear 
  and 
  

   see 
  what 
  is 
  transpiring 
  at 
  a 
  remote 
  distance, 
  the 
  lines 
  from 
  the 
  hands 
  

   indicating 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  enabled 
  to 
  grasp 
  objects 
  which 
  are 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   reach 
  of 
  a 
  common 
  person, 
  and 
  the 
  lines 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  feet 
  

   signifying 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  traverse 
  space 
  and 
  transport 
  himself 
  to 
  the 
  

   most 
  distant 
  points. 
  Therefore 
  he 
  is 
  sought 
  after 
  by 
  hunters 
  for 
  aid 
  

   in 
  the 
  discovery 
  and 
  capture 
  of 
  game, 
  for 
  success 
  in 
  war, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  enemies, 
  however 
  remote 
  may 
  be 
  their 
  residence. 
  

  

  When 
  an 
  enemy 
  or 
  a 
  rival 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  a 
  course 
  is 
  pursued 
  

   similar 
  to 
  that 
  followed 
  when 
  preparing 
  hunting 
  charts, 
  though 
  

   more 
  powerful 
  magic 
  medicines 
  are 
  used. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  pictograph 
  recording 
  such 
  an 
  occurrence 
  the 
  Mide', 
  or 
  

   rather 
  the 
  Wabeno', 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  degree 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin. 
  

   The 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  grade 
  of 
  the 
  operator 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  necessary 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  record, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  prompted 
  

  

  ' 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  Ojebway 
  Indians, 
  etc., 
  London 
  (1843?), 
  pp. 
  145, 
  146. 
  

  

  