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  THE 
  MIDE'WIWIN 
  OF 
  THE 
  OJIBWA. 
  

  

  The 
  son 
  died; 
  whereupon 
  his 
  mother 
  immediately 
  set 
  out 
  for 
  the 
  village 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   help 
  to 
  restore 
  him 
  to 
  life, 
  as 
  she 
  believed 
  her 
  father, 
  the 
  chief 
  priest 
  of 
  the 
  Mide 
  - 
  

   wiwin, 
  able 
  to 
  accomplish 
  this. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  woman 
  informed 
  her 
  father 
  of 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  her 
  son, 
  her 
  brother, 
  who 
  

   was 
  present, 
  immediately 
  set 
  out 
  in 
  advance 
  lo 
  render 
  assistance. 
  The 
  chief 
  priest 
  

   then 
  summoned 
  three 
  assistant 
  Mide', 
  and 
  they 
  accompanied 
  his 
  daughter 
  to 
  the 
  

   place 
  where 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  his 
  dead 
  grandson 
  lay 
  upon 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  wig'iwam, 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  with 
  robes. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  Mide' 
  placed 
  himself 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  shoulder 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  boy, 
  the 
  next 
  in 
  

   rank 
  at 
  the 
  right, 
  while 
  the 
  two 
  other 
  assistants 
  stationed 
  themselves 
  at 
  t 
  he 
  feet. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  youngest 
  Mide' 
  — 
  he 
  at 
  the 
  right 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  — 
  began 
  to 
  chant 
  a 
  

   mide' 
  song, 
  which 
  he 
  repeated 
  a 
  second, 
  a 
  third, 
  and 
  a 
  fourth 
  time. 
  

  

  When 
  he 
  had 
  finished, 
  the 
  Mide 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  foot 
  sang 
  a 
  mide' 
  song 
  four 
  times; 
  

   then 
  the 
  Mide' 
  at 
  the 
  right 
  shoulder 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  did 
  the 
  same, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  chief 
  

   Mide' 
  priest 
  sang 
  bis 
  song 
  four 
  times, 
  whereupon 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  perceptible 
  movement 
  

   under 
  the 
  blanket, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  limbs 
  began 
  to 
  move 
  the 
  blanket 
  was 
  taken 
  off, 
  when 
  

   the 
  boy 
  sat 
  up. 
  Being 
  unable 
  to 
  speak, 
  he 
  made 
  signs 
  that 
  he 
  desired 
  water, 
  which 
  

   was 
  given 
  to 
  him. 
  

  

  The 
  four 
  Mide 
  priests 
  then 
  chanted 
  medicine 
  songs, 
  each 
  preparing 
  charmed 
  

   remedies 
  which 
  were 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  boy 
  to 
  complete 
  his 
  recovery. 
  The 
  youngest 
  

   Mide', 
  standing 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  patient, 
  gave 
  him 
  four 
  pinches 
  of 
  powder, 
  which 
  

   he 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  swallow; 
  the 
  Mide' 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  foot 
  did 
  the 
  same; 
  then 
  the 
  Mide 
  at 
  

   the 
  right 
  shoulder 
  did 
  likewise, 
  and 
  he, 
  in 
  turn, 
  was 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  chief 
  priest 
  

   standing 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  shoulder 
  of 
  the 
  boy; 
  whereupon 
  the 
  convalescent 
  immediately 
  

   recovered 
  his 
  speech 
  and 
  said 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  his 
  body 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  a 
  

   trance 
  his 
  spirit 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  "spirit 
  land," 
  and 
  had 
  learned 
  of 
  the 
  "grand 
  

   medicine." 
  

  

  The 
  boy 
  then 
  narrated 
  what 
  his 
  spirit 
  had 
  experienced 
  during 
  the 
  trance, 
  as 
  fol- 
  

   lows: 
  " 
  Gi'-gi-min'-e-go'-min 
  rui-de'-wi-win 
  mi-de' 
  man'-i-do' 
  'n-gi-gin'-o-a-inak 
  

   ban-dzhi 
  -ge'-o-we'-an 
  ta'-zi-ne'-zho-wak' 
  ni-zha'-ne-zak, 
  ki-wi'-de-get' 
  mi'-o-pi'-ke'- 
  

   ne-bui'-yan 
  ka-ki'-ne 
  ka-we'-de-ge' 
  mi'-o-wok-pi' 
  i-kan-o-a-mag'-i-na 
  mi-de' 
  man'- 
  

   i-do 
  wi-we'-ni-tshi 
  mi-de'-wi-win, 
  ki'-mi-ma'-di-si-win'-in-an' 
  ki-mi'-ni-go-nan' 
  ge- 
  

   on'-de-na-mongk 
  ki'-mi-ma 
  -di-si 
  -wa-in-an' 
  ; 
  ki'-ki-no'-a-mag'-wi-nan' 
  mash'-ki-ki 
  

   o-gi'-mi-ni'-go-wan' 
  o-dzhi-bi'-gan 
  gi-me'-ni-na-giik' 
  majh 
  -ki-ki-wa'-bo" 
  shtlk-wan 
  - 
  

   a-ko-se'-an 
  o-ma'-mash'-kl-ki 
  ma'-gi-ga'-to 
  ki 
  -ka-ya-ton." 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  translation: 
  

  

  He, 
  the 
  chief 
  spirit 
  of 
  the 
  Mide 
  Society, 
  gave 
  us 
  the 
  "grand 
  medicine," 
  and 
  he 
  

   has 
  taught 
  us 
  how 
  to 
  use 
  it. 
  I 
  have 
  come 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  spirit 
  laud. 
  There 
  will 
  he 
  

   twelve, 
  all 
  of 
  whom 
  will 
  take 
  wives; 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  without 
  a 
  

   wife, 
  then 
  will 
  I 
  die. 
  That 
  is 
  the 
  time. 
  The 
  Mide' 
  spirit 
  taught 
  us 
  to 
  do 
  right. 
  

   He 
  gave 
  us 
  life 
  and 
  told 
  us 
  how 
  to 
  prolong 
  it. 
  These 
  things 
  he 
  taught 
  us, 
  and 
  gave 
  

   us 
  roots 
  for 
  medicine. 
  I 
  give 
  to 
  you 
  medicine; 
  if 
  your 
  head 
  is 
  sick, 
  this 
  medicine 
  

   put 
  upon 
  it, 
  you 
  will 
  put 
  it 
  on." 
  

  

  The 
  revelation 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  boy 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  manner 
  im- 
  

   parted 
  to 
  the 
  Indians. 
  The 
  reference 
  to 
  twelve 
  — 
  three 
  times 
  the 
  

   sacred 
  number 
  four 
  — 
  signifies 
  that 
  twelve 
  chief 
  priests 
  shall 
  succeed 
  

   each 
  other 
  before 
  death 
  will 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  narrator. 
  It 
  is 
  observed. 
  

   also, 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  words 
  are 
  archaic, 
  which 
  fact 
  appears 
  to 
  

   be 
  an 
  indication 
  of 
  some 
  antiquity, 
  at 
  least, 
  of 
  the 
  tradition. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  forms 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  Mide' 
  will 
  utilize 
  

   Aralia 
  quinquefolia, 
  Gr., 
  ginseng 
  — 
  Sht8'-na-bi-o'-dzhi-bik: 
  

  

  