Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora IndiansJohnson, Elias
History
Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians
Johnson, Elias
Iroquois Indians; Tuscarora Indians
At the commencement of the ceremonies the doors are locked, and no one
is allowed to enter or leave the house while they continue; neither is
any one allowed to sleep, as that would spoil the medicine. The feast
begins just before the dawn of day. The master of ceremonies first takes
a deer's head, bites off a piece, imitates the cry of a crow and passes
the head of the animal to another, who does the same, till all have
tasted and imitated the peculiar note of some bird or animal.
As soon as it begins to be light the presiding officer takes a duck's
bill, and dipping it full of the medicine, gives it to each one present,
who puts it in a bit of skin and wraps it in several coverings, keeps it
carefully until the next semi-annual feast. The skin of a panther is
preferred for the first envelope if it can be obtained.
Those who take part in the ceremonies are medicine men. Chiefs are
allowed to be present; also, any who have been cured of any disease by
the medicine.
Without the building the young people gather for merriment, and the
fragments of the feast are given to them when it is finished.
When the medicine described in the second legend is used, the tune is
sung which was heard at its discovery, both at the ceremonies of the
feast and the time of administering it.
They seem to think the ceremonies effectual in making the medicinal
qualities of the compound imperishable. Each medicine man has a large
quantity which he keeps in a bag, and in order not to exhaust the whole,
now and then, adds pulverized corn roots, squash vines, etc., and
whenever it is administered several persons assemble and sing. Both kinds
are considered especially useful in healing wounds received in war.
In reading the first legend there will be seen very humorous allusions to
the habits of the pigeon, heron and crow, and there is a curious
invention inspiring faith in the means used in healing. I have seen many
who affirmed that they had tested the wonderful powers of each.
* * * * *
CIVILIZATION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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