Religion and ceremonies of the LenapeHarrington, M. R. (Mark Raymond)
Religion
Religion and ceremonies of the Lenape
Harrington, M. R. (Mark Raymond)
Delaware Indians -- Religion
This ceremony required a special house, which was made new for it every
two years, so the first thing the family did, when the time approached,
was to find a number of men, each of whom was paid a yard of wampum to
cut forks and poles and erect the building. This was made by setting up a
frame of poles in the form of a Big House, but smaller, only seven paces
wide and fifteen paces long, then covering the top with brush and piling
brush at the sides. Then to the east of the house a pole was erected,
upon which to hang the meat for the feast, which, in old times, had to
be a bear; but when bears became scarce a black hog was substituted, and
of late a hog of any color has been used. The building finished, the hog
was killed, and, having been hung on the pole over night, was taken into
the house the next day, quartered, singed on a fire that had been built
inside, then carried out again, cut up, and cooked, all except the loose
fat, which was kept for a special purpose, as will appear later. When
done, the meat was kept in large baskets, with the exception of the head,
which, having been cooked whole, was placed in a large bowl with two of
the animal’s ribs in its mouth.
THE RITES
When night came, the leader entered the brush house, taking with him a
turtle rattle similar to that used in the Annual Ceremony, followed by
the men who were to participate (no women being allowed), and then made
a speech, telling of the men who had “brought in” this meeting, and
explaining its origin, but making no prayers to the Great Spirit or to
any of the _manĭʹtowŭk_, his helpers. He then threw half of the hog-fat
upon the fire, and placed a string of wampum around his own neck. At this
juncture the cook brought him the hog’s head in its bowl, and then, first
announcing, “I am now going to carry the head around,” the leader began
to chant and to walk about the house, making false motions to everyone
as if to give him the head, then withdrawing it and proceeding to the
next. The burden of the chant, the Indians say, was “what his dream
helper told him,” very much as in the Big House, but here the people kept
time to his chant orally, saying “_Hu-hu-hu!_” until he stopped. The
informant does not know who, if any one, shook the rattle. Probably it
was employed by the singers after the burning of the head. After making
the circuit twice, the leader hung his string of wampum upon some old
man of the Turkey phratry who had a “vision of power,” who took the head
and made his rounds in the same way. He finally cut off the ears of the
head, pulled the ribs from its mouth, and threw it into the fire, bowl
and all. The meat was then distributed to everyone, whereupon the floor
was open to any man who wished to sing an account of his vision. A bucket
of prepared drink was placed at each end of the house for the refreshment
of such singers, but the head, of course, was gone. When the songs were
finished, the remainder of the fat, and finally the broth in which the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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