Chafb] SENECA THANKSGIVING RITUALS 37 



rest while it is in shadow." That is what he intended. (130) "And 

 perhaps it wUl happen that somewhere at a distance ^^ they will run 

 into darloiess. (131) And I shall have another helper, another orb in 

 the sky. (132) People wUl say 'our grandmother, the moon'. That 

 is how they will do it. It can be a sort of guide for their steps, pro- 

 viding them with Ught." (133) And indeed it is a measure for us as 

 we go along, we who move about on the earth. (134) He decided, 

 "The moon will change its form as it goes." They have called it 

 "phases." ^^ (135) And it is true: it is still a measure for us up to the 

 present time, the way it is as we go along, we who move about on the 

 earth. (136) And we believe that they come from there too, that it 

 continues unchanged: the little ones taldng their places on the earth.^^ 

 They are here and they come from our mothers. (137) And therefore 

 we beheve that she has done all that she was obligated to do, the 

 assignment she was given. (138) And now give it your thought, that 

 we may do it properly : we now give thanks for her, our grandmother, 

 the moon. And our minds will continue to be so. 



13. The Stars 



(139) And now this is what Our Creator did. (140) He decided, 

 "There will also be stars arrayed in the sky while it is dark." (141) 

 And he assigned to them certain things as well, the way it would con- 

 tinue to be. (142) He decided, "They too will all have names, all the 

 stars in the sky. (143) And they too, in fact, will be indicators, to 



'• I.e., from home. 



" Lit., the moons always come to an end.' 



" I.e., the cycle o{ reproduction Is determined by the moon. 



