Chafe] SENECA THANKSGIVING RITUALS 125 



the Thunderers." (507) You decided that they will always carry 

 fresh water and sprinlde the gardens, all the things that you provided 

 that grow of their own accord. (508) And you decided also that 

 they will alwaj^s furnish fresh water (509) for the flowing rivers and 

 the ponds and lakes, (510) and the springs as well. You decided that 

 fresh water vnU. always be available to them.^^ (511) And you also 

 gave our grandparents, hi^no^, the Thunderers, an added responsi- 

 bility. (512) This is what you did: under the earth j'ou put the 

 large animals. (513) For it might be that the people moving about 

 could die (514) of fright if they saw them. (515) And you gave 

 them ^^ the added responsibility of holding them down under the 

 earth.^^ (516) And we believe that they too are carrying out the 

 responsibility that was assigned them. (517) And again there is 

 thanks indeed that it continues as you intended. (518) And we 

 ask that it will continue in the same manner for the period of another 

 year. 



16. The Sun 



(519) And the entire group is thankful. (520) This is what you 

 did: you decided, "There will be a sky above the heads of the people 

 moving about." (521) You decided, "I shall have a helper in the 

 sky. (522) There in the sky he will move about. (523) It will be 

 his responsibility to make it light for my creations on the earth. 

 (524) He will always come from a certain direction, and he will 

 always go in a certain direction."* (525) And you decided, "They 

 will be called 'days'." (526) And it is true: he is doing what he is 



M I.e. to the plants, 

 w I.e. the Thunderers. 



" There is a tradition that large animals, too frightening for people to look upon, were put underground 

 by the Creator, who assigned the Thunderers to see that they stayed there. 



B80135— 61- 



