BULL. 30] 



WHITE DOG SACRIFICE 



941 



of the Four Ceremonies appoint two per- 

 sons, one from each phratry, to do this. 

 Among the Onondaga these two persons 

 are chosen from the Deer and the Wolf 

 clans, respectively, these two being the 

 heads of the phratries to which they 

 belong. In the performance of their 

 sacred duties these two persons, who 

 must have the rank of federal chiefs, 

 must wear the native costume — a feather 

 head-dress made of the webs stripped 

 from the shafts, and a blue sash when 

 available— must be painted with a spot of 

 vermilion on each cheek, and must carry 

 each a wooden paddle, about 4 or 5 ft in 

 length, on which must be delineated the 

 clan tutelary of the bearer. The duty 

 of the Deer herald in every lodge is, 

 while rekindling the tire, to deliver a 

 thanksgiving address with the announce- 

 ment of the beginning of the Ganon'fuvdV- 

 ui', or New Year ceremony, and to urge 

 the inmates to al»andon their labors and 

 amusements in order to attend in person 

 at the long-house or tribal assembly- 

 hall; the duty of the Wolf herald is con- 

 tinuously to chant on the way and in 

 the lodges the Ganon'hvai^icl', or the 

 Death chant of Teharonhia wagon. The 

 rites at the assembly-hall do not begin 

 until these two persons return there and 

 make their report. 



In making his report of the perfor- 

 mance of the sacred commission entrusted 

 to them, the spokesman in behalf of 

 himself and his cousin of the Wolf phra- 

 try says, among many other things, that 

 they then place the entire matter on the 

 floor of the assembly-hall and that there- 

 after the whole responsibility for carry- 

 ing on the ceremony devolve on the 

 Two Cousins (i. e. the two clan phratries 

 of the tribe) occupying respectively 

 the two sides of the phratral fires; that 

 they two have chanted the Death chant 

 in behalf of Teharonhia wagon; that they 

 have rekindled the fires in his behalf 

 with the paddles; that the session of the 

 Ganon^hiraVwl', or New Year ceremony, 

 is now open for all the people, even to 

 the least of the children; and that in 

 the ensuing fire rite they two will pass 

 through the fires in behalf of Teharon- 

 hiawagon. Then a speaker cliosen from 

 the Deer phratry receives in the name 

 of the people the report with suitable 

 commendations of the two officials, and 

 then in behalf of the assembled people 

 directs his words in a long address to 

 extolling the handiwork of Teharonhia- 

 wagon as exhiVnted in nature. Vividly 

 he addresses the bodies and beings and 

 elements in nature as anthropic persons. 

 Beginning with the lowest in position, 

 he gives thanks to "Our Mother, the 

 Earth," for her blessings; and then in 

 like manner he addresses the Grasses, 



the Plants, the Shrubs, and the Trees, 

 severally, feelingly declaring that all 

 these things were made "curative 

 medicine" by Teharonhia wagon to pro- 

 mote the welfare of man; then the 

 Elvers, the Lakes, the Springs, and All 

 Moving Waters, and so too ' ' Our Moth- 

 ers the Corn, the Beans, and the Squash" 

 receive a like measure of praise and 

 thanksgiving for the blessings supplied 

 by them; then the Game Animals which 

 run or fly or swim likewise receive praise 

 and thanks for the sustenance which 

 they give to man; then, in order, the 

 Fire is thanked for its many blessings to 

 man; in like manner the Sun, "Our 

 Elder Brother," the Moon, "Our Grand- 

 mother," and her Assistants, the Morn- 

 ing Star and the Stars, are all thanked 

 for their care and guidance ; then the Four 

 Thunderers and Rainmakers, " Our 

 Grandfathers," receive praise and thanks 

 for the many blessings and comforts 

 which they bestow on man and on all 

 living things on earth in watering the 

 earth and all that grows thereon and in 

 keeping the water in springs, rivers, and 

 lakes fresh; lastly, the Air (or the Wind) 

 is thanked for preserving fresh the air 

 that moves on the earth, even as Teha- 

 ronhiawagon has willed it. The speaker 

 now addresses the people, strongly re- 

 minding them that such and so many 

 are the required words of thanksgiving 

 which must be spoken by man to all the 

 things established by Teharonhiawagon 

 and to all those assistant anthropic beings 

 to whom he has assigned a share in the 

 government of the world by entrusting 

 them severally with various duties for 

 the promotion of human welfare and 

 who will aid in protecting man during 

 the New Year ceremony, then just begun, 

 in which it is the solemn duty of man 

 to execute faithfully the decrees of Te- 

 haronhiawagon. Finally, apostrophiz- 

 ing the Master of Life, the speaker sum- 

 marizes all that he has said in behalf of 

 the people and humbly begs of him 

 health, peace, and contentment for all 

 mankind during the period the ceremony 

 will last. Then he announces the begin- 

 ning of the second fire rite by announc- 

 ing to the cousin phratry of the Wolf 

 that his phratry has already appointed 

 the official who will take charge of the 

 paddles, and he earnestly enjoins on all 

 persons, both adults and children, the 

 imperative necessity for every one to 

 perform this rite and solemnly cautions 

 every one not to withdraw his hand 

 when a paddle is offered by the chosen 

 official. 



This fire rite, called Aoutaenhrohi ('to 

 asperge with ashes ' ) by the Hurons, has 

 for its motive the disinfection or rather 

 disenchantment of all persons from the 



