such a Day you shall go abroad a sporting, and I will be the first Bird, or other Animal you shall meet, and will be your Nagual, and Companion at all Times, whereupon such Friendship was contracted between them, that when one of they dy'd the other did not survive, and they fancy'd that he who had no Nagual could not be rich.'

The Abbé Maurault says of this belief among the Abnaki Indians of Canada, a tribe allied linguistically to the Menomini:

Comme toutes les autres nations sauvages, ils avaient une idée de la Divinité. Dien, suivant eux, était un Grand-Esprit, qu'ils appelaient "Ketsi Ni8ask"." Ce Grand-Esprit résidait sur une ile du grand lac (l'Océan Atlantique). Ils avaient une grande confiance en sa protection. Ils croyaient que le meilleur moyen pour attirer seur eux cette protection était de s'efforcer à devenir de braves guerriers et de bons chasseurs, étant persuadés que plus ils se rendaient remarquables en ces deux choses, plus ils devenaient agréables aux yeux du Grand-Esprit.

Ils croyaient aussi à l'Esprit du Mal, qu'ils appelaient "Matsi Ni8ask"." Cet Esprit était très-puissant dans le monde. Ils pensaient que les maladies, les accidents, les malheurs et tous les autres maux de ce genre venaient de lui. Comme ils craignaient beaucoup ces maux, l'Esprit du Mal était le principal objet de leur dévotion, et ils s'adressaient sans cesse à lui, le priant de ne leur faire aucun mal. Ils croyaient, en outre, qu'il y avait d'autres Esprits, d'un ordre supérieur à l'homme; que ces Esprits étaient toujours portés au bien, et qu'ils protégeaient l'homme contre l'Esprit du Mal; c'est pourquoi, ils leur demandaient protection.

CULT SOCIETIES

To present more intelligibly the ritualistic observances and pretensions of the several classes of shamans, the subject will be arranged under the following captions:

I. Mitä wit, or Grand Medicine society;

II. Tshi'saqka, or Juggler;

III. Wâ'beno, or Men of the Dawn, and

IV. Dreamers' society.

MITÄ'WIT, OR GRAND MEDICINE SOCIETY

ORGANIZATION OF THE SOCIETY

In order to present clearly to the reader the status of the Mitä'wit, or so-called "Grand Medicine society," ,"3 of the Menomini Indians of Wisconsin, it becomes necessary to refer briefly to the corresponding society and ritualistic ceremonies of the Ojibwa Indians of Minnesota. Among the latter are found four classes of mystery men, viz, (1) mide', or "medicine man," whose profession is incantation, exorcism of demons, and the administration of shamanic or magic remedies; (2) the je'ssakkid, or juggler, who professes prophecy and antagonizes the evil charms of rivals; (3) the wâ'beno, literally "easterner," or "daylight man," whose orgies are continued throughout the night only to cease

The General History of that Vast Continent and Islands of America, translated by Capt. John Stevens, London, 1726, vol. iv, pp. 138, 139.

2Histoire des Abenakis, Québec, 1866, pp. 18-19. It will be observed that the abbé falls into the prevailing misapprehension as to the conception of spirituality among the Indians.

3 This term originates in the designation "la grande médecine," applied to this society by the Cana dians and early French explorers.

at the approach of day, and who also professes ability to prepare lucky charms for the hunter and potent love powders for the disappointed lover; and (4) the mashkikikewinini, or herbalist, who professes knowledge of the properties of plants, and administers, as the name implies, "medicine broths" or decoctions and infusions. All of these, save the mide', practice their respective professions singly and alone, and therefore do not affiliate with others of like pretensions so as to constitute a regularly organized society, at the meetings of which the members hold ceremonial services for the instruction and initiation of candidates for membership.

The mide', on the contrary, are organized into a society termed the Mide'wiwin, which consists of an indefinite number of persons of both sexes, and is graded into four separate and distinct degrees. Admission to membership in the degrees of this society is a matter of great importance, and consequently of great difficulty. The male candidates are selected usually from among those who in their youth were designated for this distinction, which occurred at the period of "giving a name" by a selected mide' priest, who thus assumed the office of godfather. From that date until the age of puberty of the boy, his parents gather presents with which to defray the expenses of preliminary instruction by hired mide' priests, and the feasts to be given to all those who might attend the ceremonies of initiation, as well as to defray the personal services of the various medicine men directly assisting in the initiation. Frequently the collecting of skins and peltries and other goods that have to be purchased involves a candidate hopelessly in debt; but so great is the desire on the part of some Indians to become acknowledged medicine men that they will assume obligations that may require years of labor or hunting to liquidate; or, should they fail, then their relatives are expected to assume the responsibility thus incurred.

