Chafe] SENECA THANKSGIVING RITUALS 9 



1913, p. 67). The Four Beings predicted that one day it would 

 revolve too fast and cause great destruction, but to date destructive 

 winds have always bypassed the reservations, another cause for 

 thanksgiving. 



The tenth section deals with the Thunderers, who are to be called 

 'our grandparents, hi^no?, the Thunderers', who Uve in the West 

 and are responsible for bringing water. There is a concern that they, 

 too, should always maintain a moderate strength. The name hi^no^ 

 is considered by the present speaker to refer to the several Thunderers 

 collectively. In the tradition described by Morgan (1901, vol. 1, 

 pp. 149-151) he is a single spirit. 



The eleventh section takes up the sun. Seneca has a single noun 

 root for both 'sun' and 'moon', and the distinction is made when 

 necessary by adding words meaning 'diurnal' or 'nocturnal'. The 

 sun is to be called 'our elder brother, the sun', and his task is to 

 provide light and heat. The heat is said to contribute to the growth 

 of plants. The sun is described as attached or stuck onto the sky, 

 although there is an apparent contradiction between this and the 

 observation that he moves across the earth, always going in the same 

 direction. 



The moon, in the twelfth section, is 'our grandmother, the moon', 

 and she appears when the earth is dark and people are at rest. Her 

 responsibilities are three. She provides light so that people can find 

 their way about during the night, she furnishes a means of measuring 

 time, and she is responsible for the birth of children. 



The stars, the subject of the thirteenth section, indicate directions 

 for people who are traveling at night, and are also responsible for 

 moistm'e faUing on the earth during that period. 



The Four Beings (called 'messengers' by Parker, 'angels' by Speck) 

 are the subject of the fourteenth section. They are described as the 

 protectors of manldnd, for it is their duty, first, to come to people's 

 aid in the accidental mishaps that are bound to occur; second, to 

 keep in check the wind, the Thunderers, the sun, and the moon, who 

 might otherwise bring destruction. Sundown explains that these last 

 are referred to as the 'Four Groups', because, while three of them 

 are single individuals, the Thunderers constitute a group and bring 

 the total to more than four individuals. 



The fifteenth section discusses Handsome Lake. His illness is 

 described in wording like that of the Good Message. There is ref- 

 erence to his repentance of his past life, his realization that there 

 must be a Creator, and his feeling of gratitude for the Creator's works 

 (cf. Parker, 1913, pp. 21-22). The Creator, observing the lack of 

 morahty on the earth and impressed by the behavior of Handsome 



