219 INSCRIBED BIRCH BARK SCROLLS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF …

219

INSCRIBED BIRCH BARK SCROLLS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF THE MIDEWIWIN

Richard E. Nelson Duluth, Minnesota

Midewiwin priests with their medicine bags, lodges and a village of the dead, heads with power lines, turtles and thunderbirds, snakes and serpents, underwater panthers and sea monsters inhabit the world of one who studies the incised birch bark scrolls of the Grand Medicine Society.

Little did I realize that a love of the birch tree, nourished by a childhood camp song:

White stately birch

Beside a sparkling lake,

Here we campers gather

And true friendship make.

would develop into a fascination with the objects crafted from the bark of that tree by Native Americans. Seemingly there is no end to the size, shape, or use of the objects formed from this bark.

Recently m y collecting activity has centered on incised birch bark items. This material, usually in the form of bark scrolls, had its origin in the Midewiwin, or Grand Medicine Society of the Ojibwa. Inscriptions were engraved with awls on the soft inner bark of the birch for use as mnemonic devices in ceremonial teaching about the mysteries of the society. While most scrolls are interpreted only by initiates or informants, speculation about engravings is possible based on studies from scrolls which have been interpreted.

Early descriptions of this picture writing are found in the reports of W.J.Hoffmann (1891) and Henry R. Schoolcraft (1854). A more recent study, The Sacred Scrolls of the Southern Ojibwa, was published in 1975 by the late Selwyn Dewdney. He examined over 150 inscribed scrolls and developed a typology of the mnemonic records from the research. Of the eleven scrolls in m y collection none are included in the Dewdney inventory. Other inscribed birch bark items of possible Mide origin are in the collection, too. This paper will be a study and description of these artifacts largely using the categories developed by Dewdney.

Prior to a review of the engraved birch bark items in the collection a survey of material in the literature might prove helpful.

220 Richard Nelson

Outside of the studies previously mentioned there are limited refer

ences to birch bark picture writing. Frances Densmore examines it in

her Chippewa Customs (Densmore 1979:86-92, 174-183). The cover of

Norman Feder's Art of the Eastern Plains Indian (1964) is a reproduc

tion of a song scroll in the Brooklyn Museum's Nathan Sturgis Jarvis

collection. Additional brief references are found in Feest (1980:61,62),

Whiteford (1973:109), and others.

Pictures of birch bark scrolls and inscribed work in exhibition cata

logues are few. Two scrolls were in the Sacred Circles exhibition, one

of which is partially shown in a photograph in the catalogue (Nelson

1977:99 Item 160). In the 1977 exhibition catalogue, The Native Amer

ican Heritage, of the Art Institute of Chicago two scrolls are pictured

(Mauer 1977:128-129 Items 141, 143). An incised birch bark comb case

is illustrated in Art of the Great Lakes Indians, the catalogue of the

1973 Flint Institute of Arts exhibit (Flint 1973:102 Item 479).

Other photographs are reproduced in several additional sources. The

study of the Jarvis collection, mentioned earlier, shows a song scroll

attributed to either the Sioux or Chippewa (Feder 1964:35). Richard

Conn's book, Native American Art in the Denver Art Museum, pictures

a detail from one of the Midewiwin scrolls in that institution's collection

(Conn 1979:91). A detail of one of the other large scrolls in the Denver

collection is illustrated in Feder's American Indian Art (Feder 1965

Item 218). Dewdney describes this as a Ghost Lodge or funeral scroll

and states that it is the largest one, 71 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches, that

he found (Dewdney 1975:186). Dewdney makes no reference to the

Mide roll pictured in Carrie Lyford's Ojibwa Crafts (Lyford 1943:49).

There is no information given by her about the repository where it is

located. Another scroll from an American collection, the Field Museum

of Natural History, Chicago, is partially shown in America's Fascinating

Indian Heritage (Reader's Digest 1978:343). It is pictured again along

with a sacred song record in The Archaeology of North America (Snow

1976:94-95).

