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there are never any tracks or other sign of its presence. This is the 
Shadow Manido, that walks outside a wigwam just before an inmate dies. 
Generally it slumbers, but the soul of an Indian who is ill, or sleeping, 
may wander about and awaken it. Then the soul cannot return to its 
body, for the Shadow Manido drives it along the path of the dead to the 
land of souls. Occasionally it happens that the soul travels only part of 
the distance and returns to its body, so that the Indian does not die; 
but usually the Shadow Manido drives it steadily forward to the home 
of the dead. 
Medicine-men ( kusabindugeyunini ) often advise the Indians to keep 
horses and cattle, whose movements will stir up the Shadow Manido and 
divert its attention so that it will attack human beings less frequently. 
Snapping Turtle 
There is a supernatural snapping turtle, Tcimsikkan, “ Big Turtle,” 
which is believed to enact the leading role in the mysteries of the medicine- 
men called Djiskiunini, “ Conjurers .” 1 On the rare occasions when it makes 
itself visible to the lay Indian it has the form of an enormous snapping 
turtle with eyes that reflect the light like looking-glasses and are as large 
as table plates. 
(< My father and another Indian named Micikkan, ‘Turtle,’ shot a deer one 
morning a little north of Parry sound. As they were paddling back to their camp 
my father, who was sitting in the bow of the canoe, called out, ‘Look.’ Both men 
saw the back of an enormous turtle protruding from the water in front of them. 
The monster raised its head and gazed at them, its eyes shining like large mirrors. 
The Indian in the stern lost consciousness and fell forward, but my father turned 
around in his seat and steered the canoe to the camp. (Neither man received any 
medicine power from this experience, because it was only an accident” (Fegahmaga- 
bow). 
Memegwesi 
Memegwesi is a friendly manido , or rather a band or family of 
manidos. They may play pranks on the Indians, but never harm them. 
A Parry Island Indian on his way to Depot Harbour saw a Memegwesi 
going down a creek; it had the outline of a man, but only its face was 
visible, the body being concealed beneath a huge growth of whiskers. 
Once a Memegwesi that had hooked a giant trout fastened the end 
of his line to a tree that grew on a rocky point; but the trout carried away 
the line, the tree, and even the point. 
“At the north end of Parry sound, in what white men call Split Bock channel, 
there is a crag known to the Indians as Memegwesi’s crag. Some natives once set 
night lines there, but their trout were always stolen. At last one of the men sat 
up all night to watch for the thief. At dawn he saw a stone boat approaching, 
manned by two Memegwesi, one a woman, the other bearded like a monkey. The 
watcher awakened his companions, and they pursued the stone boat, which turned 
and made for the crag. Just as the thieves reached it the woman turned around 
and called to the Indians ‘Now you know who stole your trout. Whenever you 
want calmer weather give us some tobacco, for this is our home.’ The boat and its 
occupants then entered the crag and disappeared; but the Indians still offer tobacco 
to these Memegwesi whenever they pass their home” (Manatuwaba). 
1 For an account of these mysteries, See p. 65. 
