The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-11

pelS Ol sport.
It does not appear that women among
the Chippeways are quite on the same
plane with men as sorcerers. no matter
what degree of initiation into the secret
society they may have attained. The doc
Urine of the equality of the female sex
with the masculine has not been accepted
among Indians even in matters where
magic is concerned. though it has been
admitted everywhere else in the world
that women are most terrible when they
tackle magic. Their power in this regard
has always been greatly dreaded, as is
evidenced by the zeal with which witches
have been burned and otherwise destroy
ed in Europe and even in this country.
The business of female sorcerers among
the ChippeWays has to do chiefly with
the treatment of women and children, and
with tattooing for the cure of headache.
The tattoOing is done with finely powder
ed charcoal, SCOT, or gunpowder, the
pricking instrument being made by tying
together several needles. The marks are
made Immediately over the afflicted part,
usually on the temples, to drive out the
demon accountable for the mischief
As among other Indians, il is believed
by the Chippeways that diseases are caus-
ed by demons which have obtained lodg-
ment in the body of the patient. MedI-
cines are useful merely because of the
magic influence they possess, which is eff
fective in eXpelling the evil spirit It is
observable that the Chippeway sorcerers
employ number of plants therapeutically
which are well recognized as valuable in
the civilized pharmacopoeia, but it is be-
lieved that their acquaintance with most
of these is the result of long-continued
friendship with the Roman Catholic
priests. Special value for health and per
sOOa1 ic f0 at tn
tain trees, etc, which are employed in the
making of houses, utensils and weapons,
because of the magical properties inher-
ing in them
1t is not merely on account of their in
clnations toward sorcery that the Chip
peways are interesting. They are one OF
the largest aboriginal tribes numerically
of the United States, and are scattered
over a very considerable area, from the
province of Ontario on the east to the Red
river on the West and from Manitoba
southwark through the states of Mime
sofa, Wisconsin and Michigan. These peo-
pie, strictly speaking, are a timber peo-
pie, and in their westward migration and
dispersion they have never passed beyond
the limit of timber growth which so re-
markedly divides Minnesota into distinct
areas of forest and prairie. That state
contains many thousands of lakes, large
and small, and until recently the wild fowl
game and fish of the region have fur
nisbed TO the Indians their CHIEF source of
subsistence In the southern mart of their
habitat the ChipDeWavs have prettv gener-
allv adopted civilized pursuits discarding
the blanket and taking 70 farming
The Chippeway sorcerers seem to have
considerable knowledge of nelson's NV
means of which they are able 10 tnf1tct
death or various other phvsical nunish-
ments upon persons whom thew dislike
one of their connections is made up of
parts of several plants. with rattlesnake
blood. The SERPENT to be used for this uur-
nose is crushed. and its blood is collected
dried and powdered. Other snakes are
sometimes EMPLOYED as substitute. The
coupound is said to cause PARALYSIS of one
side Of the face. and the truth of the as
sertion seems to be proved bv six cases of
the kind which came to the knowledge of
DR.. Hoffman. In five of these cases the
distortion disappeared after weeks or
months. but in one case it continued for
several wears. with no signs of recovery.
II is NOT apparent that ANYTHING but
strychnine could bring about such effects.
DR.. Hoffman saws that whereas it is Gus
tomary ordinarily among Indians to use as
little clothing as possible when engaged
in dancing either of a social or ceremonial
nature the Chippeways vie with eacn
other in COSTLY and gaudy dress. The sor-
oarar Driasts pvear elaborate costumes or