The Red Cloud chief., 1888-08-24
INDIAN JUGGLERY.

10y in New York City was q paper by
colonel Garrick Mallory on "Algonkin
0yphs on Bark and Stone" The paper
also dealt briefly with some related sub.
jects, and will form q part of the annual re-
port Of the Bureau Of EthnolOgy. The fol.
kwing is a brief chapter on Indian Jug
0ery," extracted from this paper:
paul Beaulieu, an Oiibwa of mixed
Hl00d, present interpreter at White Earth
Rency, gave his experience with a jOSsa-
ICED at Leech lake about the year ISIS. The
1ports of wonderful performances reached
he agency and. as Beaulieu had 10 faith
ii the juggiers. he offered one hundred doi-
lars, a large sum, then and there. against
goods Of equal value. that the juggler could
not perform satisfactorily one of the tricks
q his rcpertOry to DC selected by him
Beaulieau, in the presence of himself and
1connmittcc consisting Of his friends. The
wager was accepted with the result to be
Inscribed.
"a medicine loo &c was made. Four
strong poles were planted deep in the
ground. rising to an elevation OF at least
ten or twelve feet; one of ;ilcTl having the
branches remaining and rising a little be-
yUnd its fellows. this being the Indication
q a jossakecd as distinguished from q
medic lodge. The interior diameter was
Bss than four feet. The frame. which was
Aclincd to the center. was then filled in
Nth intertwined twigs and covered with
0ankets 4 birch bark from the ground to
NE top. leaving IN Oriticc Of ab3.t one foot
= diameter open for the iagress and cgress
q spirits and Of tho objects to be men
tOned, but not large enough for the pas
Age of q man 5 body. At one sid of the
1pttom wrapping a flap was left for the en-
rance of the jOssakccd or slia!nan. A
0Dmmittcc of twelve WIS selected TO see
nat no communication was possible be-
tween the jcssakceI and c0nfcderates.
3hese twelve men were respectable people.
0e Of them being the Episcopal clergy
man of the reservation. Tie spectators
Verc several Hundred in number. but stood
a. not being allowed to approach
1.-The jossakccd then removed his cloth
Hg, until nothing remained upon his person
but the brecch-clOth Bcaalieu then took u
Rpe tOf his w selection for TIE purpose,,
md first tied and knotted one end about the
ankles: the knees were then securely tied
tDgetier; next the wrists. after which the
Tms were passed over the knees. and a
billet OF wood passed under the knees. thus
securing and keeping III" arms down motion
less. The rope was then passed around the
neck again and again. each time tied and
1notted 50 as to bring the face down upon
The knees. A fiat river-Stoue of black
OlOr-which was the joss:kced manedo or
Amulet-was left lying upon his thighs.
HE jOssakecd was then carried to the
bdge, placed inside no q mat on the
9ound, and the flap covering restored 50
. to completely hide him from view.
Immediately loud, humping noises
we're heard. and the framework began to
sway from side to sido with much violence,
vherenpon the clergyman remarked that
this was the work of the evil one. and it
vas no place Tor him; 81 he loft, and did
mot see the end After q few minutes of
violent movement and swaying Of the lodge,
accompanied by loud, inarticuiate noises,
The motions gradually ceased, when tho
voice of the juggler was heard telling
sReaulieu to go to the house of a friend near
By and get the rope. Now, Bcaulieu, sus-
Pecting some joke was to be played upon
lin, directed the committee to be very
careful not to permit any one to approach
while be went for the rope, which he found
It the place indicated, still tied exactly as
he had placed it about the nee and cx-
oemities Of the ~jOssakecd. He Immediate
II returned. laid it down before the specta-
tors, and requested Of the jOssakeed to be
allowed to look at him, which was granted,
but with the understanding that Beaulieu
was not to touch him.
"Whcn the covering was pulled aside
the j0ssakecd sat within the lodge con-
tentedly smoking his pipe, with no other OBJ
iect in sightthan the black stone Of manedO.
Beaulicu paid his wager of one hundred
dollars. An exhibition Of similar pretended
powers. also for q wager, was announced q
short time later at Yellow Medicine, Mimi,
to be given in the presence Of a number
Of army people; but at the threat Of
the grand medicine-lnan of Lcech lake
bands, who probably objected to
interference with his lucrative monopoly,
the event did not take place and bets were |
declared OIL. . = = So remarkable and
frequent were these performances of Jug |
Giery that the French in 16l3 called the |
whole body Of Indians on tue Ottawa river,
whom they met at q very early period, the
~sorcerers.' They were the tribes after |
ward called Nipiseing, and were the typical
Algonquins. No suspicion of jugglery in |
the sense of deception appears to have been
entertained by any Of the earliest French
and English writer's. The sever Puritan
and the ardent Catholic both considered |
that the exhibitions were real and the work
Of the devil. 1t is also worth mentioning |
that one of the d~erivatiOns of the name
sMicmac' is connected with the word mean !
ing 'sOrcercr;;' so that b known practices
Of this character having an important ef-
feet upon the life Of the people extended
from the great lakes to the extreme east of
the continent. It was obvious to me in
cross examining the various old men that
tho performances Of jugglery were in each
case an exhibition Of the pretended miracu-
lous power Of an individual, whereby he
obtained q reputation above his rivals and
derived subsistence and authority by the
selling Of charms and superhumau infor.
nation. The charms of fctichcs, which
still arc sold by a few who are yet believed
In, arc OF three linds-tO bring death or dis
ease to an enemy, to lure an enemy into am
bush, and to create sexual love"
Arsenic cs q Cosmetic.
The dclctcrious effect Of arsenic upon the
skin was recently discussed in the Patho-
logical Society Of London, after a communi-
cation had been e by Mr.. Jonathan
Hutchinson. The skin Is tho tissue on
which arsenic has, perhaps, its most marked
influence. The poison may spoil the com.
plexion instead Of improving it by making it
muddy and unsightly. A similar action is
exhibited in all parts of the skin, and NAV