8 BUREAU OF AJMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 183 



Creator (Parker, 1913, p. 25). Here there is again a prescription of 

 terminology, but this time of a different nature: two terms are given, 

 one of which is for celestial use and the other for use by manldnd. 

 Not present in Parker, but contained in the Seneca version of the 

 Good Message commonly heard today are several other pairs of this 

 type. Among them are (with the celestial form given first) : teka^nik- 

 6£te:nyos ka^nikdshto^tha^ 'it changes the mind, it blots out the mind' 

 vs. ^o:ne:ka? 'drink' (both terms for 'whiskey'); koya^iahU^oh 

 ko^nikoe? 'their minds are lost' vs. kotko^ 'they are witches' (for 

 'witchcraft'); kawenohtdshx'^ 'loss of reputation' vs. yenjehtayete.'ih 

 'they know how to attract' (for 'love potions'); yewiyaehtoHha^ 'they 

 destroy their offspring' vs. yotwi:nya?s 'they cut off their offspring' 

 (for 'sterilization'). 



The fourth section deals with the water, whose function is men- 

 tioned only in a general way as being the satisfaction of the people. 

 Its importance is underlined by the observation that the first thing 

 people do upon arising in the morning is to fetch water. 



In the fifth section attention is first given to the trees and forests 

 in general, which are said to have a dual function: as medicines and 

 as heating fuel. One tree, the maple, is then focused upon. It pro- 

 vides sugar, the speaker observes, "for those who take notice of it." 

 Like the strawberry it has a particular ceremony devoted to it. 



Game animals, classified as small and large, are the subject of the 

 sixth section. They serve, first, to provide amusement for the war- 

 riors (young men), and second, to yield food for everyone. Reference 

 is made to a tradition that the large animals all became extinct after 

 the advent of the white man, but were later resupplied in smaller 

 numbers by the Creator. 



The seventh section turns to the birds, which are said to be a kind 

 of animal. Their functions are also two : to provide food, and to lift 

 the minds of men with their beautiful voices. Again there is a classi- 

 fication into small and large, and the migration of the small birds 

 is mentioned. 



The corn, beans, and squash are not mentioned by name in the 

 eighth section, but are subsumed under the term 'the Sisters, our 

 sustenance' (or 'our life supporters'; e.g., Fenton, 1936, p. 17). Their 

 function is to contribute to people's contentment and to strengthen 

 people's breath, breath being thought of as a basic manifestation of 

 life. They are said to have been included in the ritual since the time 

 when the Good Message arrived. 



The wind is the subject of the ninth section, and it too is 

 said to strengthen the breath. A revolving object of some sort, 

 covered by a veil, is described as the source of the wind (Parker, 



