50 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
All living creatures have souls. ‘The Seneca believes that ani- 
mals have souls that are like in their nature to the souls of human 
beings. The hunter, therefore, propitiates the soul of the animal he 
kills—and explains why he killed it. The souls of friendly animals 
help man, if man has been courteous, and has properly propitiated 
them. Souls of evil animals injure men and must be “bought off.” 
The souls of all creatures return to the maker of souls just as man’s 
does. 
Master of souls. There is in the heaven world a master of life 
and soul. He allows his subordinate spirits to rule the earth world 
and concerns himself generally with his own realm. Souls that re- 
turn to him are taken apart and readjusted that they may function 
properly in the immortal realm. Evil is therefore conceived in a 
measure as a maladjustment or a pollution of the soul’s parts. 
Ghosts. The manes of departed men and animals wander over 
their familiar haunts and startle men by their “materializations.” 
Wandering ghosts generally want something and must have their 
desires satisfied. The evil of the living person is intensified in the 
ghost. A ghost is the body spirit and not the real psychic person- | 
ality. 
Dreams. Dreams are experiences of the soul as it leaves the body 
during sleep. The dream god guides the soul to its dream experi- 
ence. Dreams that prompt the individual to certain desires must 
be interpreted by a chosen person or by volunteer guessers, and the 
desire must be satisfied, or calamity will befall the dreamer as well 
as the unsuccessful guesser. Prophetic dreams must guide action 
and dream demands must not be lightly set aside. . 
Monsters. There are monsters that men seldom see. These 
affect the welfare and the destiny of man. They are generally evil 
and seek to destroy and sometimes to eat human beings. 
Wigards. ‘There are such beings as wizards, witches and sor- 
cerers. These beings possess an evil orenda and seek to destroy in- 
nocent people. 
Gods, Major Spirits and Folk Beasts of the Seneca 
Bewmgs of the Primal Order 
The first of the god beings was Te‘hao“hwefdjaiwa”’kho” or 
Earth Holder. It was he who ruled the sky world and lived in the 
great celestial lodge beneath the celestial tree. As the result of a 
dream, this chief, who also bears the title, Ancient One, was moved 
to take to himself as a wife a certain maiden, known as Awé™ha’s,, 
Mature Flower (Fertile Earth). Mature Flower consented to the 
