IROQUOIS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 



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song. This song the animals told him was the medicine song of 

 the medicine animals and they told him that when he wished the 

 favor of the great medicine people and when he felt grateful, to 

 make a ceremony and sing the song. So also they told him that 

 they had a dance and a dance song and they told him that they 

 would teach him the dance. So they danced and some shook 

 rattles made of squashes (gourds) , and though his eyes were closed 

 he saw the dance and he knew all the tunes. Then the animals 

 told him to form a company of his friends and upon certain occa- 

 sions to sing and dance the ceremony, the Yedos, for it was a great- 

 medicine power and called all the medicine animals together and 

 when the people were sick they would devise a medicine for them. 

 Now they said that he must not fail to perform the ceremony and 

 throw tobacco for them. Now the name of the society was Yedos. 

 Then the chief asked the medicine people what the ingredients of 

 the medicine were and they promised to tell him. At a time the 

 animals should choose they would notify him by the medicine 

 song. Now he could not receive the secret because he had been 

 married. Only Ho-yah-di-wa-doh, virgin men, may receive the first 

 knowledge of mysteries. Now the chief greatly wished for the 

 medicine for he thought it would be a great charm and a cure for 

 the wounds received in war. After a time the chief was lifted to 

 his feet by the hand of the bear and then he recovered his full life 

 and when he opened his eyes he found himself alone in the midst 

 of a circle of tracks. He made his way back to his people and 

 related his adventure. He gathered his warriors together and in a 

 secret place sang the medicine song of the animals, the Yedos. 

 So they sang the song and each had a song and they danced. 



After some time the chiefs decided to send another war party 

 against the enemy in the southwest and to punish the hostile 

 people who were attacking them. Then the friend of the birds 

 and animals said, "It is well that we destroy them for they are 

 not a reasonable people," and so he went with his party. 



Now after a certain number of days the party stopped in an 

 opening in the forest to replenish their stock of food. The place 

 where they stopped was] grassy and good for camp. Now a 

 short distance away, a half day's journey, was a deer lick and near it 

 a clear spring and a brook that ran from it and to this place all the 

 animals came to drink. The party wanted fresh meat and so dis- 

 patched two young men, Ho-yah-di-wa-doh, to the lick for game. 

 As they approached it they heard the sound of a distant song and 

 drawing near the lick they sat down on the bank over the spring 



