USA > Michigan > A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people, its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, Volume I > Part 10
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"Manabush asked many of them how they came to be there, and told them they must go to his grandmother's shore, and that they would
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have to help him in order to be released. So they all began to dance inside of the Misikinebik, which made him so sick that he swam rapidly towards the shore, and meantime, Manabush took his short knife and began cutting into the body of the fish, just over his own head. Soon the people began to chant 'I see the sky;' and Manabush kept entting at the body which was soon stranded on the beach, where the people escaped through the opening made by Manabush. They were all pleased with Manabush, who soon left them and traveled towards the rising sun. One day when approaching a high mountain he saw a large white bear, Owasse, basking in the sun. This was one of the most powerful of the evil mysteries, and Manabush approached cautiously, fitting an arrow to his bow string, and shot it through the body of Owasse, killing him. The blood ran down the mountain side and the stains thereof are still visible. Some of the medicine used by the Mitawok is obtained from there. Manabush afterwards gave the skin of the bear to Manakna, the badger."
In the following myth the Menominees account for the possession of tobacco, which is used in the ceremonial smoke that precedes every serions undertaking, and is also placed on the altar stones as a gift to the spirits, and on the graves of their dead.
One day Manabush was passing a high mountain when he noticed a delightful odor arising from a crevice in the rock. He knew this monn- tain to be inhabited by the giant who was the keeper of tobacco. Mana- bush went to the mouth of a cavern which he entered, and followed a passage till he came to a large chamber inhabited by the giant, who asked him very sternly what he wanted. Manabush told him he wanted some tobacco. The giant refused this and told him to come again in a year, as all the Manidos had just been there for their annual smoke. Manabush saw many bags of tobacco lying around and, snatching one, he darted out of the mountain followed by the giant. Manabush went to the tops of the mountains and leaped from peak to peak, but was followed so closely by the giant that when he came to a certain large peak which formed one side of a deep canon, he suddenly laid down flat and the giant leaped over him into the chasm below. The giant was much bruised but managed to climb nearly to the top of the cliff where he hung; his finger nails being worn off. Then Manabush grabbed him by the baek and, drawing him up, threw him violently on the ground and said to him "For your meanness you shall become Ka-kuene (grasshopper, the jumper) and you shall be known by your stained mouth ; you shall become the pest of those who raise tobacco." Then Manabush divided the tobacco among the people, giving each some of the seed. Another exploit of Manabush was the obtaining of fire, a sacred element with the Menominees as with all other Indians. When he was a youth, Manabush said to Nokomis: "I am cold, we have no fire, let me go and get some." His grandfather tried to dissuade him, but he insisted and made a bark canoe. Then he assumed the form of a rabbit, which he could do whenever he chose, and started in the canoe
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eastward across a great water to an island where an old man lived who had the fire. When the rabbit reached the shore it was still night; so he traveled along till he came to the old man's wigwam. This old man had two daughters who saw a little rabbit, wet and cold, as they came out of the sacred wigwam, and they carefully pieked it up and carried it inside and put it near the fire to get warm. They permitted it to remain near the fire while they attended to their duties. The rabbit hopped near and tried to get a coal, but when he hopped the earth shook and woke the old man, who asked what made the disturb- ance. The daughter said it was nothing but a poor little rabbit they had found. When the girls were again busy the rabbit grasped a stick of burning wood and ran to his canoe, pursued by the old man and the girls, but the rabbit reached the canoe safely and put off with such speed that the rush of air caused the brand to blaze, and the sparks burned him in many places. . When he reached shore Nokomis took the fire from him and healed his wounds. Nokomis gave the fire to the thun- derers and they have had it ever since.
A myth of this sort might be related for every acquirement of Mana- bush. The story of his origin has many variations; one being that he was one of a pair of twins born of a virgin mother, who, with one of the children, died. Nokomis took the other, wrapped it in soft dry grass and put it under a large wooden bowl at the end of her lodge. After that she buried the mother and child. then she sat down to mourn four days. At the end of her mourning she heard a slight noise and looking under the bowl she beheld a little white rabbit with quivering ears. She took it up and said "Oh my dear little rabbit, my Manabush." When it began to hop about the wigwam the earth trembled. and so the Ana-magkiu knew a great manido had been born, and at once set about destroying him.
