dbnsmorb] USES OF PLANTS BY THE CHIPPEWA INDIANS 



375 



PLANTS USED AS CHARMS 



It was the belief of the Chippewa that many herbs, as well as 

 other substances, .possessed the power to act without material contact, 

 affecting the actions or conditions of human beings and animals. 

 In order to make these substances effective it was considered necessary 

 to " talk and pray " over them when they were used, and, in the case 

 of an herb, to " talk and pray " when it was gathered. The Chippewa 

 refer to all such substances or combinations of substances as "medi- 

 cine," indicating a belief in their extraordinary power. Thus it is 

 said that a man "carries a great many medicines," or "uses medicine 

 all the time," meaning that he has in his possession a large number 

 of materials, probably in little buckskin packets, with which he can 

 produce such effects as safety on a journey, the loss or winning of a 

 race, or the finding of lost articles; or he can cause starvation in a 

 certain lodge, insanity in an individual, or enable a man to bewitch 

 another man's wife. It is said that "the Chippewa were greater 

 medicine people than most of the Indians," the knowledge and use 

 of such substances being transmitted in the Midewiwin together with 

 remedies for treating the sick. 



The term " charm " used in this chapter has no Chippewa equiva- 

 lent. Songs were not used with the working of these charms, the 

 efficacy being secured, as indicated, by " talking and praying." With 

 the " Song of the fire charm " (Bull. 45, Bur. Amer. Ethn., No. 86) a 

 decoction of herbs was applied to the feet, enabling a man to walk in 

 fire without harm. A similar use of herbs, in the present work, is 

 classified as a remedy for burns on page 353. 



Charms are considered in the following classes: Love charms, 

 charms to attract worldly goods, charms to insure safety and suc- 

 cess, charms to influence or attract animals, charms to work evil, and 

 protective charms. In some instances the charm was carried by the 

 individual working the magic, and in other instances the material 

 was applied to articles belonging to the person who was to be affected 

 by the charm. Herbs were used alone or together with substances 

 believed to increase their power. 



Attention is directed to the use of certain plants as charms and 

 also as medicines. A large proportion of the plants used as charms 

 had some value as either medicines or food, but the following are of 

 special interest as the condition supposed to be affected by the charm, 

 and the ailment for which the plant was administered, are alike 

 connected with a disturbance of the nervous system. 



Dogbane was used as a protective charm against evil influence or 

 " bad medicine," and also as a remedy for headache. 



