﻿98 
  

  

  Ga-go-sa, 
  or 
  false 
  face. 
  

  

  No. 
  73. 
  

  

  [Assembly 
  

  

  The 
  tendency 
  of 
  tke 
  Iroquois 
  to 
  superstitious 
  beliefs 
  is 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  exemplified 
  in 
  their 
  notion 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  a 
  race 
  of 
  su- 
  

   pernatural 
  beings 
  whom 
  they 
  call 
  Falsefaces. 
  This 
  belief 
  has 
  

   prevailed 
  among 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  remote 
  period 
  , 
  and 
  still 
  con- 
  

   tinues 
  its 
  hold 
  upon 
  the 
  Indian 
  mind 
  The 
  Falsefaces 
  are 
  be- 
  

   lieved 
  to 
  be 
  evil 
  spirits 
  or 
  demons 
  without 
  bodies, 
  arms 
  or 
  limbs, 
  

   simply 
  faces, 
  and 
  those, 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  hideous 
  description. 
  It 
  is 
  

   pretended 
  that 
  when 
  seen 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  refired 
  

   places, 
  darting 
  from 
  point 
  to 
  point, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  from 
  tree 
  to 
  tree, 
  

   by 
  some 
  mysterious 
  power 
  ; 
  and 
  possessed 
  of 
  a 
  look 
  so 
  frightful 
  

   and 
  demoniacal 
  as 
  to 
  paralyze 
  all 
  who 
  behold 
  them. 
  They 
  are 
  

   supposed 
  also 
  to 
  have 
  power 
  to 
  send 
  plagues 
  and 
  pestilence 
  among 
  

   men, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  devour 
  their 
  bodies 
  when 
  found, 
  for 
  which 
  rea- 
  

   sons 
  they 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  highest 
  terror. 
  To 
  this 
  day 
  there 
  are 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  Iroquois 
  who 
  believe 
  implicitly 
  in 
  the 
  per- 
  

   sonal 
  existence 
  of 
  these 
  demons. 
  

  

  