Walter James Hoffman

“ A small effigy of this man ́idō is made, or its outline drawn upon a small piece of birch bark, which is carried suspended by a string around the neck, or if the wearer be a Midē ́ he carries it in his “medicine bag” or pinji ́gosân. The future course of life of the faster is governed by his dream; and it sometimes occurs that because of giving an imaginary importance to the occurrence, such as beholding, during the trance some powerful man ́idō or other object held in great reverence by the members of the Midē ́ Society, the faster first becomes impressed with the idea of becoming a Midē ́. ”

“ The representation of an object may refer to a variety of ideas of a similar, though not identical, character. The picture of a bear may signify the Bear man ́idō as one of the guardians of the society; it may pertain to the fact that the singer impersonates that man ́idō; exorcism of the malevolent bear spirit may be thus claimed; or it may relate to the desired capture of the animal, as when drawn to insure success for the hunter. An Indian is slow to acquire the exact phraseology, which is always sung or chanted, of mnemonic songs recited to him by a Midē ́ preceptor. ”

“ When a candidate feels convinced that he has gathered sufficient material to pay for his advancement, he announces to those members of the society who are of a higher grade than the first degree that he wishes to present himself at the proper time for initiation. This communication is made to eight of the highest or officiating priests, in his own wig ́iwam, to which they have been specially invited. A feast is prepared and partaken of, after which he presents to each some tobacco, and smoking is indulged in for the purpose of making proper offerings, as already described. ”

“ The name of Ki ́tshi Man ́idō is never mentioned but with reverence, and thus only in connection with the rite of Midē ́wiwin, or a sacred feast, and always after making an offering of tobacco.
The first important event in the life of an Ojibwa youth is his first fast. For this purpose he will leave his home for some secluded spot in the forest where he will continue to fast for an indefinite number of days; when reduced by abstinence from food he enters a hysterical or ecstatic state in which he may have visions and hallucinations. ”

“ They say that when a witch in the shape of a bear is being chased all at once she will run round a tree or a hill, so as to be lost sight of for a time by her pursuers, and then, instead of seeing a bear they behold an old woman walking quietly along or digging up roots, and looking as innocent as a lamb. The fox witches are known by the flame of fire which proceeds out of their mouths every time they bark. ”

“ The chief or superior man ́idō is termed Ki ́tshi Man ́idō—Great Spirit—approaching to a great extent the idea of the God of the Christian religion; the second in their estimation is Dzhe Man ́idō, a benign being upon whom they look as the guardian spirit of the Midē ́wiwin and through whose divine provision the sacred rites of the Midē ́wiwin were granted to man. The Ani ́miki or Thunder God is, if not the supreme, at least one of the greatest of the malignant man ́idōs, and it is from him that the Jĕs ́sakkīd ́ are believed to obtain their powers of evil doing. ”

“ The fact of a Midē ́ having been subjected to “mī ́gis shooting” for the third time is an all-sufficient reason to the Indian why his powers are in a corresponding manner augmented. His powers of exorcism and incantation are greater; his knowledge and use of magic medicines more extended and certain of effect; and his ability to do harm, as in the capacity of a Wâbĕnō ́, is more and more lauded and feared. ”

“ The Midē ́ explain the signification of the colors as follows: White represents the east, the source of light and the direction from which the sacred mī ́gis came; green, sha ́manō the southern one, refers to the source of the rains, the direction from which the Thunderers come in the spring, they who revivify the earth; red refers to the land of the setting sun, the abode of the shadows or the dead; and north being black, because that is the direction from which come cold, hunger, and disease. ”

“ The musical rendering of the words and phrases relating to the signification of mnemonic characters depends upon the ability and inspired condition of the singer; and as each Midē ́ priest usually invents and prepares his own songs, whether for ceremonial purposes, medicine hunting, exorcism, or any other use, he may frequently be unable to sing them twice in exactly the same manner. Love songs and war songs, being of general use, are always sung in the same style of notation. ”

“ There is not much to be gained by preparatory instruction for the fourth degree, the chief claims being a renewal of the ceremony of “shooting the mī ́gis” into the body of the candidate, and enacting or dramatizing the traditional efforts of the Bear Man ́idō in his endeavor to receive from the Otter the secrets of this grade. One who succeeds becomes correspondingly powerful in his profession and therefore more feared by the credulous. His sources of income are accordingly increased by the greater number of Indians who require his assistance. ”

“ One of the malevolent spirits which oppose the entrance of a stranger is still supposed to remain with the Midē ́wigân, its body being that of a serpent, like flames of fire, reaching from the earth to the sky. He is called I ́-shi-ga-nē ́-bĭ-gŏg—“Big-Snake.” To appease his anger the candidate must make a present; so the preceptor says for the candidate:
This being assented to by the Midē ́ priests the preceptor takes the blankets and deposits them near the tobacco upon the ground. ”

