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Show 288 THE MIDE'WIWIN OF THE 0JIBWA. understanding requires that all the vocables of the actual songs and charges of the initiation should be recorded and translated. This involves not only profound linguistic study, but the revelation of all the mysteries. In other instances the 1 iteration in the aboriginal language of the nonesoteric songs and stories and their translation is necessary to comprehend the devices by which they are memorized rather than symbolized. Nevertheless, long usage has induced some degree of ideography and symbolism. On PI. xx are presented illustrations of several articles found in a Mide' sack which had been delivered to the Catholic priest at Red Lake over seventy years ago, when the owner professed Christianity and forever renounced ( at least verbally) his pagan profession. The information given below was obtained from Mide' priests at the above locality. They are possessed of like . articles, being members of the same society to which the late owners of the relics belonged. The first is a birch- bark roll, the ends of which were slit into short strips, so as to curl in toward the middle to prevent the escaping of the contents. The upper figure is that of the Thunder god, with waving lines extending forward from the eyes, denoting the power of peering into futurity. This character has suggested to several Mide' priests that the owner might have been a Mide'- JSs'sakkid'. This belief is supported by the actual practice pursued by this class of priests when marking their personal effects. The lower figure is that of a buffalo, as is apparent from the presence of the hump. Curiously enough both eyes are drawn upon one side of the head, a practice not often followed by Indian artists. The upper of the four small figures is a small package, folded, consisting of the inner sheet of birch- bark and resembling paper both in consistence and color. Upon the upper fold is the outline of the Thunder bird. The next two objects represent small boxes made of pine wood, painted or stained red and black. They were empty when received, but were no doubt used to hold sacred objects. The lowest figure of the four consists of a bundle of three small bags of cotton wrapped with a strip of blue cloth. The bags contain, respectively, love powder, hunter's medicine- in this instance red ocher and powdered arbor vitsB leaves- and another powder of a brownish color, with which is mixed a small quantity of ground medicinal plants. The roll of birch- bark containing these relics inclosed also the skin of a small rodent ( Spermophilus sp. ?) but in a torn and moth-eaten condition. This was used by the owner for purposes unknown to those who were consulted upon the subject. It is frequently, if not generally, impossible to ascertain the use of most of the fetiches and other sacred objects contained in Mide' sacks of unknown ownership, as each priest adopts his own line of practice, based upon a variety of reasons, chiefly the nature of his fasting dreams. Fancy sometimes leads an individual to prepare medicine sticks that are of curious shape or bear designs of odd form copied after |
