BULL. 30] 



WHITE DOG SACRIFICE 



943 



the Corn Mother, the Qu-dsgd^nie' or 

 Shuffle Dance, the Four Nighta Dance; 

 the Thunderers, whose challenge song is 

 the Wd'sa'^sd or War Dance; and, lastly, 

 those whose challenge songs belong to 

 the Gd'hi do^'hivV or Dance of the Sor- 

 cerers. This Dream Rite is closed with 

 the visit of the Hondu^V , or False-face 

 Society, whose reception requires that 

 the dream-word of the eldest of these be 

 divined and the presents required for its 

 satisfaction be provided; thereafter this 

 society disenchants or disinfects the as- 

 sembly-hall and the village by asperga- 

 tion with ashes and coals of fire. This 

 rite is the last one preliminary to the sac- 

 rifice of the White Dog, which must ritu- 

 ally take place at sunrise of the morning 

 following. 



The victim must be of the native va- 

 riety, white in color, and must be killed 

 by strangulation in order not to break any 

 of its bones. According to the ritual the 

 body must be dressed and adorned, with 

 the face painted in such manner as to 

 represent Teharonhiawagon — the highest 

 type of man; it is profusely marked with 

 red spots about an inch in diameter; 

 white, blue, red, and green ribbons are 

 secured around the neck, body, tail, and 

 legs; the feet are fastened with ribbons 

 to the hips and the neck in such manner 

 that the legs remain at right angles to the 

 body, thus simulating the standing posi- 

 tion of the animal; a long loop of ribbon 

 is fastened to the feet for the purpose of 

 carrying it; to the head is attached a 

 small head-dress or crown of feathers, and 

 around the neck is placed a small string 

 of wampum as a credential of the authen- 

 ticity of its mission; it is borne with the 

 head directed forward, and it is placed 

 on the song-bench in the assembly-hall 

 with its head toward the west. On the 

 bench are placed in order, first a bow and 

 arrows; second, the victim; and, lastly, 

 a parcel of native tobacco: these are the 

 offerings to be made to the representative 

 of Teharonhiawagon. Upon their enter- 

 ing the assembly-hall the priest-chiefs ap- 

 pointed by both phratries must offer these 

 things to the Teharonhiawagon: those of 

 the Wolf, the bow and arrows (which are 

 refused), and the victim; while the Deer 

 priests offer the tobacco. The last two are 

 accepted. Then the Teharonhiawagon 

 leaves the room, followed by the bearers 

 of the offerings and by the people, and 

 repairs to the pyre, which is kindled at 

 a suitable distance to the southeast of the 

 building. The victim and the tobacco 

 are placed on a platform prepared for 

 them on the southwest side of the fire; 

 the sacrificing priest takes his position on 

 the west side of the fire, and, having the 

 victim on his right, faces the east; the 

 chiefs an4 cerempnial ofl5cers gather op 



the north, west, and south sides of the 

 fire, and back of the.^e the people assem- 

 ble, and all those who have brought their 

 tutelaries then place them around the 

 sacrificial fire. Thus the sacrificing priest 

 is brought to face the impersonator of 

 Teharonhiawagon, who stands southeast- 

 ward from the fire. Then thrice in a 

 loud voice the sacrificial chief exclaims 

 "A'm'^.'" meaning " Here, do thou receive 

 it!" The first two paragraphs and the 

 one in which the sacrifice is made are as 

 follows: 



"Now% thou hearest the people who 

 dwell on theearth calling (on thee). Thou 

 dost too plainly see that there where 

 the ceremonial ofiicers have kindled a 

 fire for thee, mankind stand in a body, 

 in a regulated assemblj'. Moreover, they 

 who stand there are those persons whose 

 lives are still spared on earth and w^io 

 are indeed thy father's clansmen. Now, 

 moreover, do thou listen, thence, to them 

 when they shall speak. Thou didst or- 

 dain it, willing that it should be thus on 

 earth a matter of the greatest moment 

 which should take place in midwinter; 

 that is to say, on the 5th day of the moon 

 Disgo^nS,', the matter which thou didst 

 call by the name of the 'Great Sacred 

 Ceremony of theGano°'hwai'wi'.' Thou 

 didst resolve, too, that thou wouldst con- 

 tinue to honor this ceremony, in which 

 mankind should perform the rites of it 

 for thee, and in which they should chant 

 their dream songs, and through which 

 their words should go to thee when giv- 

 ing thee thanksgivings. This is what 

 took place in thy mind, thou who d wellest 

 in the sky. 



"Thou didst will, too, that all persons 

 should be equally obligated to perform 

 this ceremony — the roiu^ner chiefs, the 

 officers, both men and women, of the 

 Four Ceremonies, the public and the chil- 

 dren too. Thou didst will, too, that all 

 these persons should pass through the 

 fires kindled for thee by the officers of 

 the Four Ceremonies. Thus did it come 

 to pass in thy mind. And, moreover, 

 nothing obstructs thee, so that thou hast 

 plainly seen that all those whose lives 

 are still spared have now performed this 

 duty: all have fulfilled what thou hast 

 ordained, thou who d wellest in the sky." 



Then coming to the paragraph of sacri- 

 fice, he continues: "So, then, do thou 

 now know, too, that with due formality 

 mankind make use of what thou didst 

 ordain for us to employ, when thou did.st 

 will that this shall be the principal thing, 

 that that shall be their word — this pin- 

 ioned object [the victim]. Thus it took 

 place in thy mind, thou who dwellest in 

 the sky. So, now, here lies that which 

 shall authenticate the words of man, 

 when thou wilt hear the whole earth 



