40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



the tempests. It is also his duty to direct the rain for refreshing 

 the earth. In the planting season, He-no has supervision of the 

 seeds, and in the growing time renders beneficent aid in ripening 

 the fruits and maturing the harvest. 



He-no can assume the form of a human being and, as such, 

 dressed as a warrior, he wears in his hair a magic feather, which 

 renders him invulnerable to the attacks of Evil. On these occa- 

 sions he is invested with authority to inflict dire punishment upon 

 evil doers, and is dreaded as the avenger of vice. 



He-no has two assistants, 1 one of whom is half human, the other, 

 celestial. To aid them in their terrestrial travels, they have re- 

 ceived no names, and so, unidentified by sign, they can faithfully 

 serve his secrecy. 



In his celestial travels, He-no carries on his back a great basket 

 containing boulders of the chert rock, which he hurls at evil spirits 

 whenever he discovers them in the sky. Sometimes the evil 

 spirits evade these boulders and they fall to the earth enveloped 

 in fire. 2 



Before He-no was transferred to the skies, he dwelt behind the 

 great falls at Niagara, where he controlled the roaring of its waters. 



dead with his thunder fire whenever they appear. He hates the creations of witches, such 

 as images made living and witch transformations. The great horned serpents, the saistah- 

 gowa jodi"hgwadoh, and the underwater people fear him and often when they attempt to 

 visit the earth world they are discovered by the vigilant storm clouds who immediately 

 report their movements to Hi"-no. He hates the False Faces and all manner of sorcery. 

 He must not be spoken lightly of or trifled with but frequently soothed by offerings of 

 tobacco incense, for he loves oyankwa-oweh, the sacred incense. 



Hi"-no called the Iroquois his grandchildren and they, in the thunder dance, in his honor, 

 affectionately call him, Tisote, grandfather. Likewise he said the " medicine people are my 

 people" and the Little Water Company always offer him tobacco and implore his favor. 



The Senecas hold a special ceremony called We-sa'-ze every spring in honor of the Thun- 

 ierer. The sound of the first thunder rumble is the sign of his first awakening and the call 

 or the dance. A thanksgiving speech, Don-di-nion'-nioh, is recited and at its close the 

 .varriors start the war dance and dance into the Long House where the ceremony is con- 

 cluded. 



1 The thunder spirit has also a large family of noisy thunder boys. Every storm cloud 

 s moreover a scout whose duty is to spy out the otgont (magically malicious) forces, such 

 as the creations of the evil mind, witches, the underground buffalo and the like. 



- Among the Iroquois there are several beliefs connected with lightning. Two notes 

 from the editor's collection may be found of interest. 



The thunder medicine. One of the most potent charms of the medicine men is alleged 



o have been the foam that is said to ooze from the roots of a tree immediately after it has 



been struck by lightning. This foam is scooped up by the medicine man who quickly 



transfers it to Ins mystery pouch. This mystic medicine is the magical gift of Hi"-no and 



s reputed a wonderful cure for extreme- cases or as a final resort. 



Lightning struck trees. When his gleaming missile has crashed into a tree, no man must 

 with his naked skin touch the punished wood, for some of the ragged fire that has splintered 

 it may yet linger to Mister the offender and cause an irritating rash to break out over his 



body. Nor musl the w I be burned for the smoke will anger Hi"-no who in his fury will 



burst a black cloud over the offensive flames t<> destroy the unsavory incense. Even then 

 his anger may no1 subside but he may send greal rams over the land to remind men that his 

 wishes must not be lightly held. 



