[162-1] The meda worship is the ordinary religious ritual of the Algonkins. It consists chiefly in exhibitions of legerdemain, and in conjuring and exorcising demons. A jossakeed is an inspired prophet who derives his power directly from the higher spirits, and not as the medawin, by instruction and practice.
[164-1] For these particulars see the Rel. de la Nouv. France, 1667, p. 12, 1670, p. 93; Charlevoix, Journal Historique, p. 344; Schoolcraft, Indian Tribes, v. pp. 420 sqq., and Alex. Henry, Travs. in Canada and the Ind. Territories, pp. 212 sqq. These are decidedly the best references of the many that could be furnished. Peter Jones’ History of the Ojibway Indians, p. 35, may also be consulted.
[165-1] Science of Language, Second Series, p. 518.
[165-2] Dialectic forms in Algonkin for white, are wabi, wape, wompi, waubish, oppai; for morning, wapan, wapaneh, opah; for east, wapa, waubun, waubamo; for dawn, wapa, waubun; for day, wompan, oppan; for light, oppung; and many others similar. In the Abnaki dialect, wanbighen, it is white, is the customary idiom to express the breaking of the day (Vetromile, The Abnakis and their History, p. 27: New York, 1866). The loss in composition of the vowel sound represented by the English w, and in the French writers by the figure 8, is supported by frequent analogy.
[167-1] Schoolcraft, Algic Researches, i. pp. 135-142.
[167-2] The names of the four brothers, Wabun, Kabun, Kabibonokka, and Shawano, express in Algonkin both the cardinal points and the winds which blow from them. In another version of the legend, first reported by Father De Smet and quoted by Schoolcraft without acknowledgment, they are Nanaboojoo, Chipiapoos, Wabosso, and Chakekenapok. See for the support of the text, Schoolcraft, Algic Res., ii. p. 214; De Smet, Oregon Missions, p. 347.
[168-1] Narrative of John Tanner, p. 351.
[168-2] Schoolcraft, Algic Res., i. p. 216.
[168-3] Narrative of John Tanner, p. 354.
[169-1] Compare the Rel. de la Nouv. France, 1634 p. 14, 1637, p. 46, with Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, v. p. 419. Kichigouai is the same word as Gizhigooke, according to a different orthography.