site. We must, however, endeavor to present the idea which, though well known and realized by us, is nevertheless difficult to explain. It is that although the Great Spirit is all-powerful yet his will is uncertain; he is also invisible and only manifests his power in extraordinary acts, smaller matters being beneath his notice and under supervision of minor spirits. Now it is the want of some tangible medium, consecrated by ceremony, guarded with care, and invoked with solemnity, that induces them to select some object as his medium. Every Indian, upon attaining the age of manhood, becomes a warrior, a hunter, a man of family, and at that time is obliged by his different occupations to live in constant apprehension of his life and property from various enemies and various other causes. He therefore then chooses something for his Wakan (medicine). This object is chosen in consequence of some dream or of some incident or idea presented on an important occasion. In this way a skin of a weasel, heads and bodies of different birds stuffed, images made of wood and stone, of beads worked upon skin, rude drawings of bears, of buffalo bulls, wolves and serpents, of monsters that have no name, nor ever had an existence, in fact, everything animate or inanimate is used, according to the superstition and belief of the individual.
This object, whatever it is, is enveloped in several folds of skin, with a lock of some deceased relative's hair and a small piece of tobacco inclosed and the whole placed in a parfdeche sack neatly ornamented and fringed, and this composes the arcanum of the medicine sack. This sack is never opened in the presence of any one, unless the owner or some of his family fall dangerously ill, when it is taken out and placed at the head of his bed and the aid of the Great Spirit invoked through it. Ordinarily this sack is opened in secret; the medicine smoked and invoked and prayers and sacrifices made in its presence, and through it, as a tangible medium to the Great Spirit, who is unknown and invisible. No sacrifices are made directly to it, yet it is invoked separately for intercession or rather as a medium for interces