The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-20

I
tiohs-MohaWk, Senecas i've Na.
Oneldas and Onondagas Ndyugas
reservations, each of VIII on Sig
IT'S council house, a wooder contains
ABOUT nIty by eighty feet building
oio ISlsillonea' or pagan" INDIE The
- LoI theiF legislative y0rl- -e yoI-
lglOuS ceremonies. To tbe IN, ana Fa-
1ouS lrOQuOis who homes =, Uly relr-
or his ancestors. these ann,,5} religion
mean renewal of the NJ festivals
the Great Spirit as well as ,Vg Ton Of
thohy would be not only frr,'.1,y Tor
but bad luck" To tba ',5tg'erenca
even 10 the Christianized LIS and
tICudis are unknown. They ha-eN-" The
iieliIuSU uoWh from generation ~ os-2
eraticn, by word of mouth 10 gen
preserved inviOlabIy secret seud are
alien. To the mind of tn. LloIh the
praise should be donated nv ' man
(thelr dances so misuuders+C,S udhCe
pale face which is the acrart,-+-!oy The
the red mans religion and ,-',eh Of
SION or the duty to which the ,~NpIeS-
sSeLI 9CIti IloiuS III spite of the me. "a
SlonS OF the white mems relief lAlIu-
The Green Corn festival ms
nominated the most prominar+ -t oe de-
giving FEAST Of the Iroquois III. -lolIAs-
When the late fruits Were. rinsT,i----.- 'Nta
/ the green corn was i'm the can -.e fol
/ 10 the ancient IrOquOis tha 30. Ietha4
I the Great Spirit who was Yer i,lI, OF
! the harvests in his hands. To5 'o.uins
summons to this feast is sem y me
IN advance and so arranged ~. lShS
{ one of the reservation foet; ma each
/ not interfere with its nefgbbr,. 80. "a!
thus fulfilling the universal Ig,,- 40 ION.
! red mans hOspitaIity-"eac D,4,e+ ~ ne we
/ the other By this the OnoDdass. ' ln
4 hold the corn q few DAVIS r.. Ill
the Senecas, and so on, that each W.
/ ton in turn may visit it's ra,- -a
iiSiShpoF, mus consummating the ~
ligious rule that ali must 6arrn,ri;yg-
{ IN the unison of thanks and D.aise ~
/ tlrst rite of the Green Corn feast ~. -s
/ continues three days, is to vrar, ~
/ ear OF corn in the sacred tobscro e7
/ throw It on the fire as an incaDs, ny
! tering, which dediCates the fesri[.sI ~
/ the Great Spirit. In this initial .
mony medicine men and medicine ny
/ iien' also very young men and wona-
! are selected to strip and hull the 60,
/ for the feast soup which must he g-l
! boiling the first day and boil conffrT,
ally until the third and final daz VI
/ beeT and beans are added to If and -
is distributed among the dance
guests, members Of the medicine So
/ eiety and every head of the family,
I resident on the reservation wherein fbs
| festival may be held.
Although the dancing is continued o..
intervals during the three davg tFs
! hrSt days ceremony is the most reIir-
lous OF all the Green Corn dance. DuT-
| ing this dance the entire ritual Of H..
/ praises of the IrOquOis is recitpd tbe
/ band of selected dancers marcbing,
around the room in single file as rbe
/ preacher intOnes his thanksgivfngs
Enumerated among the various thanks
are the following, (neaTly literaID
We thank the Great Spirit that No
are here TO praise him. We thank MIN
| that he has created men and women.
and ordered that these beings shall
always be living to multiply the earth.
We thank him for giving. too OUT Grea-
| Mother. the earth, her big heart and
big bosom that holds the mountains.
lakes and rivers. We thank him for
all the waters that run in the woods
and valleys and deep holes tseaS) We
thank him for ali the animals. We
thank him for the forests and sweet
water tree (maDle) and for branches
Of the trees that hold the great shadows
for our comfort. We thank him for
the beings in the air that carry the
thunder and the rains. We thank him
for our oldest brother, the sun. who
works for US all the time. We thank
him for our kind relations who gives
US light in the darkness. the moon and
to send US game that we cannot be-
hungry. We thank him for sivins
swiftness to our feet when we pursue
an enemy. We thank him for telling
US how to die bravely.
Thus these thanks go on until all
benefits To man OF beast OF birds have
! been recited and danced for. In the
final dance all participate, Including
the extremely aged. who fold their
III u -+r-
of their ancestors. the younger dan
GERS being decorated with feathers and
the gala attire copied from the co.ors
of the rainbow, and the tOddling in
fants, as stOiCal and earnest as the
( bent centenarians- The dance music
is the drum and the turtle shell rattle
which accompany the voices of the
trained singers, who, as they sing, SIT
astride a wooden bench placed in the
center of the circle Of dancers.
There is always one pagan preacher
who inherited the dance and thank
talk" and expounds the faith, enumer-
ating with solemn information ea"n
praise. IF any one person desires 10
offer special thanks, the preacher an
nounces it to the people and dancers.
and by their consent he or she is per
mitted to lift the voice for some
blessing of the chase, war, health "r
nome 1t is the DUTY Of every leISNu,
no matter how aged or feeble, to dance
once around the circle and offer the
Great Spirit his own voice of thanks
a Remnant of the Old Religion.
The great confederacy of the Iro-
duois is dissolved. and of the people n
the Five Nations there are left but d
few who continue TO celebrate the Te-
ligion of their forefatheTs These al
herents to the old customs are limited
! to about one-thiTd of the Indians no"
/ resident on the New York state reSeF-
vations. The silk. or SLOUGH, OF DERBY
hat has substituted the 0ld-time feaJ0-
cred head-dress. patent leather nave
taken the place of the mocCasinS, me
/ buckskin shirt is forgotten, hIdeouS
hiSh-heeIed shoes and store bOunetS re-
place the picturesque costume ut 'a+
/ women, the forests are departed anu
in their ssIace broad fields hold the
/ grains where the IrOquOis once DUH
the war and council fire. church Spires
tower above the trees. the board nous
stands on the land once claimed hs l-s
tepee, and the mighty days OF the li'-
quOis are no more.
In spite Of the dissolution OF '-
tribal relationship. in spite of the a.
vancement and consequent pr"gE .>2-l-
OF education and trade-school Talai'l7,
: there are yet those VINO rememne. ~
chant the thanksgiving ritual OF W..
Z fOrefathers. the original and Tea. AM.
lean thanksgiving the Thanksgiving p-