The candidate proceeds early on the morning of the day of initiation to
take possession of the sweat-lodge, where he awaits the coming of his
preceptor and the eight officiating priests. He has an abundance of
tobacco with which to supply all the active participants, so that they
may appease any feeling of opposition of the man´idōs toward the
admission of a new candidate, and to make offerings of tobacco to the
guardian spirit of the second degree of the Midē´wiwin. After the usual
ceremony of smoking individual songs are indulged in by the Midē´
priests until such time as they may deem it necessary to proceed to the
Midē´wigân, where the members of the society have long since gathered
and around which is scattered the usual crowd of spectators. The
candidate leads the procession from the sweat-lodge to the eastern
entrance of the Midē´wigân, carrying an ample supply of tobacco and
followed by the priests who chant. When the head of the procession
arrives at the door of the sacred inclosure a halt is made, the priests
going forward and entering. The drummer, stationed within, begins to
drum and sing, while the preceptor and chief officiating priest continue
their line of march around the inclosure, going by way of the south or
left hand. Eight circuits are made, the last terminating at the main or
eastern entrance. The drumming then ceases and the candidate is taken to
the inner side of the door, when all the members rise and stand in their
places. The officiating priests approach and stand near the middle of
the inclosure, facing the candidate, when one of them says to the Midē´
priest beside the latter: O-da´-pin a-sē´-ma--“Take it, the tobacco,”
whereupon the Midē´ spoken to relieves the candidate of the tobacco and
carries it to the middle of the inclosure, where it is laid upon a
blanket spread upon the ground. The preceptor then takes from the
cross-poles some of the blankets or robes and gives them to the
candidate to hold. 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:
Ka-wī´ⁿ-nĭ-na-ga´ wa´-ba-ma´-si-ba´-shĭ-gi´-ne-gēt´?
Do you not see how he carries the goods?
This being assented to by the Midē´ priests the preceptor takes the
blankets and deposits them near the tobacco upon the ground. Slight taps
upon the Midē´ drum are heard and the candidate is led toward the left
on his march round the interior of the Midē´wigân, the officiating
priests following and being followed in succession by all others
present. The march continues until the eighth passage round, when the
members begin to step back into their respective places, while the
officiating Midē´ finally station themselves with their backs toward the
westernmost degree post, and face the door at the end of the structure.
The candidate continues round to the western end, faces the Midē´
priests, and all sit down. The following song is then sung, which may
be the individual production of the candidate (Pl. XIII, C). A song is
part of the ritual, though it is not necessary that the candidate should
sing it, as the preceptor may do so for him. In the instance under
my observation the song was an old one (which had been taught the
candidate), as the archaic form of pronunciation indicates. Each of the
lines is repeated as often as the singer may desire, the prolongation of
the song being governed by his inspired condition. The same peculiarity
governs the insertion, between words and at the end of lines, of
apparently meaningless vowel sounds, to reproduce and prolong the last
notes sounded. This may be done ad libitum, rythmical accentuation being
maintained by gently tapping upon the Midē´ drum.
[Illustration]
Hĭa´-ni-de hĕn´-da man´-i-dō, hō´,
ni´-sha-bon´-de man´-i-dō´-en-dât.
Where is the spirit lodge? I go through it.
[The oblong structure represents the Midē´wigân, the arm upon the
left indicating the course of the path leading through it, the
latter being shown by a zigzag line.]
[Illustration]
Nin-gō´-sa mĭ-dē´-kwe ni-ka´ na´-ska-wa´.
I am afraid of the “grand medicine” woman; I go to her.
[A leg is shown to signify locomotion. The singer fears the
opposition of a Midē´ priestess and will conciliate her.]
[Illustration]
Ka-ni-sa´ hi´-a-tshi´-mĭn-dē´ man´-ski-kī´, dē´, hē´, hē´.
Kinsmen who speak of me, they see the striped sky.