“ These powwows are persons who are believed to have performed extraordinary cures, either by the application of roots and herbs or by incantations. When an Indian wishes to be initiated into the order of a powwow, in the first place he pays a large fee to the faculty. He is then taken into the woods, where he is taught the names and virtues of the various useful plants; next he is instructed how to chant the medicine song, and how to pray, which prayer is a vain repetition offered up to the Master of Life, or to some munedoo whom the afflicted imagine they have offended. ”

“ If the patient becomes strong enough to walk round the inclosure he is led to the western end and seated upon a blanket, where he is initiated. If not, the mī ́gis is “shot into his body” as he reclines against the sacred stone, after which a substitute is selected from among the Midē ́ present, who takes his place and goes through the remainder of the initiation for him. ”

“ The Midē ́wiwin—Society of the Midē ́ or Shamans—consists of an indefinite number of Midē ́ of both sexes. The society is graded into four separate and distinct degrees, although there is a general impression prevailing even among certain members that any degree beyond the first is practically a mere repetition. The greater power attained by one in making advancement depends upon the fact of his having submitted to “being shot at with the medicine sacks” in the hands of the officiating priests. ”

“ MIDI files: drum, flute, piano (default)
The following musical notation presents accurately the range of notes employed by the preceptor. The peculiarity of Midē ́ songs lies in the fact that each person has his own individual series of notes which correspond to the number of syllables in the phrase and add thereto meaningless words to prolong the effect. When a song is taught, the words are the chief and most important part, the musical rendering of a second person may be so different from that of the person from whom he learns it as to be unrecognizable without 274 the words. ”

“ To enter the fourth and highest degree of the society requires a greater number of feasts than before, and the candidate, who continues to personate the Bear Spirit, again uses his sacred drum, as he is shown sitting before it in No. 78, and chants more prayers to Dzhe Man ́idō for his favor. This degree is guarded by the greatest number and the most powerful of malevolent spirits, who make a last effort to prevent a candidate’s entrance at the door (No. 79) of the fourth degree structure (No. 80) . ”

“ It sometimes happens that a sick person can not be successfully treated by the Midē ́, especially in the wig ́iwam of the patient, when it becomes necessary for the latter to be carried to the Midē ́wigân and the services of the society to be held. This course is particularly followed when the sick person or the family can furnish a fee equivalent to the gift required for initiation under ordinary circumstances. ”

“ The candidate is resting in the northern “bear’s nest,” and as he again crawls toward the Midē ́wigân, on hands and knees, he deposits another gift of a parcel of tobacco, then rises and is hurried through the interior to emerge at the entrance door, where he turns around, and seeing but a few angry man ́idōs remaining, he takes his last arrow and aiming it at them makes four threatening gestures toward them, at the last sending the arrow into the structure, which puts to flight all opposition on the part of this host of man ́idōs. ”

“ A Midē ́ who has in all respects complied with the preliminaries of announcing to the chief Midē ́ his purpose, gaining satisfactory evidence of his resources and ability to present the necessary presents, and of his proficiency in the practice of medical magic, etc., selects a preceptor of at least the third degree and one who is held in high repute and influence in the Midē ́wiwin. After procuring the services of such a person and making a satisfactory agreement with him, he may be enabled to purchase from him some special formulæ for which he is distinguished. ”

“ It has always been customary for the Midē ́ priests to preserve birch-bark records, bearing delicate incised lines to represent pictorially the ground plan of the number of degrees to which the owner is entitled. Such records or charts are sacred and are never exposed to the public view, being brought forward for inspection only when 165 an accepted candidate has paid his fee, and then only after necessary preparation by fasting and offerings of tobacco. ”

“ It is believed, under such conditions, that the evil man ́idōs can be expelled from the body only in the sacred structure, at which place alone the presence of Ki ́tshi Man ́idō may be felt, after invocation, and in return for his aid in prolonging the life of the patient the latter promises his future existence to be devoted to the practice and teachings of the Midē ́wiwin. ”

“ The greater number of songs are mere repetitions of short phrases, and frequently but single words, to which are added meaningless sounds or syllables to aid in prolonging the musical tones, and repeated ad libitum in direct proportion to the degree of inspiration in which the singer imagines himself to have attained. ”

“ Having acted upon the suggestion of his preceptor, he has prepared some songs and learned them, and now for the first time the opportunity presents itself for him to gain admirers and influential friends, a sufficient number of whom he will require to speak well of him, and to counteract the evil which will be spoken of him by enemies—for enemies are numerous and may be found chiefly among those who are not fitted for the society of the Midē ́, or who have failed to attain the desired distinction. ”