88 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.anh.H 



"Ma'nabush knew that his brother had been killed, aud mourned for 

 him for four days. On the fifth day, while Ma'nabush was out looking 

 for the trail of game, he chauced to look up from the ground and beheld 

 his brother approaching. Then the brother of Ma'nabush said: 'My 

 fate will be the fate of all our friends and descendants; they will die, 

 but after four days they will return again.' Then Ma'nabush found that 

 what he thought was the body of his brother was only the shade, so he 

 said : ' My brother, return to the place of the setting sun ; you are now 

 called Na'qpote, and will have .the care of the dead.' The mystery 

 replied : ' If I go there and our friends follow me we shall not be able 

 to return again when we leave this place.' Ma'nabush again spoke to 

 the shade of his brother, saying: 'Go, Na'qpote, and prepare a wig- 

 wam for our friends; build a large fire, that they may be guided to it — 

 that on their arrival they may find an abode.' 



" Then Na'qpote left, to abide in the land of shades, in the direction 

 of the setting sun, where the world is cut off." 



Shu'nien ceased chanting at this point, and the candidate and his 

 friends returned to their seats. The usher came forward and placed 

 the drum before Nio'pet, at the left side, while the rattles were appro- 

 priated by the other medicine men. A ceremonial smoke having again 

 been taken, Nio'pet began to tap the drum gently, and as the rattles 

 were heard the candidate and his companions presented themselves 

 before Nio'pet. The following is a translation of the words chanted: 



" When Ma'nabush found himself deprived of his brother, he looked 

 about him and found that he was not now alone on the earth, but that 

 there were other people, his uncles and aunts, also children of Xoko'niis. 

 He found that they were greatly harassed by the ana'maqki'u, and 

 became very angry with Mashii' Ma'nido for allowing them so much 

 power. He therefore determined to destroy the ana'maqki'u, and cried 

 out for the waters of the lake to disappear, Four times he cried oat, 

 when the waters began to disappear in the earth, leaving on the mud 

 aud sand of the bottom many of the ana'maqki'fi, while stranded near 

 the shore lay the chief of them all, Mi'sikine'bik, the Great Fish. 

 Then Ma'nabush said to him, ' I want to destroy you because you will 

 not permit my people to approach the water that they may drink ;' but 

 just as he was about to carry out his threat the smaller ana'maqki'u 

 again caused the waters to return to the lake, thus depriving Ma'na- 

 bush of the satisfaction of killing their chief. Thus they escaped. 



"Then Ma'nabush went to seek some birch trees, and getting bark 

 sufficient to make a canoe, he prepared one and decided to destroy 

 Mi'sikine'bik by attacking him in the water. As he left the shore to go 

 out upon the lake, he sang 'Mi'sikine'bik bina' ni'na koq'slna' [Great 

 Fish, come and swallow me]. Mi'sikine'bik paid no attention to this, 

 as hi? thought his young could easily destroy Ma'nabush. They came 

 toward the canoe, but Ma'nabush said to them, 'I do not want you; it 



