90 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



captives. Then, each took a firebrand or flaming torch and burned 

 the man who had the dream. Shrieking, he avoided one fire only 

 to fall into another and in this fashion went three times around the 

 house. As he left the house, he seized a dog that was held there for 

 him and, placing it on his shoulders, carried it around the other 

 houses. The dog, a consecrated victim which he offered to the spirit 

 of war instead of himself, was then killed with a club, roasted in the 

 flames, and eaten at a public feast similar to that at which captives 

 were eaten (JR 23: 171-173).^° 



Dreams also might indicate what not to do. One man, when he was 

 young, dreamed that he should not have a dog feast or have anyone 

 make such a feast for him or else misfortune would befall him. He 

 obeyed this dream until a friend at a village he was visiting wished 

 to make a dosr feast for him. Because he was now a Christian, he 

 thought that his dream was no longer true and allowed the friend to 

 give the feast. When he returned home, he found two of his children 

 sick (JE 21: 161). 



Dreams also had their general influence on the lives of the people. 

 The dream often was taken into accomit at council meetings ; ^^ trade, 

 fishing, and hunting usually were undertaken in response to a dream, 

 almost as if only to satisfy it ( JR 10 : 171 ) . If a man had been success- 

 ful in hunting or fishing, it was because of his dream (JR 10: 171; 

 15: 99). The dream was the oracle of these Indians. It predicted 

 future events ; it warned them of misfortunes that threatened them ; 

 it was the usual physician when they became ill. It was "the most ab- 

 solute master" they had. If, for example, a chief said one thing 

 and the dream another, the dream was obeyed (JR 10: 169). Not 

 all dreams, of course, were true and most were not true : only a person 

 who had dreamed true several times was considered to have true 

 dreams (JRIO: 171). 



The dream was consulted on various occasions. Sometimes in order 

 to decide what action should be taken, a man would fast to get a 

 dream [or vision]. ^^ These and other dreams dictated their feasts, 



'" Although during the 17th century, dogs were sacrificed on many different occasions, 

 the offering of a dog may have been especially associated with the war feasts (see quota- 

 tion from Fenton 1953 in note 24, p. 73, and Morgan 1901(2) : 265. The acting out 

 of the dream is not unknown to the Iroquois (see previous note) and, as Shimony (1961 a : 

 273) points out, the prescription of certain rituals as the result of a dream are reenact- 

 ments of those dreams. In a sense, much of Huron and Iroquois ritual for the mainte- 

 nance of health and good luck rests on this principle of reenactment of dreams. The 

 therapeutic value of such a procedure has, of course, been suggested by Freud. This has 

 led Wallace (1958: 244 £E.) to call these dreams "symptomatic dreams" in contrast 

 to "visitation dreams," the power-giving dreams in which a guardian spirit appeared. 



■'i Compare Jackson's (1830 b: 28) statement almost two centuries later: "They are 

 superstitious in the extreme, with respect to dreams, and witchcraft, and councils axe often 

 called, on the most trifling occurrances of this nature." 



■^2 The word "vision" has been inserted here, as it seems likely that fasting would Induce 

 a vision rather than a dream. The French made no distinction between visions and dreams, 

 and it is apparent that, although the dream was far more important in Iroquoian cultures 

 than the vision, both were valued. 



