281 
In early historical times the Ojibwa recognized both a supreme 
^00(1 spirit, a sky-^iod who ruled the universe through a host of sub- 
ordinate spirits, and a supreme evil spirit, sometimes regarded as a 
monstrous supernatural serjtent. Idiis dualism arose, probably, 
through Christian teaching, although the belief in a great sky-god may 
belong to aboriginal times. Men often prayed to the good spirit and 
offered him smoke from their jiipes, or on sjiecial occasions a burnt 
offering of white dogs. But, regarding him as too remote to concern 
himself often with human affairs, they genei'ally trusted to the sub- 
ordinate spirits, and made each adolescent boy fast and dream in 
solitude to obtain one as his guarflian.i klvery hunter of note 
carried a “ medicine-bag ” containing herbs, roots, feathers, wooflen 
images, and other objects revealed to him in his visions or taught 
him (for a price) by some medicine-man; usually, too, a drum to 
accompany his medicine-songs. In addition to the viede, or members 
of the Cirand Mcflicine Society, there was an imoi’ganized class of 
seers or conjurors who delivercfl their oracles from within cylindrical 
shi’ines exactly after the manner of the Montagnais. 
The Ojibwa buried their dead in the gi’ound and deposited with 
them food and tobacco for the four days' journey to the land of souls, 
whose j'uler, according to the esoteiic doctrines of the vtedc, was Xani- 
bush, the great trickster and culture hero of the tribe- and the secret 
patron of the Orand Medicine Lodge. There, the souls dwelt in hap- 
piness, hunting and feasting and dancing as on earth. Hence rela- 
tives, while throwing away their own lu’opei'ty to display their grief, 
dressed a dead man in his best ajiparel and deposited in the grave 
all his tools and eciuipment so that he might use their souls in his 
new abode.'" If a chief harl won great renown in war his kinsmen 
sometimes placed his body on a high scaffold, and suspended beside 
it the scalps he had taken, and other tokens of his valour. Thus 
they ensured that the prestige and honour he had gained during his 
earthly career would attend him without fail in the hereafter. 
Despite their numbers and the large extent of territory they 
occupied, the Ojibwa did not play a very prominent part in the 
1 Many parents made ilieir daiitthters, alsn, seek fiuardiaii spirits during tlieir periods of seclusion. 
A man wlio wished his soji 1o become a great mcdicine-nian ofttai injidc liim sleep on a scaffold or 
in a “nest” in a tree. 
- Sec Part, I, ji. 189. 
^ Cf. Chami-)lain (Champlain Society edition), vol. i, p. 120, for the .same practice among Llie Alon-- 
tagnais. It was indeed almost, universal in Canada. 
86959- 191 
