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  the 
  mide'wiwin 
  of 
  the 
  ojibwa. 
  

  

  understanding 
  requires 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  vocables 
  of 
  the 
  actual 
  songs 
  and 
  charges 
  of 
  the 
  

   initiation 
  should 
  lie 
  recorded 
  and 
  translated. 
  This 
  involves 
  not 
  only 
  profound 
  lin- 
  

   guistic 
  study, 
  but 
  the 
  revelation 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  mysteries. 
  Iii 
  other 
  instances 
  the 
  litera- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  aboriginal 
  language 
  of 
  the 
  nonesoteric 
  songs 
  and 
  stories 
  and 
  their 
  

   translation 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  comprehend 
  the 
  devices 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  memorized 
  

   rather 
  than 
  symbolized. 
  Nevertheless, 
  long 
  usage 
  has 
  induced 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  

   ideography 
  and 
  symbolism. 
  

  

  On 
  PI. 
  xx 
  are 
  presented 
  illustrations 
  of 
  several 
  articles 
  found 
  

   in 
  a 
  Mide' 
  sack 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  delivered 
  to 
  the 
  Catholic 
  priest 
  at 
  

   Red 
  Lake 
  over 
  seventy 
  years 
  ago, 
  when 
  the 
  owner 
  professed 
  Chris- 
  

   tianity 
  and 
  forever 
  renounced 
  (at 
  least 
  verbally) 
  his 
  pagan 
  profes- 
  

   sion. 
  The 
  information 
  given 
  below 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  

   at 
  the 
  above 
  locality. 
  They 
  are 
  possessed 
  of 
  like 
  articles, 
  being 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  society 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  late 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  relics 
  

   belonged. 
  The 
  first 
  is 
  a 
  birch-bark 
  roll, 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  slit 
  

   into 
  short 
  strips, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  curl 
  in 
  toward 
  the 
  middle 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  

   escaping 
  of 
  the 
  contents. 
  The 
  upper 
  figure 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  

   god. 
  witli 
  waving 
  lines 
  extending 
  forward 
  from 
  the 
  eyes, 
  denoting 
  

   the 
  power 
  of 
  peering 
  into 
  futurity. 
  This 
  character 
  lias 
  suggested 
  

   to 
  several 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  that 
  the 
  owner 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  Mide'- 
  

   JeVsakkld'. 
  This 
  belief 
  is 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  actual 
  practice 
  pur- 
  

   sued 
  by 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  priests 
  when 
  marking 
  their 
  personal 
  effects. 
  

   The 
  lower 
  figure 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo, 
  as 
  is 
  apparent 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  

   of 
  the 
  hump. 
  Curiously 
  enough 
  both 
  eyes 
  are 
  drawn 
  upon 
  one 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  head, 
  a 
  practice 
  not 
  often 
  followed 
  by 
  Indian 
  artists. 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  small 
  figures 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  package, 
  folded, 
  

   consisting 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  sheet 
  of 
  birch-bark 
  and 
  resembling 
  paper 
  

   both 
  in 
  consistence 
  and 
  color. 
  Upon 
  the 
  upper 
  fold 
  is 
  the 
  outline 
  

   of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  bird. 
  The 
  next 
  two 
  objects 
  represent 
  small 
  boxes 
  

   made 
  of 
  pine 
  wood, 
  painted 
  or 
  stained 
  red 
  and 
  black. 
  They 
  were 
  

   empty 
  when 
  received, 
  but 
  were 
  no 
  doubt 
  used 
  to 
  hold 
  sacred 
  

   objects. 
  The 
  lowest 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  bundle 
  of 
  three 
  

   small 
  bags 
  of 
  cotton 
  wrapped 
  with 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  blue 
  cloth. 
  The 
  bags 
  

   contain, 
  respectively, 
  love 
  powder, 
  hunter's 
  medicine— 
  in 
  this 
  in- 
  

   stance 
  red 
  ocher 
  ami 
  powdered 
  arbor 
  vitee 
  leaves 
  — 
  and 
  another 
  pow- 
  

   der 
  of 
  a 
  broWnish 
  color, 
  with 
  which 
  is 
  mixed 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   ground 
  medicinal 
  plants. 
  

  

  The 
  roll 
  of 
  birch-bark 
  containing 
  these 
  relics 
  inclosed 
  also 
  the 
  

   skin 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  rodent 
  (Spermophilus 
  sp. 
  ?) 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  torn 
  and 
  moth- 
  

   eaten 
  condition. 
  This 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  owner 
  for 
  purposes 
  unknown 
  

   to 
  those 
  who 
  were 
  consulted 
  upon 
  the 
  subject. 
  It 
  is 
  frequently, 
  if 
  

   not 
  generally, 
  impossible 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  fetiches 
  

   and 
  other 
  sacred 
  objects 
  contained 
  in 
  Mide' 
  sacks 
  of 
  unknown 
  own- 
  

   ership, 
  as 
  each 
  priest 
  adopts 
  his 
  own 
  line 
  of 
  practice, 
  based 
  upon 
  a 
  

   variety 
  of 
  reasons, 
  chiefly 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  his 
  fasting 
  dreams. 
  

  

  Fancy 
  sometimes 
  leads 
  an 
  individual 
  to 
  prepare 
  medicine 
  sticks 
  

   that 
  are 
  of 
  curious 
  shape 
  or 
  bear 
  designs 
  of 
  odd 
  form 
  copied 
  after 
  

  

  