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MALLERY. ] NOTICE OF DIRECTION. 337 
ber is detailed to take another direction, the point of separation is 
taken as the rendezvous. After the return of the first party to the 
rendezvous, should the second not come up in a reasonable length of 
time, they will set sticks in the ground leaning in the direction to be 
taken, and notches are cut into the upper ends of the sticks to repre- 
sent the number of nights spent there by the waiting party. 
A‘ party of Hidatsa who may be away from home for any purpose 
whatever often appoint a rendezvous, from which point they return to 
their respective lodges. Should one of the party return to the rendez- 
vous before any others and wish to make a special trip, he will, for the 
information of the others, place a stick of about 3 or 4 feet in length in 
the ground, upon the upper end of which a notch is cut, or perhaps a 
split made for the reception of a thinner piece of twig or branch having 
a length of about a foot. This horizontal top piece is inserted at one 
end, so that the whole may point in the direction to be taken. Should 
he wish to say that the trail wouid turn at a right angle, to either 
side, at about half the distance of the whole journey in prospect, the 
horizontal branch is either bent in that direction or a naturally curved 
branch is selected having the turn at the middle of its entire length, 
Fic. 447.—Ojibwa notice of direction. 
thus corresponding to the turn in the trail. Any direction can be indi- 
cated by curves in the top branch. 
No prescribed system of characters is used at the present time by the 
Ojibwa, in the indication of direction or travel. When anyone leaves 
camp or home for any particular hunting or berry ground, a concerted 
arrangement is made by which only those interested can, with any cer- 
tainty, recognize “blaze” or trail marks. 
Three characters cut upon the bark of large pine trees observed in 
the forest near Red Lake, Minnesota, are shown in Fig. 447. The 
Ojibwa using such a mark will continue on a trail leading from his 
home, until he leaves the trail, when a conspicuous tree, or in its ab- 
sence a piece of wood or bark, is selected upon which a human figure is 
cut, with one arm elevated and pointing in the direction to be taken. 
These figures measure about 18 inches in height. Those represented 
on the two sides of the copy were cut into the bark of a “jack pine” 
without coloration, and the one in the middle had been rubbed with 
red chalk upon the wood of the trunk after the bark had been removed 
and the incision made. The middle figure indicates the direction by 
its bearings, although the pointers are differently arranged. 
10 ETH 
929 
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