According to both Menominee and Chippewa legends there was a time when Manabush lost his power through foolish actions. The myths contained in the travels of Manabush illustrate this. This inchides the story of the birds; of his meeting the mink, whose entrails he turned into vines; of his experience with Pa-skose, the buzzard; of his visit to the eight sisters in the north, two of whom were evil spirits, and of his living with Paskinen and his sister, who governed all the birds. The latter myth contains the story of the magic red birds. There are many myths besides, relating to Manabush. It is said that when Nokomis made dishes of bark and caught sap from the maple trees it was thick like syrup, but Manabush feared that his people would become idle and vicious, if they obtained food so easily, so he sprinkled the trees with water, and after that the sap was thin like water and required much labor to prepare it.
After relating all or parts of these stories, the priests who conduct the Mitawit go on to tell why the Mitawikamok came to be constructed. of the gifts and privileges received by Manabush, and what he and those who came after him as members of the Mitawit should do. Mana-
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bush has charge of the western portal of the sacred lodge. A path leads from this to the rising sun, and a short distance up the path sit two old men facing each other. When Manabush reached this place the oldest man said: "My son, follow this path until you come to a ridge; ascend this and you will find a tree growing on one side of the path. The roots of this tree reach to the four worlds below, while its branches ascend to the opening of the sky where four manidos guard it and watch all who approach. Some enter this opening, but others are obliged to keep on the path. The four Manidos are Kineu, the bald eagle, Pinaskiu, the golden eagle, Mamutsheau, the Indian, and Wapish- keta-pau, the white-hair. The last is chief of those who guard the en- trance to the sky. The Mitiwok get their sacred staffs from the branches of this tree. From the place of the tree, so the instruction goes, you must go on until you come to a poplar log lying across the path. You must not pass over this, but go around the top end. The small branches typify theft. If you have sinned you will be drawn to them and bite them with your teeth. Further on you will pass a thorn apple which you must not touch, but must pass to the left of it. As you go on, you will come to a stream of water and when you stoop to drink you will observe your hair is turning gray and you will meditate on the days you have lived. As you continue on your journey. you will come to a country covered with green plants. Some of these you must dig, others pluck, for they are 'medicine' which you will give to those who need them. As you look at the sky you will know you can go no further, as this is the end of the path. When Manabush was seated in the sacred lodge the Manido brought him gifts for the good of mankind. Owasse, the bear, gave him power; Wabun, the daylight, gave him light ; Paka, whose bones rattle and who causes those who dream of him to faint with fear, came from the rising sun and gave him his power of terror. Then Misiqkwan, the red dawn, and Massina, the turkey, gave him the red color that the Mita might paint themselves. The turkey also gave the bars from his tail that there might be a division of time for the Mita to dance. Ku-ku-kum, the great owl, promised to watch by the dead so that their graves would not be disturbed. Waku, the fox, lent his voice to be used in lamentation. Wikek, the otter, gave Manabush the Kona-pamik, the sacred shell. From the south came Keso. the sun, and he said 'I will appear above you when all are gathered in the Mita- wikomik. As I go westward you will see my path which you in time, must follow.' "
From the west came the thunderers. They brought the dark clouds with them which they gave to Manabush to cover one side of the lodge. From the sky came the voices of two old men who said they would put some stones near the lodge to be heated in the fire, and water to pour upon them. This steam bath is still one of the rites of the Mitawit.