A European collection scroll which is not listed in Dewdney's in

ventory is found in Christian F. Feest's Native Arts of North America

(Feest 1980:61-62). It appears to be a master scroll and is in the Mu

seum fur Volkerkunde, West Berlin.

Inscribed Birch Bark Scrolls 221

Scrolls from Canadian collections are pictured in several books. One

shown in Nancy-Lou Patterson's Canadian Native Art from the Na

tional Museum of Canada is similar to a Saulteaux-Ojibwa scroll de

scribed by Dewdney found at the Lower Fort Garry Museum (Patterson

1973:34; Dewdney 1975:150). A photograph of a placement or shooting

scroll in the Glenbow Institute collection is reproduced in Stones, Bones

and Skin, Ritual and Shamanic Art (Brodzky 1977:31).

Along with a photograph, Chippewa Customs depicts some line

drawings of a scroll and other forms of picture writing (Densmore

1979:Plate 34, 89, 91, 177-181). An extensive study of Mide scrolls

and Ojibwa religious heritage was made by Fred K. Blessing, Jr. in

The Ojibwa Indians Observed. In this study many scrolls are repro

duced through line drawings (Blessing 1977:116-163), some of which are

shown again in Dewdney.

The Dewdney study provides helpful categories for reviewing the

scrolls in my collection. He lists six categories: origin scrolls, migra

tion charts, master scrolls and ritual charts, ghost lodge and sky de

gree scrolls, deviant scrolls and enigmatic scrolls (Dewdney 1975:21-22).

While the collection does not include material of each type, several cat

egories are included and the typology is helpful in a collection analysis.

Origin Scroll

An essential element of Midewiwin ceremonials was the use of a

megis shell, a small white sea shell. This origin scroll was collected by

Monroe Killy at Nett Lake, Minnesota, in 1954. His informant told

him that it depicts a megis shell emerging from a primordial whirlpool.

A myth describing this is from Basil Johnston's (1976:87-88) Ojibway

Heritage:

The sacred Midemegis represented and commemorated an event in the history

of the Anishnabeg.

According to accounts, a large group of Anishnabeg left their homeland in search

of the Land of Abundance. Thinking that such a land lay to the east, the band

travelled for many years in the direction of the morning. They at last came to a

great ocean whose waters were salt. Unable to go further, the Anishnabeg settled

on the lands of the salt waters. So long did they remain that the men and women

forgot their origin. One day a small sea shell emerged from the waves of the great sea and hovered

over the land of the Anishnabeg where it remained for a long time. It frightened

the men, women and children; puzzled the wise and learned medicine men. The medicine men and women went into seclusion and kept vigil until one of the

elders received a dream. He dreamed of a land to the west, where the sun sank.

The vision of the setting sun was to him as beautiful as that of the dawn. When he

222 Richard Nelson

related his dream to his colleagues, they interpreted his vision as a sign to return

to their homeland which all, except the very ancient had forgotten. The elders

remembered a previous land and existence only in story. The medicine people told the leaders the meaning of the »ea shell. And the lead

ers immediately commanded the Anishnabeg to dismantle their lodges and prepare

to go on a long journey.

While the megis shell and whirlpool dominate the centre and right

side of this scroll, the most elaborate figure is the finely drawn cross-

hatched frog. Since the frog is traditionally an evil figure, its promi

nence in this scroll is enigmatic, unless it is to be inferred that the

power of the megis is able to destroy and overcome the power inherent

in the frog. Credence is given to this theory by the six shooting points

or arrows that are drawn on or around the frog. Similar arrows are

shown on human figure placement charts which were used for megis

"shooting" of Midewiwin degree candidates (Dewdney 1975:100).

The second animal figure in the scroll is a very small bear with a

heart line. The figure is drawn at right angles to the frog and slightly

to the right and above it. It is a small benevolent figure viewing the

victory of the Megis over the frog.

This scroll is a single section of bark. To prevent splitting of the

bark the ends are bound with small split endsticks that are bound with

ties made from the inner bark of the basswood tree.

