1702 



The Cornell Reading Courses 



leave it outside the bounds, eaeh hunter sendinj^ out his wife to cut it up 

 and fetch it in for his own family's use.) 



THE SA-NUN-DAT-HA WA-TA, OR CONFESSION DAY 



The ho-nun-de-ont, or Keepers of the Faith, have summoned the Cayuga 

 Indians of the Wolf clan to the Council of General Confession, which pre- 

 cedes each religious festival of the Iroquois Indians. The men, women, 



, and children stand together in a 

 circle. Each in turn holds the 

 string of white wampum while he 

 confesses his faults, with the hope 

 and promise of future amendments 

 rather than any idea of atonement. 

 After this, in solemn procession the 

 Indians walk with great precision 

 a straight line on a trail towards 

 the east; by this symbol they sig- 

 nify their intention to live aright 

 in the coming year. During this 

 time two of the Keepers of the 

 Faith are exhorting them to do 

 good and to avoid evil speech and 

 action. 



HA-NUN-DA YO, OR THE STRAWBERRY 

 FESTIVAL, A DAY OF THANKSGIVING 



It is early morning. Active prep- 

 arations for the feast are being 

 made. The children busy them- 

 selves with picking strawberries, 

 and the women with pots and ket- 

 tles, fish and meat. Then at a 

 call from the Keepers of the Faith, 

 all the community gathers in coun- 

 cil. Speeches of thanksgiving are 

 reverently addressed to the Great 

 Spirit for the gift of the strawberry, and exhortations to duty and virtue 

 are made to the Indians by the Faith Keepers, in these words: ^ 



Friends and Relatives: — The sun, the ruler of the day, is high in his path, and we 

 must hasten to do our duty. We are assembled to observe an ancient custom. It is 

 an institution handed down to us by our forefathers. It was given to them by the 

 Great Spirit. He has ever required of his people to return thanks to him for all blessings 

 received. We have always endeavored to live faithful to this wise command. 



5 Quoted from Lewis H. Morgan's League of the Ho-d;'-no-sau-nee, or Iroquois, p. 1S9-190, which is 

 the chief source of all the present knowledje of eariy Iroquois religious ceremonials. 



COPYRIGHTED G. F. MORGAN 



Fig. 54. — Eli, the chief of the Onondagas, 

 who led the pageant dances. He is the 

 leader of religious ceremonials on the 

 reservation 