The north wind gave his healing breath, to prevent sickness. Then Nokomis made a bag for Manabush in which he put medicines for all diseases. After that Manabush called upon the four mysteries of the
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sky to grant him favor and they consented and instructed him to fast, and dream, and pray to secure his personal Manito; also to take the black ashes from the fire and blacken his face when he fasted. They gave him the drums to be used in "making medicine" and the rattle to invoke the manitos; also the wigwam, with four posts wrapped in bark, in which to fast and dream in order to gain the power of second sight. They taught him to make hunting medicines, as well as those for the siek. There were many kinds, as for instance, the sturgeon scale and red medicine which were good for hunting deer ; another for a different animal, and so on. They taught him to make traps and nets and all sorts of tools and weapons. Manabush also taught the people the game of baggataway, or la-crosse, as the French called it. This is described in connection with the Chippewas, the game being identical with that played by the Menominees.
In performing the ceremonies of the Mitawit, either for initiation of a candidate into the society, or for the benefit of the sick, three sets of four each of the chief medicine men are chosen; each set having special duties to perform. Two assistants are also chosen, whose duties are to arrange the interior of the medicine lodge, locate the presents on the pole placed horizontally in the center, and so on. A location for the Mitawikamik is decided upon and the "medicine women" selected who are to build it. These are usually the wives of the chief medieine men. The lodge is usually a frame of poles brought together at the top to form an arch, then covered with rush mats and bark. It is often sixty or seventy feet long and twenty feet wide, always running east and west, with openings at these ends. Cedar boughs covered with mats are placed around the interior near the walls for seats. The presents are hung from poles across the center near the top. The mat on which the candidate finally kneels is placed near the west end; the space between the seats forming the path followed by the medicine men. When the wikomik is ready the giver of the feast presents the chief medicine man with tobacco, which is divided into small pareels and at once sent by courier to members of the society. The messenger merely places it before the person for whom it was intended. who says, "When and where." The courier informs him, and departs to complete his work. If the ceremony is one of initiation by proxy for a deceased candidate, which is often the case, the grave is first visited by eight of the most prominent chiefs, accompanied by the mourners and family, and all move westward until the grave is reached. They then form a circle around it; the chief or Shaman, then strikes the grave box with his cere- monial baton (a sharp stick having ents made near the top to form eir- cles of shavings, suggestive of plumes, at the base of cach cluster, of which there are three or four, there is a band of vermillion an inch wide) and, referring to the death of Naqpote, he tells his listeners that the dance to be held is for Naqpote; that he may return and transport the shade of the dead, over whom he is officiating, to the Mitawikamnik He says also that if the Indians desire a meeting of the mitawit, they
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must first hold a feast at the head of the grave, as Manabush has directed. Continuing the narrative in the past tense: The Mita women and relatives of the deceased then spread the feast, which usually in- cluded dog's flesh as one article of food. After the feast the chief priest handed his baton to an assistant, who made a speech relating the quali- ties and exploits of the deceased, if a warrior. This assistant passed it to another ; often five or six speeches would be made. During this time the chief priest took the grave post and painted a band of vermilion near the top of it and as many crosses as there were speeches made. He also outlined in vermilion the totemie figures which had already been carved upon it, in inverted order. As the sun set, a procession was formed back to the medicine lodge along the south side to the eastern entrance. The four highest officials entered and seated themselves upon the north (the strong side) and the others followed and seated them- selves in accordance with their official standing. The ceremonial smoke was then indulged in; the smoke being blown first to the four points of the compass, and to the sky. by the chief priest. When the pipes went out the chanting began. In this was related the story of Manabush and his instructions to the people. The chief priest reminded them that the Mitawikamik had been built in accordance with these instruc- tions and that all their ceremonies had come to them from Mashu Man- ido through Manabush. Other medicine men spoke for the south side of the lodge, saying it was the duty of the strong to help the weak. These chants, which were accompanied by drums and rattles, were a repetition of set phrases, in which the medicine women and men joined after the priest had given the sentence.
