71 
CANDIDATURE 
The young man (or woman) who wished to join the Grand Medicine 
Society made application to a member, who introduced him as a candidate 
at a feast held either in the spring or the autumn. He was then assigned 
a preceptor, with whom he associated for several weeks or months to 
receive the necessary instruction. During this period the youth either left 
his family and lived with his preceptor, or, more often, the two families 
moved about together and camped side by side. He received his lessons 
by day in the solitude of the woods, or by night in an empty wigwam 
where no one could overhear their conversation; and at every lesson he 
provided a little tobacco that his preceptor might begin with a smoke- 
offering to the different manidos. The mede blew a puff of smoke from 
his pipe and turned its stem momentarily towards the east; he blew a 
second puff, and turned it to the south; a third, turning it to the west; 
and a fourth, turning it to the north. Following thus the movements of 
the sun, he gained for his mysteries the blessing of each manido of a 
cardinal point. He then blew a fifth puff, and pointed the stem of the 
pipe skyward to obtain the blessing of the Great Spirit, Kitehi Manido ; 
and a sixth, pointing if earthward for a blessing from Nokomis, Grand- 
mother Earth. After these preliminaries he commenced his instruction, 
using the water-drum, rattle, and other paraphernalia that were regularly 
employed in the medicine-lodge. 
“ When I was about eighteen years of age my father, who was a mede, wanted 
to initiate me into the society. The members built a large wigwam ( waginogan ) 
near the camp. Across the middle my father stretched a long line to which he 
suspended many pieces of cloth; and he placed food and a keg of whisky on a mat 
near the door. Then he stationed me in the centre of the wigwam and sent out a 
messenger to invite all the members. As each man entered he threw on the mat his 
invitation stick, to which he had tied a piece of tobacco. They sat around the walls 
of the wigwam, with their leader in the place just south of the door; for the door 
faced east, and all movements in the wigwam must be made sunwise. My father, 
however, sat down in the centre beside me. 
The leader arose, danced round the wigwam four times, sunwise, took up my 
father’s drum, and, resuming his seat, drummed and sang. Then all the medes 
danced round the wigwam four times, and my father and I with them. After the 
dance had ended the mede who sat next to the leader arose and repeated the leader’s 
performance; and again we danced. So one after another all the medes drummed 
and sang, and we danced. Then the messenger filled each man’s pail with the meat, 
corn, and other foods that lay on the mat near the door. After the meal we smoked. 
The chief mede then rose, and we all danced behind him four times around thg, 
wigwam, holding our right arms uplifted and carrying our pails in our left hands. 
This ended the ceremony. The food, cloth, and whisky, which were divided among 
all the medes, cost my father about S30” (Jonas King). 
INITIATION 
The initiation of the candidate took place at the annual meeting of 
the society in midsummer. Two or three weeks beforehand the leader 
sent out his messenger ( oshkabewis or mijinoe, an official formally elected 
by the society) to invite the attendance of all the medes in the surrounding 
district at a specified place on a specified day. The messenger carried the 
official invitation sticks, thin pencils of wood about 5 inches long, coloured 
red. If a mede were unable to attend owing to sickness or other cause he 
