Orders of the Dreamed, IIA.22-IIA.30
IIA.22 pp. 55-6, 58 praeternatural mountain in the dreaming-world, the interior whereof is occupied by deities praesiding over the minerals and over the fossils
p. 55 |
"Notwithstanding they sometimes Dream of roots (medicines &c) there is a certain place {also evidently in the dream-world, where} [the god of medicine] resides in a mountain in the bowels of which is his house -- it has 6 doors, but so mysteriously constructed that so soul whatever, besides himself and his inmates ... can open them. The Lock is apparently in the form of a screw, or Spiral, and is opened on the inside ... . These doors open to different quarters, the house being immensely large, ... in the bowels of [the] mountain. In this residance {read "residence"} is every {substance} useful in life, ... i.e., minerals, fossils, &c &c. These are shown to the votary; he is instructed in their use; ... the ceremonies, i.e., songs and sacrifices &c &c, to be performed ... in instructing others ... . The mountain is of moderate size, and there issue from it 40 Rivers which fall into a Lake not far from the base ... . ... |
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The water in every one of the rivers is of a different color, no two being alike one is Black, another white, red, Green, blue ... &c, &c. ... |
{According to the Popol Vuh, "At the entrance to the Underworld, there were four different-colored rivers: blue, red, black, and yellow." ("PVR", p. 70)} {"At the slope of Kunlun, ... five different colored rivers in the area" (AMTZ, p. 11).} {"the Mu Tianzi Zhuan refers to the Red River, ... and the Black River, and so on, all related to Mount Kunlun. Similar records also appear in the “Xishan Jing” of the Shanhai Jing." (CLBE&WS, p. 21)} {These are "River Scarlet" and "River Black" in S^an-hai Jin 2:2:8 (CM&S, p. 23).} |
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In the sides of the mountain are [quatities] of every herb and plant that grows in any part of the world |
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p. 56 |
whatever. Whenever any one of them {scil., dreamers, visting this mountain in their dream} is thus favored, he appears first at these rivers, when {whereupon} the head or chief of the mountain comes out, accost[s] him in a freindly {read "friendly"} manner, and ... he is introduced into the interior of the house, where he is ... to find people ... . ... They are seated in Four rows, their seats being something like those of a Theatre, semicircular and rising a little one above the other. These are all Doctors; and it is their business to instruct the votary in the object of his mission &c. ... When on the out-side, or out-of-Doors, he is shown all the roots, herbs, plants &c, and is taught the respective song (of each) ... . Both the songs and the Plant, herb, &c, are so indelibly imprinted on his mind (or memory), tho' he had never seen them before, or should not happen to meet with any of them for years' [duration] afterwards, yet on his first view, he immediately recognises them, and every circumstance that had been instructed him ... . ... These rivers, i.e., waters, are of different colors, so also is the rapidity of each stream; some of them moving in a turbulent and awful manner as the rapids and eddies ...; some moving in large majestic waves ...; and some in a beautiful and smooth current". |
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p. 58 |
"I should have mentioned first ... that when they want to dream of these things, as well as of any other particular thing, they must lay {read "lie", or else "lay themelves"} down to sleep, |
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keeping their minds as free as possible from any other thought whatever, and wholly bent and employed on that particular one alone. |
{In order to attain so such an intentive state-of-mind, it would tend to be helpful to devote much of one's time to discussing this intention with such other persons as are themselves also intent on the same.} |
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I also should have observed in the proper place that the door the votary is introduced [into] is exactly in the middle of these rivers, there being 20 on each side of the door. |
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The use, intent, &c, &c, of the other 5 doors, I ... must leave you to guess". |
{Are the 6 doors intended to be reserved for the membres of as many Medicine-Societies?} |
"PVR" = Carlos Lo`pez : "The Popol Vuj : Repositioning ...". In :- Sara Castro-Klaren (ed.) : A Companion to Latin American Literature and Culture. Blackwell Publ, Oxford, 2008. pp. 68-85. http://analepsis.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/latamlitcult.pdf
AMTZ = Analyzing Mu-tian-zi. 2012. http://www.imperialchina.org/Mu-tian-zi.pdf
CLBE&WS = Yu Taishan : Communication Lines between East and West as Seen in the Mu Tianzi Zhuan. SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS, 197 (Jan 2010). U of PA, Philadelphia. http://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp197_mu_tianzi_zhuan.pdf
IIA.23 pp. 58-9 logographic writing (praesumably as taught by Doctors of Theology in the Midewiwin Society)
p. 58 |
"Their songs are delivered in Notes, impressed {incised} or drawn on bark, in the form of hier{o}lographics, and thus taught". |
{Midewiwin logographs would actually only represent the lyrics of each song, not its music.} |