Master Scrolls and Ritual Charts

Master scrolls were used by the Mide priests to initiate candidates

into the various degrees of the Grand Medicine Society. There were a

total of eight degrees. However, few candidates reached that level and

it is unusual to find a scroll that was used beyond the fourth degree.

The number of degrees pictured in the scrolls are referred to as lodges.

A small, 4 x 2 3/4 inches, single lodge scroll in the collection depicts

a human profile with power lines radiating from the skull. The figure is

set within a double circle which has an arrow and serpent figures coming

out of the circle. That total scene is set within a double outlined lodge.

The inscribed work on this small amulet is meticulous in the manner

in which the scribe or awl was used on the bark. When I first obtained

this scroll I thought that it might have been made as a tourist item.

However, upon reflection I no longer feel that was its purpose. I believe

that the scroll was used as a personnal amulet carried as a charm in a

medicine bag or bundle. I have discovered no reference in the litera

ture to such a small scroll. It has fine single endsticks bound to the bark


with basswood strips.

In a two lodge Master scroll the head of an underwater panther is

depicted along with numerous other fish, serpents, sea creatures and

mythological sea animals. Each lodge contains priestly figures with

power lines, one figure in profile, two others with a frontal view. From

the emphasis on malevolent sea creatures, a conjecture is that this

scroll focused on teachings that would enable the candidate to overcome

these menacing forms. The presence of the power imbued priests is

indicative of the forces which must be brought to play in order to

subdue them. The scroll is composed of two sections, sewn together in

a double running stitch, with what appears to be cord made from the

inner bark of a cedar tree. The ends are bound with a single endstick

attached with the same material.

Ritual dance patterns form the major content of another two lodge

scroll. Highly developed dance patterns were part of the ceremonial

activities of the Grand Medicine Society. In this chart those patterns

are seen in the swirling lines within each lodge. An interesting feature

on this scroll is the north-south orientation of the first lodge (reading

from left to right), although the lodge entrances are on the east and

west sides. Usually the lodges are in a rectangular form with the longer

dimension running from left to right or west to east. Several human

forms and creatures grace the bark but the major feature is the fluid

lines of the dance. The two bark sections are sewn in an irregular

double stitch of rawhide lace. The endsticks are single charred wooden

pieces attached with the rawhide. One endstick is longer than the

other, making a convenient handle as the scroll is used.

The largest scroll in the collection is composed of three bark sections.

It shows three large round lodges connected by twin paths with four

small round lodges, one off each path, between the three large circular

lodges. No reference to a similar scroll has been found. Engravings in

the first two lodges are leaf and tree forms, some reminiscent of birch

bark cutouts (Howard 1980), sgrafitto on bark baskets or asymetrical

beadwork patterns on bandolier bags. Since part of the lore transmitted

in the Grand Medicine Society dealt with the beneficial use of herbs,

this could be a scroll containing references to this heritage. The most

elaborate features are in the lodge on the left, using the prominant

human figure engraved on the path inside the middle lodge for the

orientation of the reading of the scroll. This west lodge contains four

224 Richard Nelson

levels of plant forms. They are not song references since there are

no pause marks between any of the plant forms. The two pathways

connecting the three lodges show additional plant forms. The second,

or middle, lodge contains two levels of medicinal forms. The third

lodge, containing no plant forms, encloses four cross-hatched circles

and has four serpent forms writhing out of it at the termination of

the scroll. The scroll is dominated by the circular lodge forms. There

are, in addition, three groupings of two and three human figures and

several animal forms, one of which seems to be a turtle. The sections

are stitched in a haphazard manner with sinew. The endsticks are

charred larger split sticks carved with a notch towards each end and

bound to the bark with sinew.

The one scroll in the collection which is almost identical to a scroll

found in Dewdney (Dewdney 1975:90) and Blessing (Blessing 1977:155-

159) is a four lodge Master scroll. Their large scroll, 50 3/4 x 13 3/4

inches, came from the Minnesota White Earth Reservation. The one

in my collection is much smaller, 32 1/4 x 4 1/2 inches. The contents

of the scrolls are so similar that the White Earth one could have been

used as the original source of the one in my collection. Further, I have

seen another scroll in a private collection similar in size and content to

mine. It was from the Nett Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota.