If a candidate is being initiated these addresses are made to him as he stands before one of the medicine men, his position being changed, as the ceremony varies. He finally kneels upon the sacred mat at the western portal and as the medicine men dance past him each thrusts his sacred bag towards him, uttering a curious ery as he does so. Fi- nally one thrusts his bag into the face of the candidate who at once falls forward, shot by the magic shell which conveys to him mysterious power. While unconscious the medicine bags are laid upon his back. Then the chief priest raises his head, and removes the sacred shell from his month. The candidate, having recovered from his stupor, takes the medicine shell in his right hand and performs a peculiar dance in stooping posture all around the lodge, exhibiting the sacred shell. The medicine men do likewise and, as they gather in the western portal, each pretends to swallow his shell. He would now only have to breathe upon his medicine sack to make its power felt. The candidate then re- ceives his medicine bag, usually made from the skin of some animal and often highly ornamented. He goes about the lodge testing its powers, thrusting it nt someone, who would at once fall unconscious, but who quickly revived and joined in this shooting of magie, which lasted some time, being the only ceremony the women took active part in. There are a great many ceremonies attendant upon a Grand Medicine dance.
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Constant feasting and smoking, and games of all sorts, and feats of jugglery, are interspersed with the rites in the lodge. The Indians are particularly fond of juggling tricks, many of which seem very trans- parent in method. The jugglers use a wigwam of four posts covered with bark, like the one given to Manabush, in which to consult the spir- its. When one enters he addresses the four points of the compass to invoke the manidos from each. The lodge sways and a great deal of noise ensues, ending in a dialogue between a loud and a fine voice, these jngglers apparently being masters of ventriloquism. They elaim to handle fire with impunity, to cause storms or allay them, to bring rain or drouth, to cure disease, or cause it by magie means, to be able to transport themselves from one lodge to another unseen, and so on.
Sometimes they were bound when they entered the Tshisaqkau. Like the Wabeno men, they practiced their arts alone. Owing to the fact that the Menominees do not use the bark pieture rolls any more, the ceremonies of the Mitawit are quite different from the original. many of the ancient rites being omitted. The gathering for a medicine dance is a gala occasion and it is customary for the participants to wear their most elaborate costumes. They deck themselves with bead bags, baldrics and garters, amulets, medals, strings of beads and shells, bracelets of fur and metal, headdresses of feathers, or, in modern times, of wool or silk, scarfs, moccasins, beaded or embroidered with colored porcupine quills, but most important of all the medicine bag, contain- ing the sacred shell and other magic artieles. In addition to all this fine apparel, the face and body were painted. Formerly when the society conferred four degrees, there were certain arrangements of color to designate each of these; for instance, the mita who had received but one degree, adorned his face with a band of white clay, across the fore- head, extending to the angle of the eyes ; also a spot of green was placed upon the breast. No regularity is now maintained; the coloring, if used at all, being more fantastic and a matter of personal taste. The women merely redden their checks and placed a spot of blue, or some other color, on the forchead.
The ceremonies go on all day and into the night and last a week or more at times. One which took place in 1909 lasted for eight days. After these are over the gifts are distributed among the medicine inen.
The Wabeno, like the juggler, practices alone. He claims to heal by medical magie. If a hunter had been successful owing to his "hunting medicine," he gives part of his game to the Wabeno who furnished it. The Wabeno then invites his friends to a feast, though all are free to go. This always takes place at night and is kept up with boisterous singing and dancing until morning; hence the name "men of the dawn." Dur- ing the feat the Wabeno entertains his guests with exhibitions of his magie skill. imparted to him by the evil spirits. He appears in the form of different animals, or as a ball of fire; handles fire or hot ma- terials without injury, and so on. The Wabeno claims knowledge of plants and animals. (The evil spirits live in the ground and have
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charge of these things.) Besides "hunting medicine" he makes love powders, which will move the most indifferent person to affection for the one wearing such medicine. The Menominee love powder (tako-sa- wos) is compounded of vermilion and powdered miea, together with some article belonging to the person whose affection is desired; a hair, or finger-nail paring, or shred of cloth is enelosed in a thimble or small bag, and constantly worn about the person.
