74 



THE MENOMINI INDIANS 



[KTII. ANN. 14 



VI 



served as soldiers in the Union army. This digression was prompted 

 because the deceased had been one of their comrades. 



Shu'nien, in the meantime, had taken the grave post — winch had been 

 previously erected before the grave box — and painted a band of vermil- 

 ion around the top, a band as broad as a finger, and five crosses on one 

 of the fiat sides to denote the number of addresses made at the grave; 

 while on the reverse were four transverse bars and three crosses, de- 

 noting that the deceased had performed eight noteworthy exploits 

 during his life. On the grave post were incised 

 the outlines of animals, totemic in character; 

 over each of these some of the animals were 

 again drawn in vermilion, though with another 

 band, as the dotted and shaded lines in the ac- 

 companying illustration (figure 7) show. The 

 general appearance of the grave box, with the 

 baton, the grave post, the board with the offer- 

 ing of tobacco, and the stick ornamented with a 

 white cloth, is shown in figure S. The adjoining 

 grave boxes are those of relationsof the deceased, 

 for whose benefit the feast was here given. 



By the lime the speaking had concluded the 

 sun had gone below the horizon, and Shu'nien 

 suggested returning toward the medicine wiko'- 

 mik, the persons present falling into line two by 

 two. The procession inarched slowly down the 

 hill toward the east, and passing toward the 

 south side of the structure to the main or east- 

 ern entrance, where only Shu'nien and his three 

 chief assistants, the four highest ofliciating 

 mit;i' v for this ceremony, entered the inclosure 

 and took seats on the northern side, though near 

 the eastern entrance. Figure It, representing 

 the ground plan of the medicine wiko'mik, will 

 serve to illustrate the respective positions of 

 the several persons officiating, as well as those 

 of the candidate, visitors, etc. 



At. such gatherings it is customary for each 

 individual to dress as elaborately as his dr. 

 cumstances will permit. The head is adorned with a turban made of a 

 silken handkerchief, a hat, feathers, or even a turban consisting of a 

 native-made woolen waist scarf. Bead bags, measuring from 10 to 12 

 inches in length and from 12 to 16 inches in width, with a shoulder 

 Strap or baldric across the opposite shoulder, are worn on the hip or 

 side: frequently two or three are won i by the same mita /v , and even 



as many as a dozen have been seei a single individual. There 



arc also amulets, worn above the elbows, which consist of strands of 

 headed work, metal bauds or skunk skins, while bracelets of shells, 



Fig. 7 — Grave post 



