126 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



O'GPWE OA'NO', CHANTERS FOR THE DEAD 



The O'gi'we ceremony is called for by any member who dreams 

 of the restless spirit of some former member, relative, or friend. At 

 the ceremony the set of songs is sung, the large water drum beaten, 

 and a feast indulged in. The food is supposed to satisfy the hungry 

 ghosts that for some reason are " earth-bound," as spiritists might 

 express it. The O'gi'we ceremony must not be confused with the 

 Death Feast ceremony, which is a clan affair. The diviner of the 

 O'gi'we people is able to identify the unknown spirit which may be 

 troubling the dreams of a member. The sickness and ill fortune 

 caused by evil ghosts may be dispelled by the ceremony. The chief 

 officer is a woman. 



DESWADENYATIONDOTTU', THE WOMAN'S SOCIETY 



This society preserves the ritual by which good fortune and 

 health are obtained for women. The singers, fourteen in number 

 at Cattaraugus, are all men. During their singing the women dance. 

 The office of chief singer is hereditary. The women join in a 

 chorus as the men sing. Horn rattles and water drums are used. 



TOWIPSAS. SISTERS OF THE DIO'HE'KO 



This society is composed of a body of women whose special duty 

 is to offer thanks to the spirits of the corn, the beans, and the 

 squashes, Dio'he'ko (these sustain our lives). By their ceremonies 

 of thanksgiving the Towii'sas propitiate the spirits of growth, and 

 people are assured of a good harvest. The ToAvii'sas have a cere- 

 monial song and a march, but no dances. The legend of the society 

 relates that the entire band of Towii'sas, in the latter part of the 

 seventeenth century, was captured by the Cherokee and carried 

 down the Ohio river. Thereafter two men were admitted as escorts 

 in their march through the woods. At the closing of the ceremony 

 the head-woman chants the Dio'he'ko song as she leads her band 

 about a kettle of corn pudding. She carries an armful of corn on 

 the cob ; in her right hand she holds some loose beans, and in her 

 left some squash seeds, the emblems of fertility. The Towii''sas 

 hold one ceremony each year, unless some calamity threatens the 

 harvest. The rattle of this society is made of a land tortoise (box- 

 turtle) shell. These are often found in graves, but their exact use 

 in the Iroquois territory has not generally been known to arche- 

 ologists. The leg rattle is another variety having several perfora- 

 tions, 



