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  THE 
  MIDE'WIWIN 
  OF 
  THE 
  (UII11VA. 
  

  

  by 
  one 
  sufficiently 
  emotional 
  and 
  possessed 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  voice. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  Mide' 
  priests 
  employ 
  few 
  notes, 
  not 
  exceeding 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  five, 
  

   for 
  all 
  songs, 
  while 
  others 
  frequently 
  cover 
  the 
  octave, 
  terminating 
  

   with 
  a 
  final 
  note 
  lower 
  still. 
  

  

  The 
  statement 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  that 
  one 
  Mide' 
  is 
  unable 
  either 
  to 
  

   recite 
  or 
  sing 
  the 
  proper 
  phrase 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  mnemonic 
  charac- 
  

   ters 
  of 
  a 
  song 
  belonging 
  to 
  another 
  Mide' 
  unless 
  specially 
  instructed. 
  

   The 
  representation 
  of 
  an 
  object 
  may 
  refer 
  to 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  ideas 
  of 
  a 
  

   similar, 
  though 
  not 
  identical, 
  character. 
  The 
  picture 
  of 
  a 
  bear 
  may 
  

   signify 
  the 
  Bear 
  man'ido 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  guardians 
  of 
  the 
  society; 
  it- 
  

   may 
  pertain 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  singer 
  impersonates 
  that 
  man'ido; 
  

   exorcism 
  of 
  the 
  malevolent 
  bear 
  spirit 
  may 
  be 
  thus 
  claimed; 
  or 
  it 
  

   may 
  relate 
  to 
  the 
  desired 
  capture 
  of 
  the 
  animal, 
  as 
  when 
  drawn 
  to 
  

   insure 
  success 
  for 
  the 
  hunter. 
  An 
  Indian 
  is 
  slow 
  to 
  acquire 
  the 
  

   exact 
  phraseology, 
  which 
  is 
  always 
  sung 
  or 
  chanted, 
  of 
  mnemonic 
  

   songs 
  recited 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  a 
  Mide' 
  preceptor. 
  

  

  An 
  exact 
  reproduction 
  is 
  implicitly 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  necessary, 
  as 
  

   otherwise 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  formula 
  would 
  be 
  impaired, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  

   even 
  totally 
  destroyed. 
  It 
  frequently 
  happens, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  

   although 
  an 
  Indian 
  candidate 
  for 
  admission 
  into 
  the 
  Mide'wiwin 
  may 
  

   already 
  have 
  prepared 
  songs 
  in 
  imitation 
  of 
  those 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  

   instructed, 
  he 
  may 
  either 
  as 
  yet 
  be 
  unable 
  to 
  sing 
  perfectly 
  the 
  

   phrases 
  relating 
  thereto, 
  or 
  decline 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  because 
  of 
  a 
  want 
  of 
  con- 
  

   fidence. 
  Under 
  such 
  circumstances 
  the 
  interpretation 
  of 
  a 
  "record 
  is 
  

   far 
  from 
  satisfactory, 
  each 
  character 
  being 
  explained 
  simply 
  ob- 
  

   jectively, 
  the 
  true 
  import 
  being 
  intentionally 
  or 
  unavoidably 
  omitted. 
  

   An 
  Ojibwa 
  named 
  "Little 
  Frenchman," 
  living 
  at 
  Red 
  Lake, 
  had 
  

   received 
  almost 
  continuous 
  instruction 
  for 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years, 
  and 
  

   although 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  willing 
  and 
  valuable 
  assistant 
  in 
  other 
  matters 
  

   pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  under 
  consideration, 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  preceptor's 
  songs 
  to 
  fully 
  explain 
  them. 
  

   A 
  few 
  examples 
  of 
  such 
  mnemonic 
  songs 
  are 
  presented 
  in 
  illus- 
  

   tration, 
  and 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  such 
  as 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  recorded. 
  

   In 
  each 
  instance 
  the 
  Indian's 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  is 
  given 
  

   first, 
  the 
  notes 
  in 
  brackets 
  being 
  supplied 
  in 
  further 
  explanation. 
  

   PI. 
  XXII, 
  A, 
  is 
  reproduced 
  from 
  a 
  birch-bark 
  song; 
  the 
  incised 
  lines 
  

   are 
  sharp 
  and 
  clear, 
  while 
  the 
  drawing 
  in 
  general 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  superior 
  

   character. 
  The 
  record 
  is 
  drawn 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  read 
  from 
  right 
  to 
  left. 
  

  

  From 
  whence 
  I 
  sit. 
  

  

  [The 
  singer 
  is 
  seated, 
  as 
  the 
  lines 
  indicate 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  surface 
  

   beneath, 
  though 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  not 
  shown. 
  The 
  short 
  line 
  extending 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  indicates 
  voice, 
  and 
  probably 
  signifies, 
  in 
  this 
  instance, 
  

   singing.] 
  

  

  