The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-11
INDIAN SECRET SOCIETIES.
The Strange Rites witnessed by
PRlefRee.
From the Philadelphia Times.


The Menomini or wild Rice" Indians
! from whose language the name of the city
Of Chicago is derived. are the subject of
an admirable monograph by DR.. Walter
J. Hoffman, in the last published report Of
the Bureau OF American ethnology. The
Menomini Indians are located on a reser-
walton comprising ten townships equal to
| 300 square miles, in the northeastern part
| of Wisconsin, occupying about the same
! territory in which they were found by Nj
eollet in 1884. Their name is derived from
the grain known in English as wild rice"
which they formerly collected for food Dr.
| Hoffman gives a list of eighty-four differ
| ent forms OF their names as written by
various authorities since the time of their
| discovery. They number, according to the
census of 1892, about 1925 on the reserva-
/ ton, with about 800 scattered throughout
! the country eastward. From the accounts
given, it would appear that the reputation
| has remained about the same for the last
| forty years. They frequently intermarry
| with neighboring tribes, such as the Ojib-
| wa, as wei as with whites, and it may be
| questioned If at the present day there re-
| mains single individual of pure blood,
Turning from the externals of Menomini
| life and custom, SO largely changed by con-
tact with the whites, to the social organi-
| cation, secret ceremonies, magic, games
and mythic conceptions, we find survivals
| of extraordinary interest The totems
! are arranged under three phratries, the
| Bear, Big Thunder and Wolf. There is a
| general belief in the common relationship,
! not only of individuals of a certain totem
| with the tribe, but Of all persons of a sim
| ilarly named totem of another tribe belong
| ing to the same linguistic family. They
| claim to have always had a first or grand
| chief, and a secondary, or war chief be-
| sides many sub-chiefs, who were heads of
| bands or families.
| The present divisions or bands are nam
| ed after the heads of each band and are
| eleven in number. Four secret or cult So
cieties exist among them, which are de-
| scribed In detail by DR.. Hoffman. They
comprise the Mitawit, or Grand Medicine
| Society; the Tshisaqua, or Juggler; the
| Wabeno, or Men of the Dawn, and the
"Dreamers' Society" Dr. Hoffman's visit
| in the spring of 1890 was to secure his re-
ception into the Great Medicine Society,
| the preliminaries to which had been ar
| ranged in Washington. An assembly of
| the council was held, when it was unani-
| mously agreed that he should be received
| at the next regular meeting. Once within
| the sacred structure, he might without
fear of misfortune ask any questions he
| desired, and receive explanations so far
| as they lay within the power of the chief
| priest. When a meeting is desired. either
| for the benefit of sick or for regular ini-
! tlatiOn, three groups, each of four chief
| medicine men, who has special duties dur
| ing the ceremonies are elected. The To-
| cation of the medicine lodge is decided,
| and the women members, usually the
| wives of the chief officiating medicine men
| who are to prepare the structure, are Sc
! lected. The lodge is erected on the follow
| ing plan: A piece of level ground is
| MIA cd at a
! intervals along the sides of an oblong.
J The length of the structure is usually six
| ty TO seventy feet, and its width twenty
| feet. The poles are brought together at
| the top TO form an archway, and mats of
| meshes are placed along the sides while
the top is shaded with mats, pieces of
| birch banks or canvas. The meetings are
| held on Saturday afternoons, and contin-
| ues uninterruptedly until the next day at
sunset, Sunday being employed so that
as little time as possible may be lost from
| labor.
BY Saturday afternoon on the occasion
described, the vicinity of the medicine
| lodge became a scene of great animation.
| Wagons bearing the families tents and
| cooking utensils of members of the So
| ciety began to arrive from all directions.
| Branches of cedar had been placed on
the ground around the interior of the
lodge and on them rush mats to serve as
seats for the attendants. The gifts pre-
| scented by the candidates were hung from
long poles placed lengthwise beneath the
center of the arched enclosure. At inter-
walls, lanterns We're suspended, to furnish
! light during the night service, and large
mat, on which the candidate was finally
obliged to kneel was spread on the
! ground
| At the ceremony Shunien was recogniz-
! ed as the chief officiating shaman. Taking
a ceremonial baton he recited the ritual
/ ~ s.fas .ta -
! cy caused by death, and according to GUS
| tom, feast was first held at the head
| Of the grave. The women of the lodge,
assisted by the relatives of the deceased.
| then spread table cloth on the ground,
| on which they deposited meats, vegeta-
| bles, bread and pastry After the feast
| Shunien again took the baton, and hand
| ing It to one of his assistants, requested
| him to make an address. The address
| made by him and his three assistants
related to the exploits performed by them,
| particularly during the civil war, when
| most of them served as soldiers in the
| union army. The depression was prompt
ed because the deceased had been one Of
their comrades. The grave-post of the
| deceased was then tremendously painted,
| and the addresses over, the persons pres
emit fell IN line, two by two, and returned
| to the medicine lodge.
At these gatherings II IS customary Tor
each individual TO dress as deliberately as
possible. The chief article Of value Is the
medicine sack. in which are carried sew
| eral sacred objects, particularly the kona-
! pamlk or shell used In shooting the candi-
date and conveying sacred or mystic in
huence TO the patient. The face is liber-
| ally painted with stripes and coiors, for
which at present there Is no special rule,
although they formerly Indicated the de-
grees the person had taken.
When the four medicine men had as
sumed their proper stations and were
seated on the mat, the usher brought the
| goods furnished by the candidate and
| placed them before Niopet, the EASTERN
| most OF the four. The medicine drum, of
followed wood. was then also placed be-
fore him. " lille he was using the drum
the two seated next accompanied him on
rattles partly filled with corn. The serv-
ices, which continued from the time OF
the meeting at the grave until daylight
the following morning. were for the bene-
AZ OF the shade OF the dead which had
been permitted TO return and be present
In the lodge. At daybreak the shade Is
believed 10 be free to go back to the last
/ al