In this society, as maintained by the Ojibwa, are preserved the tradi tions relating to cosmogony and genesis of mankind, to the appearance on the earth of an anthropomorphic deity whose primary services consisted of interceding between Ki'tshi Ma'nido and the Indians, that the latter might be taught the means wherewith they might provide themselves with the good things of the earth and with the power of warding off disease and death, and who gave to the Indian also the various plants and instructed them how to prepare the objects necessary to be used for special purposes in specified ways. The being who thus originally instructed the Indians is called Mi'nabo'zho, and the method pursued by him is dramatically rehearsed at the initiation of a candidate into the society of the Mide'. By the Ojibwa this entire proceeding is firmly believed to be of a sacred or religious character.

There is another body among the Ojibwa termed the Ghost society, to which reference is necessary. When a child who has been set apart to be dedicated to the society of the Mide' dies before reaching the

proper age to receive initiation, the father (or under certain circumstances the mother) announces the fact to the chief priests, when a meeting of the members is called and a feast prepared at the wigwam of the mourner. Dishes of food for the dead are set apart in a separate structure, after which the chief mourner is initiated into the society as a substitute for the deceased. Thus we find among the Ojibwa two distinct services, one for the initiation of members into the society of the Mide', the other a feast of the dead, designed to release his "shadow" and to permit it to depart to the land of mysteries, or the place of the setting sun.

It will be observed, then, that the membership of the Mide' society is not limited to any particular number of persons; and that the ceremonies of the Ghost society are held at irregular intervals and never at the death of a member of the Mide' society.

With this brief notice of the Ojibwa Mide'wiwin, or Grand Medicine society, a description of the ceremonies as practiced by the Menomini Indians will be presented for the purpose of comparing with the preceding their version and dramatic rendering of a belief and practice which no doubt survives to a certain degree among the greater number of tribes embraced within the western group of the Algonquian linguistic family.

The Mitä wit, or society of shamans, commonly termed the Grand Medicine society of the Meromini Indians, consists of men, women, and a few young boys and girls, who have been initiated into the mys teries of that organization, either directly or by proxy. Initiation of the person himself may be accomplished (1) by his being adopted by a member to fill a vacancy caused by death; or (2) when proof of eligibility has been furnished and the necessary presents and fees are delivered to the chief of the society to defray the expenses incurred in holding the ceremonies.

Although initiation by proxy is rare, yet it may occur when a very sick young person is brought to the ceremonial structure for restoration to health. This is done only as a last resort, and after the usual attendance of shamans with their incantations and exorcisms has proved futile. The aid of Mashä' Ma'nido is thus sought, and as the sick child may be carried in the arms of one already a mitä", it is soon deposited in the arms of one of the family, while the person who carried it continues to take the part of a new candidate, notwithstanding the fact that he already possesses the secrets. Should the patient recover health, he or she is thenceforth regarded as a regularly initiated member, although subsequent instruction is necessary to a better understanding of the pretensions of the society. It is customary on the death of a member of the society for the head of the family of the deceased, if he be a mitä", or the nearest mitä relation or friend, to approach the corpse at burial and to address it. The chief mourner, looking down upon the coarse box containing the remains, says: "Go,

my brother [or substituting the term of relationship], follow the sun to the place prepared for the shades of the dead, where you will see the fire built by Na'qpote; that will light your course beyond the sun's path. Abide there until the proper time [a certain period of a summer month is usually named], when I shall give a feast and bring a substitute to occupy your place; then shall Na'qpote permit you to return to observe the fulfillment of my promise. Go!" The grave box is then placed over the coffin, the medicine stick erected before it, and a piece of cloth or a board is also placed before the grave box, on which is deposited from time to time small quantities of tobacco.