These three scrolls indicate the wide distribution of similar material in

centers of Mide influence among the Ojibwa.

John C. Ewers in his recent article, "Water Monsters in Plains Indian

Art," traces the widespread influence of water monsters among the

Great Plains tribes (Ewers 1981:38-45). However, there is a strong

tradition of these creatures reflected in the artifacts of the tribes of the

Great Lakes. One of the earliest is a ca. 1780 black buck skin bag with

a porcupine quill embroidered underwater panther in the center of the

pouch (Flint 1973:2). Other examples are seen on garters, reed mats,

nettle bags and yarn bags (Flint 1973:61,71,85,87).

Between the second and third, and third and fourth lodges of this

Master scroll are two underwater panthers. In some of the literature

this cat-like creature with the horned human-faced head is called an

underground lion, Ah nah mah cumig mish shee bee szhee (Blessing

1977:154). Among the titles which Dewdney lists for this monster are

Misshipeshu, Snake Monster, Underground Panther, Huge Cat, and

Great Lion (Dewdney 1975:123). Sometimes this underwater creature


takes the form of a whale-like fish with fins along its back and a horned

human head. This creature is portrayed above the third lodge in the

scroll. It has similarities to the Jonathan Carver drawing of the Sioux

water monster (Ewers 1981:41).

Four small bark sections form this scroll, none longer than 8 1/4

inches. The sections are bound with a double running stitch of what

is now dried buck skin lacing. The ends are finished with single carved

flat endsticks. The total scroll appears to have been wiped with a brown

colored wash.

Ghost Lodge and Sky Degree Scroll

Dewdney discovered only ten specimens of what he describes as

Ghost Lodge, or funeral scrolls (Dewdney 1975:103). One of the scrolls

in my collection fits this category. Distinguishing features are the circu

lar "Village of the Dead," the large lodge on the west side of the scroll

towards the setting sun, the pathway between the two lodges which

features images found on other funeral scrolls, the wolf, bird, serpent,

trees, and bear path. This scroll is similar to several others which

depict an additional set of two lodges (Dewdney 1975:104). Proxy can

didates were used during the Ghost Lodge ceremonials to insure the

voyage of the deceased to the Village of the Dead. This use of proxies

may account for the second set of lodges in this scroll. A human figure

with a staff or cane incised in the lodge connected to the large circular

lodge could depict the deceased. The small circles adjacent to the fig

ure could be tally marks indicating the number of occasions in which

the scroll had been used.

The two four-pointed stars at the bottom of the scroll are, in this

context, unusual figures. No such inscriptions are seen in other Ghost

Lodge material. They may serve no other function than to indicate

how widespread this design motif was among the American Indians.

The two sections of the scroll are sewn with a double row of sinew

running stitches. The endsticks, attached with sinew thread, are small-

diameter charred sticks.

Shaking Tent Chart

A note by an unknown author which accompanied this scroll relates,

"It's the ritual style scroll outlining the Shaking Tent ceremony of the

Chippewa. The conjurer went into this tent to make contact with the

spirits for various reasons. I've heard a story on this from a Chippewa

226 Richard Nelson

up on Leech Lake (Minnesota) relative to finding three lost youths who

vanished. He directed the searchers to the spot where the bodies were

found, they drowned in the lake!"

Schoolcraft describes a similar petition of a Jossakeed, "It is inquired

by one questioner, to know the precise spot on the bottom or shores

of Lake Superior, of a person who has been drowned" (Schoolcraft

1855:422).

Dewdney devotes little space to this type of shamanism in his study.

