16 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 187 



RITUALS AND DANCES ADDRESSED TO THE FOOD SPIRITS 



Society of Women Planters (towisas): 



Function. — Thanks to the vegetables (djoh'ehko), our life sustainers, 

 the Three Sisters^ — corn, beans, and squash; today also potatoes. 



Occasions. — In the longhouse, ninth afternoon of Midwinter, 

 fourth afternoon of Green Corn festival. 



Songs.- — (a) Leader of ritual, box turtle in hand, four introductory 

 songs (two recorded) ; antiphonal response by other women. 



(6) Individual songs by society members, one by one, preceded by 

 prayer. 



(c) Individual songs (adonw^') by attendant men. 



(d) Antiphonal marching songs by the women, continuous. 



All melodies repetitious, with simple rhythms and limited recurrent 

 intervals of a third and second. Steady beat of rattle by striking 

 against palm of left hand. 



Dance. — (a) Women seated in two parallel facing lines, in south- 

 west corner of longhouse; men at north end; spectators along walls 

 according to sex. One song leader for each moiety of society members. 



(6) Women standing still, face to face. Starting with headwoman 

 and members of her moiety, order of singing counterclockwise. 

 Accompaniment by tortoise-shell rattle which makes rounds, or by 

 the broom struck on floor. 



(c) Individual men captured and obliged to sing; otherwise (for- 

 merly) disgraced by face blackening with soot from stove. Accompani- 

 ment by tortoise rattle, returned to headwoman after song. 



(d) Counterclockwise walking procession by all women, including 

 audience, around stove or in center of longhouse. 



Remarks.- — Southern affinities: tortoise rattle of Carolina type; 

 origin legend which attributes ceremony to Cherokee. (See Kurath 

 1961, with comments by Sturtevant.) 



Women's Shuffle Dance (eskanye'): 



Three types of songs with, however, the same step. 

 Women's old time shuffle dance (eskanye' gaino-gaiyoka'): 



Function. — Supplication and thanks to the food spirits, in particular 

 the corn which is identified with the women. 



Occasions.' — Between two Feather Dances at Midwinter and at 

 agricultural festivals; at Tonawanda also on seventh night of Mid- 

 winter and as first dance of Green Bean Festival and Harvest Festival. 



Songs. — Two male singers on a central bench, with water drum and 

 horn rattle. Each song stated by leader vibrating drum, then taken 

 up by assistant with instrumental duple beat. Any number of songs, 

 usually 12 to 18 in no set order. All of the same type, with simple 



