IROQUOIS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 



57 



place, he reaches into space and grasps a star which he fastens in 

 the belt, thereby to guide the soul on its journey. 



When the soul has crossed the entire heavens, Ga-do-waas re- 

 moves the star from his belt, and returns it to its appointed place 

 in space. 



Though each soul may pass through various transmigrations 

 before it departs from its lower existence, it can not enter the 

 Happy Hunting Ground 1 till it has crossed the star belt of Ga-do- 

 waas, therefore, the Milky Way, 2 to the Indian, is a procession of 

 stars, each guiding a soul. If there is a confusion in this proces- 

 sion, it is because some soul is disturbed and out of the path; but 

 the star, which never loses its way, will search for it and return it 

 to its course. 



NYA-GWA-IH, THE CELESTIAL BEAR 



The Iroquois had been disturbed by the ravages of an enormous 

 bear which was devouring their winter game. 



Numbers of the hunters had banded together and plodded 

 through all the forests in search of it, but to no avail. At times it 

 would near for a moment but to distance their arrows in a most 

 mysterious way, and the blinding snow would fall fast and thick 

 as if to cover its track. 



In the darkness it frequently prowled near the villages, when 

 the terrified people would hide from its roaring voice, and a deep 

 snowfall always followed these visitations; and baffling all their 

 plans for its death, the nya-gwa-ih continued his ravage of plunder. 



The winter was fierce in its cold blasts, and the snows had drifted 

 mountains high in the forest; the trails were lost; the deer were 

 vanishing, and their haunts were strewn with their bones which 

 the nya-gwa-ih had left behind him, when one night each of three 

 brothers 3 dreamed he had found the bear, and deeply impressed by 

 the remarkable coincidence on the following morning they silently 

 left the village and started on their secret hunt, accompanied by 

 their faithful dog, Ji-yeh, whose keen nose ridged the snow down to 

 the trail. 



1 The term Happy Hunting Ground is not strictly Iroquoian. The modern believers in 

 the Gaiwiu term their heaven, " the Land of the Creator." It is described, however, as a 

 place where Indians will enjoy again the things which a red man most loves. Should be 

 " Place of the Maker.' Sometimes the world of spirits is called ga-o-ya"-ge, Sky Place. 



2 Handsome_ Lake described very vividly in the Gaiwiu his experience on the road of 

 souls, the Milky Way, and said that most of the tracks that he saw in the road were those 

 of children. Going further and looking at the downward fork he saw the footprints of 

 adults only. The Milky Way is called dja-swen'-do'. 



3 The three brothers were named as follows: the oldest Tug-a-wa-ne' ; the next younger, 

 Ha-da-wa'-sa-no or Ho-we-ta-ho' and the youngest, Hos'-to'. The youngest was a quiet, 

 bashful fellow, the next older given to much speaking while the oldest was a great braggart. 



