102 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



had given tliem to the patient saying, "Listen, such a man or woman 

 and you, voice of the spirit [who had indicated the desires], behold 

 what such a man or woman gives" and threw the presents upon the 

 patient (JR17:155). 



The origin of the [curing] feasts was ascribed to a meeting of 

 wolves and the owl. The owl predicted the coming of ontarraoura^ 

 an animal allied to the lion, by its tail [the meaning of this passage 

 is obscure (JR 10: 325 n. 17)].^* Ontarraoura resuscitated the Good 

 Hunter, a firm friend of the wolves, in the course of a great feast. 

 From this myth, the Indians concluded that feasts were capable of 

 healing the sick, for they had restored life to the dead ( JR 10 : 177) .°^ 



A brief description of one such curing ritual will indicate the 

 nature of these ceremonies. To fulfill her desires, one sick woman had 

 performed for her, by 50 persons, a dance that lasted 3 hours. Three 

 days were spent preparing for this dance. On the day it was held, 

 the chiefs made a series of more than five public announcements : to 

 tell them, first, that they should begin to wash their bodies; second, 

 that they should grease [paint?] themselves; third, that they should 

 put on one ornament ; fourth, that they should put on another. The 

 final announcement was to urge all to be there and to arrive before 

 those who were to dance. The dancers entered the house of the 

 patient led by a chief who carried the objects that were the desires 

 of the patient. Following him were the tv/o leaders of the dance, 

 each singing and shaking a turtle shell rattle. Behind these leaders 

 were the men and women who danced. In the middle of the house was 

 the patient. One of the leaders placed himself at her head and the 

 other at her feet and continued to sing and shake their rattles. The 

 dancers danced around the patient. However, the ceremony did not 

 cure her. She said that it was because they had not conducted the 

 ceremony properly. Five or six days later, she was carried to another 

 village, where the dances were performed again. She returned to her 

 village still ill and more ceremonies were performed, including many 

 awataerohi feasts. These were not effective and she fhially died {<5R 

 17:155-159). 



In another instance, the medicine man said that there should be 

 feasts on 3 consecutive days to cure a number of sick people. 

 Toward evening, the men assembled. Before the ceremony began, 

 a chief climbed to the top of the house and cried — 



Come now, see us here assembled. Listen, you spirits wbom the medicine 

 men [who did not attend this ceremony] invoke, behold us about to make a feast 

 and have a dance in your honor. Come, let the contagion cease and leave this 



»* Beauchamp (1901 a : 153) thought this animal was a panther. 



»s Myths of this general type — Involving the Good Hunter who encounters animals or other 

 supernaturals, learns their ritual, and returns to teach it to his people — are common In 

 Iroquois mythology. Various Iroquois medicine societies have such myths which tell of the 

 source of their ritual Ijnowledge (Fenton 1953 : 80 fC., 173 ; Goldenweiser 1918 : 474 ; Parker 

 1909 : 164 ; Shimony 1961 a : 284), 