He has several reproductions, one a birch bark bitten work pattern, or

dental pictograph (Dewdney 1975:121). The phenomena of the shaman

who entered a tent to commune with spirits was reported early in the

contact period. Representations on the charts and scrolls usually show

a tent with a juggler inside and, outside the tent, various manito, or

animal forms which were called upon for assistance. The clearest pho

tographic reproduction of this type of bark engraving is in the Chicago

exhibition catalogue (Maurer 1977:128).

This two section scroll is the least legible of any in my collection.

An unusual feature is the depiction of three tents. The largest tent

and shaman are flanked on either side by small tents and conjurers.

The various animal forms that surround the tents include a wolf, deer,

beaver, thunderbird, bear, fish and an underwater monster. The scroll

has a set of vertical lines which separate the three tents. This type of

separation or pause mark is frequently seen in song scrolls. Its function

in this instance is unknown.

The distinctive scent of burnt bark still lingers over this scroll, which,

at one time, was charred by fire. A small portion was destroyed at that

time. The two sections are irregularly laced with sinew and the small

round burned endsticks are attached with the same material.

Song Records or Scrolls

The bark records which form the major emphasis of this study were

instruction texts covered with mnemonic symbols used by the Mide

masters to transmit the tradition of myth and healing ceremonials to the initiates.

However, there was another style of scroll, sometimes used in Mide

rites. It is the song scroll. They have several distinguishing character

istics. They are smaller than those examined earlier. Instead of being

bound with endsticks, the ends are cut in a rounded fashion to prevent

the splitting of the bark. The engraved figures used to recall a sacred


song or chant are arranged side by side, periodically separated by pause

marks.

Three scrolls in my collection are song records. Two of them are

made from thick spring bark and are rolled so tightly that they have

not been opened. Both seem to have been made by the same person.

Among the few pictographs which can be seen are plant forms and a

bird. The third scroll records plant, human and animal forms. One of

the bird shapes appears to be a thunderbird.

Other Birch Bark Midewiwin Objects

Reports of evil sorcery based on powers obtained through Midewiwin

knowledge are found in the literature. One of the means used to effect

this evil power was through the use of dolls. Pictures of these effigy

figures and charms may be seen in the exhibition catalogues (Flint

1973:109; Maurer 1977:130; Feder 1972:102-106,108). They indicate

the skill of the carvers in fashioning the charms.

The small wooden male doll in my collection is wrapped in an in

scribed birch bark cloak or robe. Seven small tacks secure the bark to

the back of the figure. The bark encircles the doll one and one-half

times. Traces of red coloring may be seen on the head and neck of the

figure.

The evil power which was inherent in the use of this figure is demon

strated by the engravings that are on it. Included is the whole panoply

of denizens of the deep: snakes, fishes, underwater panther, turtle and

a finned sea monster.

This doll is unusual in being wrapped in the engraved birch bark

cloak. Other dolls are pictured with cloth leggings. And one 18th

century doll in the Glenbow Institute is clothed in a frayed birch bark

skirt (Brodzky 1977:33; Reader's Digest 1978:337). This is the only

other Mide figure which has been seen that is clothed in bark.

An enscribed birch wrapped medicine bundle in the collection has

similarities to one described by Hoffman (1891:288, Plate XX). Hoff

man's roll has the ends cut in short strips to cause the bark to curl

inward to help contain the contents. The enscribed figures are a thun

derbird and a buffalo. He was able to unroll his bark bundle and find

a number of medicine items which were inside.

Some features of the medicine bundle in my collection were similar to

the Hoffman item, but others are distinctive. For example, like the 19th

century bundle from Red Lake, mine has cut ends. However, the ends

228 Richard Nelson

are scalloped with a slit cut in each scallop. Enscribed on each scallop

is a small square and circle. Engraved on the bark is a turtle, only a

little more than half of which can be seen. Clearly distinguishable are

the outline of the shell back, the tail, head, and two claws. If the dried

bark could be unrolled, it is assumed that the two other claws would

be revealed. In the middle of the turtle shell is inscribed a circle with

arrow heads emerging from it at the four cardinal points. In the middle

of the circle are frontal views of two heads with power lines emanating

from the skulls. A highly developed technical skill on the part of the

artist is evident in the incised work on this bark. Circles and curves are

difficult to mark on the bark since the tool used in the engraving has

a tendency to follow the natural grain of the bark. This piece with its

circular lines and shapes is a demonstration of a skill which overcomes

the limitation of the medium.