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"many years ago, when I was still scarcely more than a boy ["i.e., probably in northern Wisconsin 1802-04"], I rem[em]ber ... the contents of one of these medecine [this spelling being a "Francization" (supra p. 24)] bags in which there were several strips of Bark covered with these Notes. An indian happened to be by -- ... said he, "... I only know a few of these songs : the possessor of this bag knew a great |
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p. 59 |
deal -- he was a great Medecine man, i.e., Doctor" &c." |
IIA.23 p. 59 songs etc. for curing of patients
"every different root, herb, plant ... have {hath} each their {its} respective songs; and which they must sing ... when he employs them ..., or learns {teacheth} them to another. When they sing, those of their familiar[-spirit]s who {in a dream} instructed this Song, whether to the one who sings, as having learnt it from himself (i.e., [from his] Familiar[-Spirit]) or having been handed to him; he {the familiar-spirit, i.e., spirit-guide} is said {by the spirit by way of exposition afterwards or beforehand, in a dream} to attend, invisibly, of course, and perform that which he promised this (medecine ...) should effect. ... Hence it is they always sing when they attend on a desperately sick person ... . When anyone is very sick, and that they {curers} be called upon, or |
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perhaps, tho' rarely, ordered, in their dreams, by their familiar[-spirit]s, |
{Only in such a case, wherein the dream-deity is spontaneously promising the cure of a specific patient, is there much likelihood (in a severe illness) of the patient's recovery.} |
they sing, blow, and suck, alternately ... . If the complaint lies in any particular part [of the patient's body], to that part it is they apply themselves ... only ... . But if the complaint is universal, that is, the whole system be sick and debilitated, it is then in the pit of the Stomach and the temples; rubbing sometimes the wrist, the palms of the hands, and opposite the heart. ... These songs ... are hi[gh] and low, and the transition {in pitch} sometimes so very sudden that it requires a particular command of the throat to sing them". |
IIA.24 pp. 61-2 conjuring for hunting prey (during a winter), so as to avert starvation (in Wisconsin)
p. 61 |
"he began a little after dusk. ... He had an immense[ly] large drum ... : upon this he beat time, but very hard, to accord with his Songs which were as loud as he could bawl : at certain intervals also he used only his rattler, but with as much violence as he could. Thus he continued alternately singing, praying ..., till broad daylight. At Sun rise he came out of his lodge, and made a long speech, in which he told one [hunter] to go one way and a second [hunter] another, and he himself [hunting] by another route. [He even accurately described how each hunter would find, and slay, a hibernating bear.] |
p. 62 |
... in the evening we found all that he predicted, perfectly verified. ... and I am also certain that he had no previous knowledge of their being there". |
IIA.25 pp. 62-4 the soul, & manipulations of it by conjurers
p. 62 |
"the soul, or some other principle on which the very existance {existence} depends ... is lodged apparently in the Heart ..., that on these occasions flies off and leaves them; and at the very instant of its exit it is perceived, and occasions such a derangement of the whole system, and particularly of the faculties as very soon to ... primarily a total want of sense ... . I shall relate to you one of the many storiesof the kind verbatim as I received it. ... |
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p. 63 |
"One night ... he conjured -- |
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I was fast asleep (and several hundred miles off) and never thought more of him : but he called upon his Familiars and demanded my Soul (!) -- it was taken to him; but ... I perceived it and sprung {sprang} from my bed in the most dreadful agonies and convulsions ..., |
{The process described would appear to be assisted enforced involuntary projection of the astral body; with concurrent spirit-possession of the material body.} |
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so great was my hor[r]or in observing this ... . At last a friendly spirit interfered and ... I soon flew back and re-entered my body ... . ... The other indians ... were now fully convinced that |
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this Power |
{power, or facility, to induce projection of another person's astral body, with concurrently-induced spirit-possession of that person's material body} |
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doth lodge with indians!" |
{The implication is that Christians, by way of contrast, are spiritually quite powerless.} |
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They represent the soul as being small : |
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not very dissimilar in size and shape from the yolk of a large Hen, or duck, Egg : |
{Bodish psychics are likewise said to see a discarnate human soul as a sphaire.} |
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some of them very hard, and others again much more soft and tender : some are easily kept and bruised, but others are with difficulty taken and continually in motion : but all are extremely impatient of restraint -- cannot bear it; and confinement is death to the body from which it has issued. |
