114 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 190 



the patient was not cured and he was told in a dream the place and spot 

 where he would die ( JR 17 : 193) . 



During the ceremony described above, a young man, while running 

 through the houses acting as the mad man, encountered a spirit with 

 whom he talked. This so upset his brain that he fell down and became 

 insane. As a remedy, two dogs, one of which he held especially dear, 

 were killed and a feast made ( JE 17 : 197) . 



The dream-guessing ceremony originated in a village where the 

 chief saw the spirits on a lake engaged in it and begged them to come 

 to his village to teach the ceremony. After much urging and many 

 sacrifices of dogs, they finally consented. Later, the chiefs and the 

 other villagers died, their deaths followed still later by the whole 

 nation with the exception of a few who joined the Huron as refugees. 

 From these, the Huron learned the ceremony (JR 17: 195). 



In general, each nation of the Huron brought its special dances, 

 customs, and ceremonies (all of which originated in the same manner) 

 to Huronia. They were performed according to the dream (desire) 

 of the sick person or by order of the diagnostician (JR 17:195). 

 Such observances were called onderha, 'the ground,' the prop and 

 maintenance of their country ( JR 17 : 195-197) . 



GAMES 



One of the three kinds of games, lacrosse, dish [bowl], or straw 

 (JR 15: 155), might be played on the advice of a dream or of an 

 arendiwane.^ Of the three, lacrosse and the bowl game were con- 

 sidered the most effective healing games. For example, a sick man 

 might dream that he would die unless lacrosse was played for his 

 benefit. In response to his request, villages would play against each 

 other and bet such articles as beaver robes and wampum collars. 

 Sometimes a medicine man would say that the whole comitry was sick 

 and would request that a game of lacrosse be played to heal it; this 

 would be done for otherwise some great misfortune would befall the 

 entire country (JR 10: 185-187, 197; 13: 131; cf. S 97-98— mention 

 of the invitation to other villages to gamble and feast, but not in 

 connection with the curing ceremonies) . 



During one epidemic, the disease did not cease to spread, although 

 the young played lacrosse (JR 13: 131). In another instance, a 

 man recovered 7 or 8 days after the bowl game had been played for 

 his cure in his house for 2 or 3 days (JR14:81). At least once. 



' Similarly, games are played for curing purposes among the Iroquois. The total Inven- 

 tory of such games, including the bowl game, lacrosse, football, tug-of-war, and snowsnake 

 (Beauchamp 1896: 271; Harrington 1909; 89; Shlmony 1961 a: 180, 278-279; Speck 

 1949 : 115-118, 124-126, 141), is larger for the present Iroquois than that Indicated in the 

 17th century Huron accounts. For descriptions of Iroquois games see Beauchamp 1896 ; 

 1905: 180-183; Culin 1907: passim; Hewitt 1892; Morgan 1850: 80-83; 1901(1) : 280- 

 304; Speck 1949: 141-144. 