Aspects of this bundle which are different from the Hoffman example

include the smoked deer hide skin which is rollled within the bark and

the manner in which bunches of feathers are rolled in the bundle and

form the ends of the medicine object.

The bark in the bundle is so dry that no attempt has been made to

unroll it for fear of damage to the bark. Neither has it been X-rayed. So

the contents are unknown. From material found in other Mide medicine

bags one would assume that ther is a megis shell, tobacco, and cloth

wrapped packets of herbs and powder used for body painting.

A birch bark rattle used in Mide rites has been added to the col

lection. There are no incised markings on it. The cylindrical rattle is

formed with two curved sheets of sinew sewn bark for the sides and

round circles of bark for the ends. The handle is a stick which has

been wrapped with rawhide and sewn with sinew. Descriptions of the

use of these rattles in the Mide ceremonials are found in Densmore

(1979:166,167).

What began as a love of the beauty of the birch tree continues with a

respect for the priests and doctors of the Midewiwin who used the bark

of that tree to fashion their ceremonial scrolls and implements. While

many of the mysteries of their mnemonic devices remain unfathomed,

the scrolls which survive exhibit tantalizing invitations to a worldview

full of myths of the people who inhabited the forests and lakes of the woodland area.


R E F E R E N C E S

Blessing, Fred K. Jr.

1077 The Ojibway Indians Observed. Papers of Fred K. Blessing, Jr., on the Ojib-

way Indians from the Minnesota Archaeologist. St. Paul: The Minnesota Archaeological Society.

Brodzky, Anne Trueblood, et al, eds.

1077 Stones, Bones and Skin, Ritual and Shamanic Art. Toronto: The Society for Art Publications.

Conn, Richard

1070 Native American Art in the Denver Art Museum. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Densmore, Frances

1070 Chippewa Customs. Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 86. Washing

ton. (Reprinted: Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, 1070.).

Dewdney, Selwyn

1075 The Sacred Scrolls of the Southern Ojibway. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Ewers, John C.

1081 Water Monsters in Plains Indian Art. American Indian Arts Magamine 6(4):38-45.

Feder, Norman

1064 Art of the Eastern Plains Indians. Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Museum.

1065 American Indian Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams.

1071 Two Hundred Years of North American Indian Art. New York: Praeger.

Feest, Christian F.

1080 Native Arts of North America. London: Oxford University Press.

Flint Institute of Arts

1073 The Art of the Great Lake Indians. Flint, Michigan: The Flint Institute of

Arts.

Hoffman, W.J.

1801 Midewiwin or "Grand Medicine Society"of the Ojibwa. Pp.143-300 in The

Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology for the Years 1885-1886. Washington.

Howard, James H.

1080 Birch Bark and Paper Cutouts. American Indian Arts Magamine 5(4):54-

61,86-87.

Johnston, Basil 1076 Ojibway Heritage. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.

Lyford, Carrie A.

1043 The Crafts of the Ojibwa (Chippewa). Willard W . Beatty, ed. U.S. Office

of Interior Affairs, Indian Handicrafts 5. Washington.

Maurer, Evan M. 1077 The Native American Heritage. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago.

230


Origin Scroll * Photography: Jonathan Batkin, Colorado Springs, CO.

Prints prepared by Gilbert Westman, Ashland, WI.

232 Richard Nelson

w

I pi

i wetm-st.^'

~M«

^K

f 1 1 k

m I r

* One Lodge Dream Amulet


** ...» 4 rff*?W,"-

8rH&

Left side Right side

Four Lodge Master Scroll

234 Richard Nelson

Inventory of Midewiwin Birch Bark Scrolls and Other Related Midewiwin Birch Bark Objects

in the Collection of Richard E. and Dorothy R. Nelson

TYPE DIMENSIONS SECTIONS INFORMATION ABOUT OBJECT

Origin Scroll Origin Myth 16 l/4"x 0 1/3" one Depict* the myth of a megis shell

emerging: from a whirlpool In the ae*. Collected by Monroe Kllly In IIS4, Nett Lake, Minnesota. Ojibwa.

