The Mide'wiwin or "Grand Medicine Society" of the Ojibwa: Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1885-1886, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891, pages 143-300 — John Shaqi
The Mide'wiwin or "Grand Medicine Society" of the Ojibwa: Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1885-1886, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891, pages 143-300Hoffman, Walter James
Religion
The Mide'wiwin or "Grand Medicine Society" of the Ojibwa: Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1885-1886, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891, pages 143-300
Hoffman, Walter James
Midéwiwin; Ojibwa Indians -- Religion; Ojibwa Indians -- Rites and ceremonies; Ojibwa Indians -- Societies, etc.; Secret societies -- North America
Then Mi´nabō´zho built a Midē´wigân in which he instructed the Otter
in all the mysteries of the Midē´wiwin. The Otter sat before the door
of the Midē´wigân four days (Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10), sunning himself,
after which time he approached the entrance (No. 14), where his
progress was arrested (No. 11) by seeing two bad spirits (Nos. 12 and
13) guarding it. Through the powers possessed by Mi´nabō´zho he was
enabled to pass these; when he entered the sacred lodge (No. 15), the
first object he beheld being the sacred stone (No. 16) against which
those who were sick were to be seated, or laid, when undergoing the
ceremonial of restoring them to health. He next saw a post (No. 17)
painted red with a green band around the top. A sick man would also
have to pray to the stone and to the post, when he is within the
Midē´wigân, because within them would be the Midē´ spirits whose help
he invoked. The Otter was then taken to the middle of the Midē´wigân
where he picked up the mī´gis (No. 18) from among a heap of sacred
objects which form part of the gifts given by Ki´tshi Man´idō. The
eight man´idōs around the midē´wigân (Nos. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,
and 26) were also sent by Ki´tshi Man´idō to guard the lodge against
the entrance of bad spirits.
A life is represented by the line No. 27, the signification of the short
lines (Nos. 28, 29, 30, and 31) denoting that the course of human
progress is beset by temptations and trials which may be the cause of
one’s departure from such course of conduct as is deemed proper, and the
beliefs taught by the Midē´. When one arrives at middle age (No. 32) his
course for the remaining period of life is usually without any special
events, as indicated by the plain line No. 27, extending from middle age
(No. 32) to the end of one’s existence (No. 33). The short lines at Nos.
28, 29, 30, and 31, indicating departure from the path of propriety,
terminate in rounded spots and signify, literally, “lecture places,”
because when a Midē´ feels himself failing in duty or vacillating in
faith he must renew professions by giving a feast and lecturing to his
confreres, thus regaining his strength to resist evil doing--such as
making use of his powers in harming his kinsmen, teaching that which was
not given him by Ki´tshi Man´idō through Mi´nabō´zho, etc. His heart
must be cleansed and his tongue guarded.
To resume the tradition of the course pursued by the Otter, Sikas´sigĕ
said:
The Otter then went round the interior of the Midē´wigân (No. 34), and
finally seated himself in the west, where Mi´nabō´zho shot into his
body the sacred mī´gis, which was in his Midē´ bag. Then Mi´nabō´zho
said, “This is your lodge and you shall own it always (Nos. 35 and
36), and eight Midē´ Man´idōs (Nos. 19-26) shall guard it during the
night.”
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