hoffman] FEATS OF LEGERDEMAIN 105 



prestigiators previous to such attempts at invocation. The ability of a 

 medicine man to excel another in juggling is believed to be due to the 

 fact that his "medicine" is the stronger. By the expression "medicine" 

 is usually meant the power reputed to be possessed by a man's fetish or 

 charmed object adopted after his first fast to typify his tutelary daimon, 

 or so-called guardian mystery. 



The Menomini Indians relate some curious tales of wonderful feats 

 performed by medicine men and medicine women in the olden time, 

 when greater faith was placed in the ma'nidos, and when people had 

 the power to obtain "stronger medicine." One exploit referred to by 

 the Menomini was later on also described by an Ottawa chief, as the 

 incident occurred at a meeting of the Ottawa medicine society in Michi- 

 gan, at which a number of medicine men from other tribes were present, 

 because the Honorable Lewis Cass had also intimated his desire to wit- 

 ness the dance. The ceremonial had progressed with unflagging interest 

 until toward the close of the day, and as Mr Cass is said to have 

 observed an old Ojibwa medicine woman, who had come up at each 

 dance to actively participate in the exercises, he asked someone near 

 by why this old woman took such an active part, as she appeared rather 

 uninteresting and had nothing to say, and apparently nothing to do 

 except to shake her snake-skin medicine bag. The woman heard the 

 remark and became offended, because she w'as known among her own 

 people as a very powerful mitii'kwe. In an instant she threw the dry 

 snake-skin bag toward the offender, when the skin became a live serpent 

 which rushed at Mr Cass and ran him out of the crowd. The snake 

 then returned to the medicine woman, who picked it up, when it ap- 

 peared again as a dry skin bag. 



In the chants rendered by the four chief mitii'wok, relating to the 

 Indian genesis of mankind, the words are intoned in a recitative style, 

 though rapidly and duplicated, as before mentioned. In addition to 

 this there are but two tones employed, the initial two or three syllables 

 being uttered in the first note, while the remainder of the phrase ends 

 in a tone a third lower. This method is followed by each one through- 

 out his chant. When the service is changed from the mortuary ob- 

 servance of the first evening and the following night to the prepara- 

 tory course on the next morning, the music of the chants is entirely 

 changed. The scope of the tones employed is limited, embracing as a 

 rule but five, while the final syllable of each phrase is prolonged into a 

 vowel sound, usually "ho" or "he," (which is merely interjectioual and 

 without definite meaning); though, unlike the songs of the Ojibwa, 

 there is a pronounced quaver resulting from, joining to the note a half- 

 note lower, thus giving one the impression that the note was chanted 

 in a tremulous manner. 



It has been observed, too, at some of the meetings of the society, that 

 certain mita'wok, to prolong the ceremony, will invent a phrase to suit 

 a circumstance that may occur, and as the musical notation is so simple 



