﻿274 
  THE 
  mide'wiwin 
  of 
  the 
  ojibwa. 
  

  

  the 
  words. 
  Another 
  fact 
  which 
  often 
  presents 
  itself 
  is 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  

   time 
  and 
  measure, 
  which 
  prevents 
  any 
  reduction 
  to 
  notation 
  by 
  full 
  

   bars; 
  e. 
  g., 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  bars 
  may 
  appear 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  four 
  quarter 
  

   notes 
  or 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  quarters 
  and 
  eighths 
  to 
  complete 
  such 
  

   bars, 
  but 
  the 
  succeeding 
  one 
  may 
  consist 
  of 
  an 
  additional 
  quarter, 
  or 
  

   perhaps 
  two, 
  thus 
  destroying 
  all 
  semblance 
  of 
  rythmic 
  continuity. 
  

   This 
  peculiarity 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  common 
  in 
  dancing 
  music, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   instruments 
  of 
  percussion 
  are 
  employed 
  to 
  assist 
  regularity 
  and 
  to 
  

   accord 
  with 
  the 
  steps 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  dancers, 
  or 
  vice 
  versa. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  songs 
  presented 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  the 
  bars 
  have 
  been 
  

   omitted 
  for 
  the 
  reasons 
  presented 
  above. 
  The 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  the 
  

   songs 
  as 
  rendered 
  by 
  the 
  preceptor 
  is 
  thus 
  more 
  plainly 
  indicated. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  chant 
  is 
  ended 
  the 
  ushers, 
  who 
  are 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  

   chief 
  Mide', 
  leave 
  the 
  inclosure 
  to 
  bring 
  in 
  the 
  vessels 
  of 
  food. 
  This 
  

   is 
  furnished 
  by 
  the 
  newly 
  elected 
  member 
  and 
  is 
  prepared 
  by 
  his 
  

   female 
  relatives 
  and 
  friends. 
  The 
  kettles 
  and 
  dishes 
  of 
  food 
  are 
  borne 
  

   around 
  four 
  times, 
  so 
  that 
  each 
  one 
  present 
  may 
  have 
  the 
  opportunity 
  

   of 
  eating 
  sufficiently. 
  Smoking 
  and 
  conversation 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  

   Mide'wiwin 
  may 
  then 
  be 
  continued 
  until 
  toward 
  sunset, 
  when, 
  upon 
  

   an 
  intimation 
  from 
  the 
  chief 
  Mide', 
  the 
  members 
  quietly 
  retire, 
  leav- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  structure 
  by 
  the 
  western 
  door. 
  All 
  personal 
  property 
  is 
  re- 
  

   moved, 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  following 
  day 
  everybody 
  departs. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTIVE 
  NOTES. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  influence 
  wielded 
  by 
  Mide' 
  generally, 
  and 
  partic- 
  

   ularly 
  such 
  as 
  have 
  received 
  four 
  degrees, 
  is 
  beyond 
  belief. 
  The 
  

   rite 
  of 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin 
  is 
  deemed 
  equivalent 
  to 
  a 
  religion 
  — 
  as 
  that 
  

   term 
  is 
  commonly 
  understood 
  by 
  intelligent 
  people 
  — 
  and 
  is 
  believed 
  

   to 
  elevate 
  such 
  a 
  Mide' 
  to 
  the 
  neai'est 
  possible 
  approach 
  to 
  the 
  re- 
  

   puted 
  character 
  of 
  Mi'nabo'zho, 
  and 
  to 
  place 
  within 
  his 
  reach 
  the 
  

   supernatural 
  power 
  of 
  invoking 
  and 
  communing 
  with 
  Ki'tshi 
  Man'ido 
  

   himself. 
  

  

  By 
  reference 
  to 
  PI. 
  Ill, 
  A, 
  No. 
  98, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  hu- 
  

   man 
  figure 
  is 
  specially 
  marked 
  with 
  very 
  pronounced 
  indications 
  of 
  

   mT'gis 
  spots 
  upon 
  the 
  head, 
  the 
  extremities, 
  and 
  more 
  particularly 
  

   the 
  breast. 
  These 
  are 
  placed 
  where 
  the 
  migis 
  was 
  "shot" 
  into 
  the 
  

   Mide', 
  and 
  the 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  parts 
  are 
  therefore 
  believed 
  

   to 
  be 
  greatly 
  augmented. 
  All 
  the 
  spots 
  are 
  united 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  to 
  de- 
  

   note 
  unity 
  and 
  harmony 
  of 
  action 
  in 
  the 
  exercise 
  of 
  power. 
  

  

  The 
  mi'gis, 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  degree, 
  consists 
  of 
  small 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   deer 
  horn, 
  covered 
  with 
  red 
  paint 
  on 
  one 
  end 
  and 
  green 
  upon 
  the 
  

   other. 
  Sometimes 
  but 
  one 
  color 
  is 
  employed 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  object. 
  

   The 
  form 
  is 
  shown 
  on 
  PI. 
  xi, 
  No. 
  6. 
  No. 
  2, 
  upon 
  the 
  same 
  plate, 
  

   represents 
  a 
  shell, 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  mi'gis, 
  observed 
  at 
  White 
  Earth. 
  

  

  Fisrs. 
  5-11, 
  on 
  PI. 
  XV, 
  present 
  several 
  forms 
  of 
  painting 
  mide' 
  

  

  