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p. 64 |
Some conjurors possessing sufficient power, and influence, take a soul ... and wrapping it in a piece of leather, rub and bruise {knead?} it between both hands till they destroy its subtility ...; but as soon as its motion is destroyed the body dies likewise. |
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Others again, |
{No thoroughbred AmerIndians would attach any importance to lacquer, nor to women's garters; but any Me'tis might.} |
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take it and put it in a Jappan'd {i.e., enameled with lacquer} box, and tie the lid or cover securely tied with a woman's Garter, from whence if not loosened by some one it can never escape ... : |
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reflect and you will guess immediately the reasons they give." |
{In Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain wore the garter of the wife of the Green Knight in order to hindre the Green Knight from striking a blow to behead him. So, this relationship might indicate one similar to that employed by the green-and-black (p. 53) Skeleton-monster (who assaulted a husband while he was in bed with his wife), supra on p. 51.} |
IIA.27 pp. 65-6 conjuring a dreamed deity by means of a root [rootwork by a rootdoctor]
p. 65 |
"He takes a piece of leather and cuts it into the shape of [a specific person]; and ... he places a little |
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Powdered medecine |
{evidently, gunpowder (the author having perhaps been hypnotized into not recognizing it as such) : cf. Caribbean-based pirates' historic use of gunpowder in their oaths & rites} |
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opposite the heart, or upon it. This medecine is ... very inflammable; he holds a small spark of fire near it -- it immediately explodes ... . ..." |
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p. 66 |
Thus ... : "... it is not the root alone, but with the assistance of that one of his Dreamed that is most powerful ... : he! {Lo!} ... . ..." |
{This caerimony involved not not only rootwork (with, perhaps, a swamp-found Conqueror-root), but also (as per the description on p. 65) gunpowder (which is likewise much-used in Chinese caerimonies), which may be (for some similar reason) liked by the dreamed spirit-guide.} |
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What then is .. so blind ...!" |
{God Bhaga was blinded by divine illumination.} |
IIA.28 pp. 66-7 erotic magic performed by a man upon a woman
p. 66 |
"Some ... young females refusing the importunate sollicitations {read "solicitations"} ..., becomes the victim of her coyness ... -- -- |
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p. 67 |
... In our out-Posts we have no temples dedicated to Cloacinda ["i.e., privies, ref. to Lat. Cloacina ..."], and besides, |
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the females here are ashamed to sacrifice at them : |
{probably because the privies tend to be so very filthy (the said sacrifice being of urine & faeces)} |
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he therefore could not miss his opportunity -- the watched, and after she entered [the bushes] he ... soon found the place by |
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the Smoke : |
{steam (condensed water-vapor) : evidently in wintertime} |
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here he sprinkled some of this Powder which he took in a quill ... . Scarcely ... hours later, the woman, who was married and of course so much the less bashful ... continued ... . |
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He went to the house ..., and remarked how ... she was -- the mother told him, |
{The woman (together with her husband) was residing at her parents' house.} |
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"my daughter has been bewitched and could you do something to ease her?"" |
{He evidently enjoyed some repute as a curer. (Cf. the myth of Coyote with the Swimming Women.)} |
IIA.28-9 p. 68 specific herbs
difficulty |
its curative herb |
person continual bleeding |
baneberry (Actaea rubra) |
hunter's quarry too wary |
giant-hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) |
IIA.29 p. 71 conjuring at a distance, so as to rendre attempts at hunting ineffective
"they will conjure, and desire that some one of their [spirit-]familiars ... to haunt such a one in all his motions and scare and frighten off ... animals; and let the distance be hundreds of miles off -- their spirits are familiars residing in the air, and transport themselves in an instant to any place they please and who see all that is going on below, keep all [quarry-animals] away accordingly." |
IIA.30 p. 73 remedy to correct a musket which (on account of its having been bewitched) had been missing (when discharging shot) all aimed-at quarry-animals
"an indian told him ... the muzzle of his Gun ... wash ... with water in which sweet-flag ["Acorus calamus, an arum"] had been boiled". |
{Sweet-flag is a psychedelic-drug herb, which is the abode of a sacred deity who would be able to control the aim of the musket's firer.} |
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MANITOBA STUDIES IN NATIVE HISTORY, III = Jennifer S. H. Brown & Robert Brightman (edd.) : "The Orders of the Dreamed" : George Nelson on Cree and Northern Ojibway Religion and Myth, 1823. Minnesota Historical Society Pr, St. Paul, 1988.