[A person of superior power, as designated by the horns attached to
the head. The lines from the mouth signify voice or speech, while
the horizontal lines denote the stratus clouds, the height above the
earth of which illustrates the direction of the abode of the spirit
whose conversation, referring to the singer, is observed crossing
them as short vertical zigzag lines; i.e., voice lines.]
[Illustration]
Ke´-na-nan´-do-mē´ ko-nō´-ne-nak
ka-ne-hē´ nin-ko´-tshi nan´-no-me´.
The cloud looks to me for medicine.
[The speaker has become so endowed with the power of magic influence
that he has preference with the superior Man´idōs. The magic
influence is shown descending to the hand which reaches beyond
the cloud indicated by the oblong square upon the forearm.]
[Illustration]
Rest, after which dancing begins.
[Illustration]
Wa-tshu´-a-nē´ ke´-ba-bing´-e-on´, wa-dzhū.
Going into the mountains.
[The singer’s thoughts go to the summit to commune with Ki´tshi
Man´idō. He is shown upon the summit.]
[Illustration]
Hi´-mĕ-de´-wa hen´-dĕ-a he´-na.
The grand medicine affects me.
[In his condition he appeals to Ki´tshi Man´idō for aid. The arms
represent the act of supplication.]
[Illustration]
Hai´-an-go ho´-ya o´-gĕ-ma, ha´.
The chief goes out.
[The arms grasp a bear--the Bear Man´idō--and the singer intimates
that he desires the aid of that powerful spirit, who is one of the
guardians of the Midē´wigân.]
[Illustration]
Nish´-o-wē´ ni-mē´-hi-gō´, hē´, ni-gō´-tshi-mi´-go-we, hē´.
Have pity on me wherever I have medicine.
[The speaker is filled with magic influence, upon the strength of
which he asks the Bear to pity and to aid him.]
[Illustration]
Wi´-so-mi´-ko-wē´ hĕ-a-za-we´-ne-ne-gō´, hō´.
I am the beaver; have pity on me.
[This is said to indicate that the original maker of the mnemonic
song was of the Beaver totem or gens.]
[Illustration]
Hēn´-ta-no-wik´-ko-we´ de-wĕn´-da ĕn-da-â´-dân.
I wish to know what is the matter with me.
[The singer feels peculiarly impressed by his surroundings in the
Midē´wigân, because the sacred man´idōs have filled his body with
magic powers. These are shown by the zigzag or waving lines
descending to the earth.]
As each of the preceding lines or verses is sung in such a protracted
manner as to appear like a distinct song, the dancers, during the
intervals of rest, always retire to their places and sit down. The
dancing is not so energetic as many of those commonly indulged in for
amusement only. The steps consist of two treading movements made by each
foot in succession. Keeping time with the drum-beats, at the same time
there is a shuffling movement made by the dancer forward, around and
among his companions, but getting back toward his place before the verse
is ended. The attitude during these movements consists in bending the
body forward, while the knees are bent, giving one the appearance of
searching for a lost object. Those who do not sing give utterance to
short, deep grunts, in accordance with the alternate heavier strokes
upon the drum.
As the dancing ceases, and all are in their proper seats, the preceptor,
acting for the candidate, approaches the pile of tobacco and distributes
a small quantity to each one present, when smoking is indulged in,
preceded by the usual offering to the east, the south, the west, the
north, the sky and the earth.