Master Scrolls and Ritual Charts One Lodge 4"x 1 1/4" one Single lodge with an elaborate fig

ure surrounded by double outlined lodges. Power lines radiate from the head inside a circle which has an arrow and serpent figures coming from It. Sourcet Northern Michigan. OJIbwa(T)

Two Lodge 17 l/4"x • l/l" two Two lodges containing human, animal and sea ereaturee. Sourcei unknown. OJIbwa(T)

Two Lodge Jft"x 10 1/4" two Ritual dance patterns In each lodge. Additional Inscribed human, animal and other forms. Sourcei unknown. Ojibwa.

Three Lodge 10"x 10" three Medicinal scroll with three large round lodges connected by twin paths with four small round lodges off each path. Two of the three large lodges eon-tain tree and plant forms. Additional human and animal forms Inscribed on the scroll. Sourcei Squaw Point. Leech Lake, Minnesota. Ojibwa.

Four Lodge Ot l/4"x 4 1/1" four Four lodge master scroll engraved with numerous priests, sea creatures, plant and other forms. Similar to scrolls from White Earth and Nett Lake Reservations In Minnesota. Sourcei unknown. Ojibwa.

Ghost Lodge and Sky Degree Scroll Two double 00" x 10 1/1" two The double circle "Village of the Dead" Lodges has within It another circular lodge

connected by a double pathway to a rectangular lodge which has a single human figure holding a staff. Three animal figures, four tree symbols, and bear paws are on the pathway. There are an additional two lodges below the rectangular lodge with human and bird figures Inscribed. Soureei Lae Court Orellles, Wisconsin, ca. 1010. Ojibwa.


Shaking Tent Chart w»beno Scroll ••" x 10" two O n e large tent, two smaller, each en

closing a figure with power lines radi

ating from the head. A variety of an

imal forms outside of tents. Sourcei

Squaw Point, Leech Lake, Minnesota.

Ojibwa.

Song Records of Scrolls Song scroll 0 0/4" x 14" one Tightly rolled with plant forms In

scribed. Sourcei unknown. OJtbwa(T)

Song scroll 1 1/1" x 17" one Tightly rolled with plant and bird

forms engraved. Sourcei unknown.

OJlbwa(T)

Song scroll 5 1/4" x 16 1/1" one Inscribed plant, human, animal, and

bird forms, one of which appears to

be a thunderbird. Soureei unknown.

OJlbwa(T) Other Midewiwin Birch Bark Objects Birch bark 0 1/1" W o o d e n doll, male, wrapped In 4

trapped 1/4" x 10 1/1" birch bark scroll at-

wooden doll tached with tacks to the back of the

doll. Bark Inscribed with underwa

ter panther, sea monsters, fish, and

serpent. Soureei Lac Court Orelllee,

Wisconsin, ca. 1010. Ojibwa.

Medicine bundle 10" long Cylindrical birch bark wrapped me

dicine bundle with scalloped ends.

T h e bundle Is very dry and has not

been opened. Bark Is wrapped around

deer hide and feathers. Engraved on

the bark Is a turtle with a circle with

four cardinal points on the outside

and a frontal view of two heads with

power lines coming from the skulls.

Sourcei unknown. Ojlbwa(f)

Birch bark rat- Rattle, 6 1/3" long, A sinew sewn birch bark rattle with

tie 6" diameters stick, rawhide wrapped stick handle. N o In-

10 1/1" long serlptlonsonthebark. Sourcei un

known, possibly from Minnesota, ca.

1000. Ojibwa(r)

236 Richard Nelson

237

LINGUISTIQUE

238

Documents

219 INSCRIBED BIRCH BARK SCROLLS AND OTHER OBJECTS OF …