Chafe] SENECA THANKSGIVING RITUALS 103 



earth, who supports our feet/^ (287) It continues unchanged: the 

 Httle children are taldng their places. (288) Therefore let there be 

 gratitude (289) that we are still seeing them, the new ones coming 

 along, the httle children. (290) And now they are thankful (291) 

 that it continues unchanged, that we see our children running and 

 crawhng about among us. (292) And now we ask only (293) that 

 it may continue in the same manner for the period of another year. 



7. The Plants 



(294) And the entire group is thankful. (295) This is what you 

 intended.''^ (296) You decided, "The earth will be there, below the 

 sky. (297) There I shall leave the people who will move about." 



(298) And this is what you decided: "I shall divide up their re- 

 sponsibilities; that is the way things will function on the earth." 



(299) And this is what you decided: "There will be plants gi'owing 

 on the earth. At a certain time they will emerge from the earth of 

 their own accord. (300) All of them will have names, as many plants 

 as will be growing on the earth. (301) It wiU be when the wind be- 

 comes warm again on the earth. (302) And they will mature of their 

 own accord." That is what you intended. (303) And this also is 

 what you decided: "All of them will have names." (304) This is 

 what you said: "Illness will overtake the people moving about on the 

 earth." (305) And indeed you left something on the earth to assist 

 them. (306) And the medicines are distributed on the earth, the 



" See p. 11. 



u From this point on the Creator Is addressed In the second person. There appears to be no consistency 

 or special significance In the shift. 



