252 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
Then the Tsiou met the black bear, called in the tradition Kaéxe-wéhii-sa" (Crow- 
bone-white), in the distance. He offered to become their messenger, so they sent him 
to the different stars for aid. According to the chart he went to them in the follow- 
ing order: Morning star, sun, moon, seven stars, evening star, little star. 
Then the black bear went to the Waoinya-oiiqse, a female red bird sitting on her 
nest. This grandmother granted his request. She gave them human bodies, making 
them out of her own body. 
The earth lodge at the end of the chart denotes the village of the Hanya uta¢a"si, 
who were a very warlike people. Buffalo skulls were on the tops of the lodges, and 
the bones of the animals on which they subsisted whitened onthe ground. The very 
air was rendered offensive by the decaying bodies and offal. 
The whole of the chart was used mnemonically. Parts of it, such as the four 
heavens and ladders, were tattooed on the throat and chest of the old men belong- 
ing to the order. 
The tradition relating to Minabo/zho and the sacred objects received 
from Kitshi Man/ido is illustrated in Fig. 168, which represents a copy 
(one-third original size) of the record preserved at White Earth, This 
record is read from left to right and is, briefly, as follows: 
Fic. 168,—Mide! record. 
a represents Minabo/zho, who says of the adjoining characters repre- 
senting the members of the Midéwin: ‘They are the ones, they are the 
ones who put into my heart the life.” Minabo/zho holds in his left 
hand the sacred medicine bag. 
b and ¢ represent the drummers; at the sound of the drum everybody 
rises and becomes inspired, because the Great Spirit is then present in 
the lodge. 
d denotes that women also have the privilege of becoming members 
of the Midéwin. This figure holds a snake-skin ‘“‘medicine bag” in her 
left hand. 
e represents the tortoise, the good spirit, who was the giver of some 
of the sacred objects used in the rite. 
JS the bear, also a benevolent spirit, but not held in so great venera- 
tion as the tortoise. His tracks are visible in the lodge. 
g the sacred medicine bag, Bin-ji-gu-san, which contains life and can 
be used by the Midé’ to prolong the life of a sick person. 
h represents a dog given by the spirits to Minabo/zho as a com- 
panion. : 
Fig. 169 gives copies, one-third actual size, of two records in posses- 
sion of different Midé’ at Red lake. The characters are almost identical, 
and one record appears to have been copied from the other. ‘The lower 
figure, however, contains an additional character. The following is an 
tes 