The Wabeno seems to be a more modern institution than the Mitawit and pertains to the physical rather than the spiritual condition.
The Wabenoak claim to have been more powerful than the Mitawok and tell many stories to prove this.
The fourth class of shamans are called Me-moak, literally, the dance, but usually called the dreamers. This form of religion came to the Menominees in 1880 from the west. They assert that the Great Spirit had become offended, owing to the neglect of old rites and ceremonies of the Mitawit, and wished to give the Indians a purer and better form of religion. For this the inclosure is built in a circle. When a meeting is to be held the chief. or Ok-we-man, informs the four (Na-nampweq- tawok) or braves, who summon the other members. When they enter the circle, which typifies the sky, they go in at the western entrance and passing to the left, seat themselves around the sides. The pipe is then lighted and passed around four times. The chief brave then seats him- self on one side of the entrance and an appointed old man on the other. No one is permitted to pass out after this except the messenger, who brings food and water, and the pipe man.
The ceremonies consist of singing and dancing accompanied by the drum. and speeches made by an orator, or one of the braves. If any one objectionable enters, the drummer carries the drum out of the east- ern entrance which is the signal for dispersing, the members all depart- ing by the western doorway.
The worship of the dreamers seems to be a mixture of their mytho- logical ritual with a degenerate form of modern Christianity. In addi- tion to the stories of Manabush, which formed the foundation of their religion, the Menominees had many folk tales with which they whiled away long hours, One or two will illustrate the form of these.
"Once on a time beso, the sun, and his sister Tipa Keso, the moon (literally . Last-night Sun'). lived together in a wigwam in the east. The sun dressed himself to go hunting; took his bow and arrows and left. He was absent so long that when his sister came out into the sky to look for her brother, she beenme alarmed. She traveled twenty days looking for the sun; finally he returned bringing with him a bear he had shot. The sun's sister still comes up into the sky and travels for twenty days, then she dies and for four days nothing is seen of her. At the end of that time she comes to life and travels twenty days more.
"The sun is a being like ourselves. Whenever an Indian dreamed of him he plucked out bis hair and wore an otter skin about his head over his forehead. He did this because the sun wore an otter skin on his
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head. (This custom of plucking out the hair and substituting an otter skin is obsolete.)"
Of the anrora borealis they say : "In the direction of the north wind live the Mana-baipwok (giants) of whom the old people tell. They are friends of the Indians, but we do not see them any more. They are great hunters and fishermen, and whenever they go out with their torches to spear fish, we know it beeause then the sky is bright over the place where they are."
There are numberless such stories, in which the qualities or attrib- utes of animals, as well as inanimate objects are accounted for.
The weapons of the Menominees were formerly of stone, in the form of axes, arrow points, clubs and knives; though these latter were often made of clam shells, particularly when used for scraping, or other household purpose. The making of these stone articles was discontin- ued about a hundred and thirty years ago. The Menominee bow was made of ash, ironwood or hickory; the latter wood being preferred. Occasionally they were made of two kinds of wood glued together. They were often ornamented by having the ends, which extended beyond the bowstring, carved and painted. They were carefully made and smoothed, and sometimes rubbed with brains of the deer or moose. The arrow heads when inserted were wrapped with sinew, smoothed tight with glue made from deer hoofs. The wooden shafts were always well seasoned, made very straight and ornamented with paint and feathers. These were bound to the end of the arrow shaft with fine sinew, the feathers having been first stripped from the midrib, and the adhering skin placed smoothly upon the shaft. The Menominees, like other In- dians, occasionally used poisoned arrows in warfare. These were treated by dipping them in rattlesnake virus, or in decomposed flesh.
The Menominees came to a knowledge of fire arms when Nicolet ar- rived among them in 1634. It is recorded that "this marvellous man" appeared at the gathering of Indians whom he had summoned by his Winnebago rumuers, "in a robe of China damask decked with flowers and birds of various colors and carrying thunder in his hands." The firing of his pistols caused the women and children to flee in alarm.
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