REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 1923 49 
FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS IN SENECA FOLK LORE 
BY ARTHUR C. PARKER 
Basic Premises 
The myths and legends of the Seneca Indians are built upon cer- 
tain well-recognized and deeply rooted postulates. Each bit of folk 
lore must have its consistency adjudged by these elements in order 
to be credible. Any myth or legend that offended the standards so 
set would immediately be rejected by the Seneca as spurious. Toa 
large extent the premises of folk lore are founded on folk thought, 
and woe to the innovator who sought to direct his theme from the 
accepted thought patterns. 
Among the basic beliefs upon which the folk tale is built are the 
following : 
Unseen spirits. Spirits pervade all Nature and affect man for 
good or ill. Their desires and plans must be satisfied by man. 
There are both good and evil spirits. Spirits may inhabit anything 
in nature. 
Conflict of good and evil spirits. Good spirits are constantly 
making war upon evil spirits. 
Magical power. ‘There is such a thing as orenda or magical 
power. Such power makes its possessor the master over the 
natural order of things. This orenda may be acquired in various 
ways. It may be residual, and therefore an attribute of the indi- 
vidual, or it may be inherent in some charm or fetish. Virtuous 
persons may be given a good orenda, which is always more powerful 
in the end than the evil orenda which is possessed by witches and 
sorcerers. 
Transformation. Any being possessing orenda may transform 
himself into any form, animate or inanimate, as his orenda gives 
power. Anything seen in nature may be a temporary or a per- 
manent transformation of a being having orenda. Transformation 
may be by command or by entering the skin of the creature whose 
form one desires to assume. Animals having orenda may assume 
human form and mingle with human beings. A group of people, 
therefore, may in reality be a transformed group of animals, and 
likewise with individuals. 
All nature 1s conscious. Everything in the Seneca philosophy 
lives and is conscious. It is a being and in communication with 
other parts of Nature. Anything in Nature may be spoken to and 
it will hear what has been said. It may be induced to act in one’s 
behalf. 
