hoffman] THE SWEAT LODGE 117 



fear; I merely wish to place about your ueck this necklace which I 

 wear, and from which is suspended the white shell.' Then Oka'skima'ni' 

 came down, hut suspecting Ma'nabush he kept a sharp watch over 

 his movements. Ma'nabush placed the necklace about the neck of 

 Oka'skima'ni- so that the white shell ornament was suspended over the 

 breast, and. while pretending to tie the ends of the cord back of the 

 neck of Oka'skima'ni', Ma'nabush had made one turn and was going 

 to strangle his victim when he slipped away and escaped. The white 

 spot may be seen on the breast of Oka'skima'ni' even to this day." 



The sweat lodge, already mentioned, is resorted to by the tshi'saqka, 

 and frequently, also, by the mita /T , before attempting any serious or 

 dangerous undertaking. The structure is made by placing in the 

 ground in a circular form, having a diameter of 4 or 5 feet, some sap- 

 lings li to 2 inches in thickness, then bending the tops over the middle 

 of the inclosure thus formed and tying them to the opposite poles, so 

 that each pair forms a perfect hoop (plate xi). This dome-shape struc- 

 ture is then covered with bark, canvas, or blankets, to make it as close 

 and tight as possible. When the person desiring the bath enters the 

 structure, an assistant is engaged near by in heating four large stones, 

 each weighing from 8 to 15 pounds. While they are being prepared, 

 the mita'T within continues to chant, and as soon as the stones are suffi- 

 ciently hot they are rolled in, when the mita' T blows upon them a spray, 

 which he produces by filling his mouth from a bowl of water. Presently 

 the small structure becomes filled with hot vapor, which causes his body 

 to perspire profusely. When the bather emerges he sometimes plunges 

 into a stream if one be near at hand. 



In the account of the customs of the savages of Canada, obtained 

 from the French archives and now designated as the "Cass manu- 

 scripts,'' dated 1723, there is a reference to the alleged abiding place of 

 Ma'nabush, as follows: 



Near Mackinaw there is a rock which, from a distance, has the outline of a sitting 

 rabbit, by them called "Michapaux," which they affirm to have been a Great .Spirit 

 or XI a niton that once presided over their ancestors, not allowing them to want for 

 anything. Then they succeeded in every undertaking. But by some misfortune, the 

 Spirit has withdrawn into Michapaux. When they pass there, they always leave 

 something to render him more favorable. 1 



Alloiiez mentioned the same myth in his letter of 1660, referring to 

 the Indians of Michilimackinac. He states that " Leurs fables sur cette 

 Isle sont agreables," and adds: 



lis disent que cette Isle est le Pays natal d'un de leurs Dieux nomine Michabous, 

 <;'est a dire le grand Lieurc, Ovisaketehak, qui est celuy qui a crec la Terre, et que ce 

 fat dans ces Isles qu'il inventa les rets pour prendre du poissou, apres avoir considere 

 attentivement l'araiguee dans le temps qu'elle travailloit h sa toile pour y prendre 

 des mouches. 2 



Subsequent to the ceremony, Nio'pet gave an account of the experi- 

 ence of some men who wanted to see Ma'nabush and to request of him 



1 Cull. Hist. Soc. Wisconsin for 1H56, vol. iii., 1857, p. 145. 



2 Relations des Jesuites, 1670, p. 93. 



