114 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.ahn.14 



"Noko'mis then wrapped the living child in soft, dry grass, laid it 

 on the ground at the extreme end of her wigwam, and placed over it a 

 wooden bowl to protect it. She then took the body of her daughter 

 and the other grandchild and buried them at some distance from her 

 habitation. When she returned to the wigwam, she sat down and 

 mourned for four days; but at the expiration of the fourth day she 

 heard a slight noise within the wigwam, which she soon found to come 

 from the wooden bowl. The bowl moved, when she suddenly remem- 

 bered that her living grandchild had been put under it. Upon removing 

 the bowl she beheld a little white rabbit, with quivering ears, and on 

 taking it up said : ' O, my dear little Rabbit, my Ma'nabush ! ' She cher- 

 ished it, and it grew. One day the Rabbit sat up on its haunches and 

 hopped slowly across the floor of the wigwam, which caused the earth 

 to tremble. Then the ana'niaqki'u, or evil underground beings, said to 

 one another : ' What has happened ? A great ma'nido is born somewhere,' 

 and they immediately began to devise means whereby Ma'nabush might 

 be destroyed. 



•• When Ma'nabush grew to be a young man he thought it time to 

 prepare himself to assist his uncles (the people) to better their condi- 

 tion. He then said to Noko'inis, 'Grandmother, make me four sticks, 

 that I may be able to sing.' She made for him four sticks, the pii'ka- 

 hfi'kanak', with which he could beat time when singing. When he 

 received these sticks he went away to an open flat place, where he built 

 along house or wigwam. He then began to sing: 'Ne'niki'anka, he he; 

 E u/ toshe'hawok,he, he; mo'natoak', kit, he; Ni'nahapi'o nit esh'kodem 

 sasaq'kodek. Ne'pon ni'kati'nanan wike'iu na aoake me tshe, sho aiet- 

 shaqketokek." [Translation: I am born to create animals (for my 

 uncles). I can create my fire that the sparks may reach the sky. My 

 arrow I am going to take out, so that while the earth stands there will 

 be enough to eat.] ' 



" While thus singing and calling together his uncles he told them 

 that he would give them the Mitii'wit, so that they could cure disease. 

 He gave them plants for food so that they should no longer want for 

 anything. He gave them medicine bags, made of the skins of the mink, 

 the weasel, the black rattlesnake, the massasauga rattlesnake, and the 

 panther. Into each of these he put samples of all the medicines, and 

 taught their use. Ma'nabush lived for many years after this, and taught 

 his uncles how to do many useful things." 



When this portion of the recitative chant had been completed by 

 Nio'pet, there was a lull in the proceedings while the drum was passed 

 on to the next mitii' v , to be used as an accompaniment to his chant; and 

 after the others in succession completed their portions of the ritual, the 



1 The spoken words are different from those as pronounced in chanting. The chanted words, though 

 not exactly archaic, are yet different from the modern Meuomini, which may be attributable, perhaps, 

 to their (supposed) O.jibwa ritualistic origin. 



2 The word Ma'nabush is derived from ina-sha', "great." and wabfis', "rabbit." and signifies, "Great 

 Rabbit," because he was to perform great deeds. The Ojibwa etymology is almost identical — mislia', 

 and wabus. 



