THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FIVE NATIONS 125 



open air and when the food was ready they cried out k'waltewall 

 " your dishes." Every one understood this, which was the signal 

 for the merry-makers to approach and fall to. 



The marriage ceremonies, however, were not over yet. The 

 wedding party arrayed themselves in their best attire and formed 

 two processions, that of the bride entering the assembly wigwam 

 first. In later times it was customary to fire a gun at this point 

 as a signal that the bride was in the hall, whereupon the groom's 

 procession entered the hall in the same manner, when a second 

 gun was fired. The geptins of the tribe and one of the friends of 

 the bride then conducted the girl to the bridegroom to dance with 

 him. At midnight after the dancing a supper was served, to which 

 the bride and groom went together and where she ate with him 

 for the first time. The couple were then addressed by an aged 

 man (noiimikokemit) on the duties of marriage. 



Finally, a number of old women accompanied the newly made 

 wife to her husband's wigwam, carrying with them her bed clothes. 

 This final ceremony was called natboonan, taking or carrying 

 the bed. 



