Tooker] 



ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE HURON 101 



all the predictions came true. He had four children and the third was 

 a girl. Then, an illness forced him to become sexually continent. He 

 was in excellent health ; although approaching old age and although 

 exposed to contagious diseases, he did not contract them. He was 

 always a successful hunter and when he heard a number of cries from 

 the sky, he knew he would take that many bears. Sometimes when he 

 was alone in the house he would see a number of deer entering the 

 dwelhng. He told others of these appearances and the next day they 

 would find in their traps the same number of animals he had seen in 

 his dream. He attributed his luck in hunting to the piece of bear's 

 fat that he had eaten. He thought that if he had eaten the piece of 

 human flesh, he would have been successful in war (JR 23 : 155-159). 

 The Indians fasted on other occasions. Some Hurons told the 

 Jesuits that, in order to have success in hunting, they sometimes fasted 

 for a week, eating and drinking nothing, and cutting themselves so 

 that the blood ran profusely ( JR 12 : 69-71) . At least one man shook 

 a tortoise shell rattle in order to mvoke the aid of the spirit before he 

 went himting ( JR 20 : 23) . 



CURING CEREMONIES 



If the sick person was an important member of the village, the 

 chiefs of that village (the "old men") held a meeting, as the matter 

 was of public importance, to decide whether they would do anything 

 to help. If there were a number ill, there might be considerable in- 

 trigue by many people on behalf of their relatives and friends, as not 

 all could be helped. If the chiefs decided in favor of the sick man, 

 a deputation went to him to ask what his soul desired. These desires 

 might number as many as 25 valuable presents. [In one instance, the 

 sick man wished a number of dogs of a certain shape and color and a 

 quantity of flour in order to make a 3-day feast and some dances per- 

 formed, particularly the ceremony of the andacivander ( JR 17 : 147) .] 

 The desires were reported back to the council, and the chiefs either 

 exhorted the people at a public meeting to contribute the necessary 

 gifts or went through the streets and houses three or four times an- 

 nouncing the desires of the sick man. It was deemed important that 

 all the desires be given for, if one was not, the omission would be 

 considered the cause of the man's death. The dances to be given in 

 the patient's house for his recovery were announced at a public meet- 

 ing. These dances were performed on three or four consecutive days. 

 The relatives of the patient gave a feast at the end of the ceremony, 

 the choicest food going to the important people of the village and to 

 those who participated in the dancing. Then the patient never failed 

 to say that he had been cured ( JR 10 : 175 ; 15 : 179 ; 17 : 147-149, 155 ; 

 33 : 205-209 ; cf . JR 15 : 117) . The desires had been taken to the sick 

 person at the time of the first assembly [i.e., dance]. There the chiefs 