At the return of summer the person who has made the promise of procuring a substitute prepares himself by bringing together the presents necessary to be delivered as fees, and collecting food for the attendants and visitors. A favorite member of the family, a relation, or even a dear friend, may receive the honor of an invitation to become the candidate. In the meantime the furnisher of the feast, i. e., the person who is to procure the candidate, makes known to the chief officiating members of the society his choice, with the desire that a meeting time for initiatory purposes be decided upon, to be held at some time in the near future. The chiefs receive this communication and deliberate, meditating on the course to follow and selecting several groups of assistants to aid in the ceremonies. The candidate, in the meantime, is instructed in the mysteries of the remedies known to his instructor. Each remedy must be paid for separately, as no two preparations, or roots, or other substances are classed together as one; furthermore, the knowledge relating to different remedies is possessed by different medicine men, each of whom will dispose of the properties and uses thereof for a consideration only.

Although four annual ceremonies of the Grand Medicine society were held near Keshena, Wisconsin, in the years 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1893, the first will be described only insofar as it pertains to the mode of adopting a member to fill a vacancy caused by death; and to make the description more intelligible it may be of importance to state under what circumstances the writer's admission into the Mitä'wit was obtained.

CEREMONIES OF 1890

Having obtained during the years 1887-1890, from the Ojibwa Indians at Red Lake and White Earth, Minnesota, complete instruction in the secrets and ceremonies of the Midē'wiwin, or Grand Medicine society, the information of this unique occurrence had spread southward into Wisconsin, as far as the Menomini reservation. In the winter of 1889-90, a number of these Ojibwa shamans went to Washington in the interest of their tribe, and it happened that a small delegation of Menomini Indians from Keshena, Wisconsin, also visited the capital on a like errand. These two delegations were furthermore quartered at the same house, so that the object of my constant visits to,

and consultations with, the Ojibwa soon became known to the Menomini, who at once manifested great interest, as they themselves were members of the society of shamans. The Ojibwa then informed the Menomini of what had been done with reference to the preservation of the traditions and ritual of the Ojibwa society, and suggested to the former the propriety of having the Government publish the Menomini version of the Grand Medicine ceremonies, thus preserving for future generations their ancient beliefs and practices concerning the origin of the Indians, the history of the services of Mä'näbush, and the institution and initiatory ceremonies of the Mitä'wit, or Grand Medicine society.

Three members of the Menomini delegation were chiefs of the society, and as such were competent to decide whether it would be appropriate and in accordance with their ancient custom to permit the admission into the society of a white man and stranger. After protracted deliberation, I was informed that in so far as they were personally concerned they very much desired that a visit be made to Keshena, where a council of the chief shamans would be called for the purpose of presenting for their approbation the subject of making public the so-called secret or mystic ceremonies. The visit to the reservation was made during the spring of 1890, when a meeting of the council was called by Nio'pet and Ni'aqtawâ'pomi, at which the chief representatives of the society unanimously agreed that I should be received at the next regular meeting. Then, when once within the sacred structure, I might without fear of misfortune ask any questions that I might desire, and receive explanation so far as lay in the power of the chief mitä'wok.

When a meeting of the society is desired, either for the benefit of the sick or for regular initiation, the proceedings are as follows: A consultation is held as to the designation of the four chief medicine men, the selection of a second set of four, and also a third set, each of which groups have special duties to perform during the ceremonies. Two general assistants or ushers are also chosen, whose duties consist in the proper arrangement of the interior of the structure and accessories, the proper location on a ridge pole of the presents, especially the blankets, pieces of calico, mats, etc., which form part of the gifts made by or for the candidate as the price of his admission. A location for the erection of the mitä'wikŏ'mik' is also decided upon, and the women members of the society-usually the wives of the chief officiat ing medicine men-who are to erect the structure and to prepare the feasts, are also designated.

These preliminary arrangements being completed, the "giver of the feast" presents to the chief medicine man several gifts of tobacco, which are divided into small heaps, and then immediately sent by a

"From "mitä"," a member of the society or fraternity of the Mitäwit; and "wikō'mik," a corruption of the word wig' wam-from "wigwas'," bark-a structure or lodge of bark. Though now built of poles, mats, etc., the original covering was no doubt of bark, thus giving rise to this designation, "wigwam," for all bark habitations.