PART 2 



FIELD NOTES ON THE RITES AND CEREMONIES OF 

 THE GANIO'DAITO' RELIGION 1 



ganayasta' 



The midwinter festival of the Iroquois, commonly called Indian New 

 Year. 



On the third day of what the Seneca term Niskowukni ne (/ 

 Sade'gosha or the moon of midwinter, a council of head men is 

 called and officers elected to officiate at the Gana'yasta' or midwinter 

 thanksgiving ceremony to be held two days later. Officers are 

 chosen from each of the two brotherhoods 2 of clans. 



On the first day of the ceremony officers called Ondeya, dressed 

 in buffalo skins, meet and lay out a route of houses which each pair 

 of Ondeya is to visit. This settled, they draw the buffalo heads over 

 their heads and start out. 



There are three excursions of Ondeya from their lodges, one at 

 about 9 a. m., one at about 12 m. and one at about 3 p. m. Two 

 Ondeya, carrying corn pounders painted with red stripes, knock at 

 the door of a house and entering intone : 



Hail, nephews. Now also the cousins with you. Now also you see the 

 big heads. 



Ye he ! Gwawande ! 



One n "diq wodewe'noye ne' ne'seso gwawande ! 



One n "diq Iswage 11 ' noiwane' ! 



This is repeated and the Ondeya depart. 



At noon the Ondeya repair to their meeting place and emerging 

 again go over the same route. Their message as they enter a lodge 

 at this time is . 



Hail. Be clean ! Do not be confused, O nephews. Do not tread upon 

 things, nephews, cousins, when you move. 



Yehe ! Jokweho 11 ! sanon'di gwa'wandi ! danondodade, 

 gwa'wandi nenc'seso nanondo"yano' ! 



At 3 p. m., returning to the same lodge, the message is : 



Yehe ! Oise n dase' susniun'nano ne" swaise" dugayio' sa n do.' 

 One" diq itchigaine'so 11 nongwuk'sado' nenwande' sa'no n diq 

 itch'nonadokte' ongwukado'. One" diq nekho" non'jiye. 



1 Taken at Newtown, Cattaraugus reservation, January 1905, by A. C. 

 Parker. 



2 See Phratries. [gj] 



