74 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



boughs) , the men at the upper end and the women and children next 

 to them lower down. When all had gathered, words were spoken. 

 After this no one, whether invited or not, could enter, as by so doing 

 he would bring misfortune or prevent the eifect of the feast, which 

 was always celebrated for some purpose. The words announcing the 

 feast were spoken loudly and distinctly by the master of the feast or 

 by a person chosen by him. He said nequarre, 'the kettle has boiled' 

 and all replied ho and struck the groimd with their fists; he then 

 named the contents of the kettle: gagnenon youry^ 'there is a dog 

 cooked,' sconoton youry^ 'there is a deer cooked,' etc., naming all the 

 contents of the kettle, and all replied ho after each thing was named 

 and struck the ground with their fists. This done, the servers went 

 from row to row taking each person's bowl and filling it with broth 

 with their large spoons (S 110-111). Thus, each person present was 

 given a bowl filled with food from the kettle. Wlien each had eaten 

 all in his bowl, it was refilled until the kettle was empty. Everyone 

 had to eat all that was given him (if it was a feast at which all must be 

 eaten) . If he failed to eat it all, he tried to get someone else to finish 

 it for him in return for a gift. If he found such a person, he also 

 had to give a small present to the master of the feast (JR 10: 179; 

 S 111). If he failed to find someone, he was left in a little enclosure 

 for 24 hours to finish it himself (JR 10: 179). At the end of one 

 feast for a sick man, there remained two or three persons, to each of 

 whom the sick man had given enough food for four. They ate a very 

 long time, encouraging one another. Finally, tliey had to disgorge, 

 and did so at intervals, not ending their eating for this reason. Mean- 

 while, the sick man thanked them, assured them that they were doing 

 well, and said that he was under great obligation to them (JR 13: 

 195). 27 



27 The "eat-all" feast may not have been as common as this section suggests ; it probably 

 was only one type of feast. In any case, it has become much less frequently given. Shimony 

 (1961 a : 287) mentions such a feast being given to "feed" a hunting charm. In this 

 recent ritual, the food not eaten is thrown into the lire — ^probably an instance of culture 

 change. Old custom was, of course, to eat everything. Hewitt (Cnrtin and Hewitt 1918: 

 811 n. 413) says that if any food was not eaten, the purpose of the feast would be defeated 

 by hostile sorcerers. This mention of witchcraft is interesting, for Shimony (1961 a : 285- 

 288) also emphasizes the witchcraft associations of the hunting charms, at least in present 

 Iroquois thought. This tends to confirm the possibility that the eat-all feasts were asso- 

 ciated with the hunting charms — although witchcraft may be practiced by other means and 

 although this emphasis on witchcraft simply may be the result of the fact that as the 

 hunting charms are no longer useful in hunting because hunting is no longer important to 

 the Iroquois, but still having power, this power has been perverted and is used for witch- 

 craft. The association of the eat-all feasts with the hunting charms is also suggested by 

 the legend for which Hewitt appends the footnote on the eat-all feast ; this feast was given 

 after a hunter returned with the game he had killed (Curtin and Hewitt 1918: 515). It 

 also would help explain the greater prevalence of such feasts in the 17th century (hunting 

 and therefore hunting charms were more important then than in the 19th and 20th cen- 

 turies) and would help explain the present witchcraft associations (both hunting and 

 witchcraft are occupations that rely on individual skill and power, a power that can be 

 enhanced by the use of charms owned by the individual rather than by the collective group). 



It may be that the war feasts were also eat-all feasts, for Finley (1840 : 51-52) mentions 

 such a feast in connection with the Wyandot war feast. To get out of eating all, a man 

 could give a present of tobacco to the giver of the feast and if no one in the company would 

 eat for him, someone else was called in. 



