152 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.ann.14 



a hall of fire; she has the power of flight, and at night will enter the windows and 

 suck the blood of little children. These sorcerers will make little images of rags or 

 of clay ; then stick into them the thorn of the maguey and place them in some secret 

 place. You can he sure that the person against whom the conjuration is practiced 

 will feel pain in the part where the thorn is inserted. 



The number of these pretenders who are not members of the Mide'- 

 wiwin is very limited. For instance, there are at present but two or 

 three at White Earth reservation and none at Leech lake. As a general 

 rule, however, the wa'beno will seek entrance into the Mide'wi win when 

 he becomes more of a specialist in the practice of medical magic, incan- 

 tations, and the exorcism of malevolent ma'nidos. 



Concerning the wa'beuo, Reverend Peter Jones' says: 



Witches and wizards are persons supposed to possess the agency of familiar spirits, 

 from whom they receive power to inflict diseases on their enemies, prevent the good 

 luck of the hunter, and the success of the warrior. They are believed to fly invis- 

 ibly at pleasure from place to place; to turn themselves into bears, wolves, foxes, 

 owls, bats, and snakes. Such metamorphoses they pretend to accomplish by putting 

 on the skius of these animals, at the same time crying and howling in imitation of 

 the creature they wish to represent. Several of our people have informed me that 

 they have seen and heard witches in the shape of these animals, especially the bear 

 and the fox. They say that when a witch in the shape of a bear is being chased, all 

 at once she will run round a tree or a hill, so as to be lost sight of for a time by her 

 pursuers; and then, instead of seeing a bear, they behold an old woman walking 

 quietly along, or digging up roots, and looking as innocent as a lamb. The fox 

 witches are known by the flame of fire which proceeds out of their mouths every 

 time they bark. 



This belief in the transformation of the wa'beno into some animate 

 form, under which disguise he may inflict injury on his victim aud 

 immediately thereafter resume his natural form, is still very prevalent 

 among the primitive Menominj. and frequently I have had considerable 

 difficulty in persuading some of the younger men to accompany me 

 through a forest, after nightfall, either in going to, or returning from, 

 ceremonies at which 1 was to be in attendance. 



The tricks accredited to the wa'beno are numerous, and often exceed, 

 ingly romantic. The following performance is said to have occurred 

 at White Earth, Minnesota, in the presence of a large gathering of 

 Indians aud mixed bloods. Two small wigwams were erected, about 

 50 paces from each other, aud after the wa'beuo had crawled into one 

 of them his disparagers built around each of the structures a contin- 

 uous heap of brush and firewood, which was then kindled. When the 

 blaze was at its height all became hushed for a moment. Presently 

 the wa'beno called to the crowd that he had transferred himself to the 

 other wigwam, and immediately, to their profound astonishment, 

 crawled forth therefrom unharmed. 



Charlevoix alludes to certain magic of the Indians which he refers 

 to thejuggliug: but as all shamans were, at the time of the descrip- 

 tion, designated jugglers, aud as no specific name was suggested for 



1 History of the Ojebway Indians, p. 145. 



