﻿242 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 78 



The Council of Condolence and Installation requires that if the 

 Father Phratry or Sisterhood of Tribes is the mourner then the 

 Mother Phratry must become the unaffected one, and vice versa. It is 

 the duty of the unaffected Phratry to act as the Celebrant of the 

 Rites of the Council of Condolence and Installation. 



In this remarkable Council five Rituals are employed, and four of 

 these Rituals, when in use, are divided into two portions in such wise 

 that there necessarily results a perplexing interlocking of one Ritual 

 with another. This curious fact, for which the present writer has so 

 far found no satisfactory explanation, has never yet appeared in 

 print, in so far as the writer's knowledge goes. 



The Requickening Address opens its first theme with a frank 

 recognition of the Creator and Source of Life and with an expression 

 of solidarity with him. 



Specific names are applied to these Themes or Burdens of the Hurts 

 of Life. In their order these Themes are as follows : 



I. Tears. II. One's Ears. III. One's Throat. These three constitute the 

 First Section of the Address, and they are used at the " Edge of the Forest," 

 where the Fire of the Welcoming is kindled, and where the mourners first 

 meet their unaffected guests, and they intone the Chant of Welcome. But the 

 final Section of twelve Themes of the Requickening Address is not used until 

 the other set Rituals but one have been recited and answered by the mourners, 

 and is virtually the closing Ritual of the Council. 



The intent of the Themes of the first Section is to restore to their normal 

 condition the sight, the hearing, and the vocal organs of a grief-stricken 

 mourner such as is mentioned previously in this paper. After this ceremonial 

 cleansing and revivifying, he is prepared to meet the Condolers in the Principal 

 Place of Assembly. Now he can see, he can hear, and he can talk. 



The names of the Themes of the final Section are as follows : 



IV. "Within the Breast (or Body)." The shock of deep grief has dis- 

 placed the internal organs and tliey are awry, inducing much reduced vitality, 

 with impending dissolution. 



But the Celebrant gives a draught of the Waters of Pity, pressed from 

 many words of sympathy expressed, to the sufferer, and as these waters 

 reach the parts affected they quickly replace the disturbed organs and normal 

 vitality is restored. 



V. " The Trail of Blood from the Death Mat." " Verily, thou dost writhe 

 in the midst of blood." 



But the Celebrant does " wipe away the blood-stream from thy mat," using 

 the " soft skin of the spotted fawn," so " that when thou wilt return to thy mat, 

 it will be in the fullness of peace, and it will be spread out in contentment." 



VI. " The Thick Darkness of Night " covers one. " Now thou dost not know 

 the Light of Day upon the earth." 



But the Celebrant comforts the mourning one, saying, " We cause it to be 

 Daylight again for thee .... the daylight will be fine, shining in perfect peace, 

 and thou wilt again look upon the handiwork of the Perfector of our Facul- 

 ties .... spread out richly upon the earth." 



