The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-14

and Duchess of CornwaII-CoIiectio ion, 1 of Wasks-Superstition and Tradi' ! tions.
 | During the recent visit of the Duke , and Duchess of Cornwall to Canada
 nothing was of greater interest to them than the Indians of the various reser- vations Among the many gifts offered to the royal pair by the Indians was one of rare interest on account of its
 antiquity and the oral traditions of its
 past power-a mask, or go-gon-sa, which had been held as a venerated
 heritage from centuries of ancestors. The mask is spoken of asa hollow wooden head, man image, carved in
 the Indian style and decorated with er-
 mine tails and little of feather and
 fur of each bird and animal in the
 northern region of Canada"
 The story of it's age and the reverence
 felt for it for generations gave it es-
 pecial importance, and the royal pair
 appreciated the sacrifice of the Indians
 in thus parting with a survival of their
 ancient mysteries, It was suggested at
 the time that following the example of
 royalty it might possibly become a fad
 to collect such of these masks as might
 be obtainabe
 The North American Indian mask is not new to students of Indian history.
 The Smithsonian Institution at Wash ington and the Museum of Natural His 4op ;,, ai+ l, CTS, have secured many of these strange masks of the Alaskans and British Co., lumbia.
 It has been the good fortune of the State Museum at Albany by the indus trious searching of Mrs. Harriet Max well Converse. to obtain many of the hitherto unstudied masks of the New York state Indians. Some sixty or sey enty are now in the Iroquois collection.
 The Iroquois mask figures in one of the mystic rituals at the New Year feast which, beginning on the first moon of February, continues ten days. One day of these ten belongs to the Mask or False face society, which at this time is governed by one of the aged Ho-non- di-ont or priestesses.
 In the early morning of the first day of the new year these masks go from door to door begging dona tions for their feast. They are never driven away empty handed-to refuse them would be bad luck
 On their feast days the procession en- ters the Long house preceded by the leader, who carries a small mask about two inches long-suspended from the tip of the cross piece of stripped pine pole ten feet long. This mask is of importance, as it denotes maternity and in such honor has precedence in the ceremonial.
 It should be of stone. but oftener wooden one is substituted. It Is the guardian of birth and frequently found in burial mounds where it had been placed to protect the dead infant from evil spirits on the trail to the eternal rest place. The mother wears it sus- pended from her neck after childbirth as sign of gratitude to the Great Spirit for the gift of life.
 In the line of procession the bird and animal masks figure in the important dance of thankfulness to the Great Spirit for the gifts of game. During this thank dance the head maskman touches with his staff each individual in the room, indicating the importance of his joining the dance.
 If any refuse he is caught by the arm and pulled to the floor These false faces are privileged for the entire day 1f the dance AS each one enters the Long-house he roars like bear or nowls like a wolf or whistles the var- ous bird calls, thus representing his .otenl.
 All of these cries are answered by some brother member of the society. Groups of the bird masks squat on the 1oor, hopping like birds as corn and ,ther grains are thrown to them by wo- nen and children, thus exemplifying he rule of Indian hospitality and grat- tude. that to feed the feathered folk is ! religion. The animal masks get meat | which is saved for the feast soup.
 When a violent illness attacks an roquois who is member of this soci- l ty mask is hung at his bedside and | he medicine man asks it to take in the | 'oison and absorb the disease after Vnlcn ceremony the mask IS Scraped | nd cleaned and frequently buried to let | ut the sockness.
 In the collection at Albany some of | hese masks have been diseased and | craped so often they have become | seless. Such are buried forever out of | ight, condemned because of their ina ility to hold the malady.
 Each mask possessed by a member emands it's tribute. At a certain sea- on of the moon it must be talked to uring the offering of tobacco smoke The mask wears a small bag of sacred obacco which when not in use is con ealed in some place about it's head his, too, must be frequently renewed nd solicited during any calamity, na-
 onal or family. The mask medicine man can handle ve coals with impunity. While these re glowing in his hands he blows them ) ashes which he rubs on the pain art of his patient.
 If the owner of a mask behaves badly uring the administration of his du- es he is punished and the mask taken way from him. The mask also has to e punished and is Wrapned in q bar |