After the completion of this ceremonial an attendant carries the Midē´
drum to the southeast angle of the inclosure, where it is delivered to
the drummer; then the officiating priests rise and approach within two
or three paces of the candidate as he gets upon his knees. The preceptor
and the assistant who is called upon by him take their places
immediately behind and to either side of the candidate, and the Midē´
priest lowest in order of precedence begins to utter quick, deep tones,
resembling the sound hŏ´, hŏ´, hŏ´, hŏ´, hŏ´, at the same time grasping
his midē´ sack with both hands, as if it were a gun, and moving it in a
serpentine and interrupted manner toward one of the large joints of the
candidate’s arms or legs. At the last utterance of this sound he
produces a quick puff with the breath and thrusts the bag forward as if
shooting, which he pretends to do, the missile being supposed to be the
invisible sacred mī´gis. The other priests follow in order from the
lowest to the highest, each selecting a different joint, during which
ordeal the candidate trembles more and more violently until at last he
is overcome with the magic influence and falls forward upon the ground
unconscious. The Midē´ priests then lay their sacks upon his back, when
the candidate begins to recover and spit out the mī´gis shell which he
had previously hidden within his mouth. Then the chief Midē´ takes it up
between the tips of the forefinger and thumb and goes through the
ceremony described in connection with the initiation into the first
degree, of holding it toward the east, south, west, north, and the sky,
and finally to the mouth of the candidate, when the latter, who has
partly recovered from his apparently insensible condition, again
relapses into that state. The eight priests then place their sacks to
the respective joints at which they previously directed them, which
fully infuses the body with the magic influence as desired. Upon this
the candidate recovers, takes up the mī´gis shell and, placing it upon
his left palm, holds it forward and swings it from side to side, saying
he! he! he! he! he! and pretends to swallow it, this time only reeling
from its effects. He is now restored to a new life for the second time;
and as the priests go to seek seats he is left on the southern side and
seats himself. After all those who have been occupied with the
initiation have hung up their midē´ sacks on available projections
against the wall or branches, the new member goes forward to the pile of
tobacco, blankets, and other gifts and divides them among those present,
giving the larger portions to the officiating priests. He then passes
around once more, stopping before each one to pass his hands over the
sides of the priests’ heads, and says:
Mi-gwĕtsh´ ga-shi-tō´-win bi-mâ´-dĭ-si-wĭn,
Thanks for giving to me life,
after which he retreats a step, and clasping his hands and bowing toward
the priest, says:
Ni-ka´-ni ni-ka´ni ni-ka´-ni ka-nia´,
fellow midē´ fellow midē´ fellow midē´,
to which each responds hau´, ēⁿ. The word hau´ is a term of approbation,
ēⁿ signifying yes, or affirmation, the two thus used together serving to
intensify the expression. Those of the Midē´ present who are of the
second, or even some higher degree, then indulge in the ceremony of
passing around to the eastern part of the inclosure, where they feign
coughing and gagging, so as to produce from the mouth the mī´gis shell,
as already narrated in connection with the first degree, p. 192.
This manner of thanking the officiating Midē´ for their services in
initiating the candidate into a higher degree is extended also to those
members of the Midē´wiwin who are of the first degree only, in
acknowledgment of the favor of their presence at the ceremony, they
being eligible to attend ceremonial rites of any degree higher than the
class to which they belong, because such men are neither benefited nor
influenced in any way by merely witnessing such initiation, but they
must themselves take the principal part in it to receive the favor of a
renewed life and to become possessed of higher power and increased magic
influence.
Various members of the society indulge in short harangues, recounting
personal exploits in the performance of magic and exorcism, to which the
auditors respond in terms of gratification and exclamations of approval.
During these recitals the ushers, appointed for the purpose, leave the
inclosure by the western door to return in a short time with kettles of
food prepared for the midē´ feast. The ushers make four circuits of the
interior, giving to each person present a quantity of the contents of
the several vessels, so that all receive sufficient to gratify their
desires. When the last of the food has been consumed, or removed, the
midē´ drum is heard, and soon a song is started, in which all who desire
join. After the first two or three verses of the song are recited, a
short interval of rest is taken, but when it is resumed dancing begins
and is continued to the end. In this manner they indulge in singing and
dancing, interspersed with short speeches, until the approach of sunset,
when the members retire to their own wig´iwams, leaving the Midē´-wigân
by the western egress.
The ushers, assisted by the chief Midē´, then remove the sacred post
from the inclosure and arrange the interior for new initiations, either
of a lower or higher class, if candidates have prepared and presented
themselves. In case there is no further need of meeting again at once,
the members of the society and visitors return upon the following day to
their respective homes.