THE MOUNDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 551 
posing, on the tops of their cabins, strings and necklaces of beads, 
bunches of corn, and even animals, which they consecrated to the sun.* 
They also made burnt offerings to the same divinity of corn, of animals 
taken in the chase, and of tobacco or other plants that served them in 
its place,t in much the same manner as was done among the tribes be- 
longing to the Algonquin and Appalachian families. In their war sae- 
rifices the Troquois take “the leg of a deer or bear, or some other wild 
beast, rub it with fat, and then throw it on the fire, praying the sun to 
accept the offering, to light their paths, to lead them and give them the 
victory over their enemies, to make the corn of their fields to grow, to 
give them a successful hunt or fish.”¢ They also had their annual festi- 
vals, among which that of the green corn was one of the most impor- 
tant. It was celebrated when the corn became fit for use, usually lasted 
several days, and was the counterpart of the feast of the Busk, as ob- 
served among the Indians of the Gulf States. Morgan paints, with a 
loving hand, the simple ceremonies with which the Iroquois of later 
times were wont annually at this festival, to return thanks to the 
Great Spirit for his bounty, and to solicit a continuance of his favor 
and protection. It was at this time that they offered a sacrifice of 
tobacco, believing that they could communicate with him through its 
meense;§ and in their prayers they returned thanks ‘to our mother, 
the earth, which sustains us; - - - to the corn, and to her sisters, 
the beans, and the squashes, which give us life; - - - tothe sun, 
that he looked upon the earth with a benificent eye, and lastly to the 
Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all 
things for the good of his children.” || 
Thus far we have been considering the religious rites and customs of 
the different tribes of Indians that occupied the eastern portion of the 
Mississippi Valley, and we have seen that there was a general same- 
ness pervading them, and that all grew out of, or were connected with, 
the worship of the sun. If now we turn from this theme and examine 
into their myths, we shall find that, though the path be different, yet 
it leads to the same result. 
Accepting the Natchez as a type of the group of Southern tribes, we 
are told that, ages ago, a child of the sun, who saw and pitied their 
disorganized condition, came down with his wife for the purpose of es- 
tablishing order and instituting religious rites and ceremonies among 
them. He gave them certain precepts—political as well as religious— 
asserts it of all the Indians of Canada. See Letter, p. 252. Compare League of the 
Troquois, pp. 207 et seq., and McKenzie, History of Fur Trade, quoted in p.121 of Ser- 
pent Symbol. 
* Charlevoix, Letters, p. 252. Lafitau, vol. 1, p. 180. 
t Lafitau, vol. 1, p. 179. 
t Ibid., vol. 1, pp. 208, 209: Paris, 1724. 
§ League of the Iroquois, pp. 198, 217: Rochester, 1851. 
|| Tbid., p. 203, 204. 
