On the Paganism of the Civilised Iroquois of Ontario

On the Paganism of the Civilised Iroquois of OntarioAuthor(s): David BoyleSource: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 30(1900), pp. 263-273Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and IrelandStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2842632 .

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( 263 )

ON THE PAGANISMA OF THE (GIVILISi-h) llIOQUOIS OF ONTARIO.

1Y D)AVID 130YLE, Curator of the Archeological AILMS3ui of On1tario.

IT h1as ofteni been1 a subject for doubt whletlier this or that primuitive people, if left to itself, would lhave emiierged ilnto civilisationl-iii otlher words, it lhas

proved a matter of uneertainity whetlier the people concernied possessed the potelncy of progress. In somlle cases Damiie Nature has relenitlessly cut off the stipply of raw lmlaterial before the experimenlt wa,,s well beguii, anldl in others biut a sliolrt time afterwards, sliowing us, at ainy rate, tllat the elements of siuecess were nulltified, alnd worse tlhani nullified, by contact witlh superior peoples.

Respecting, no division of the hulmiani race lhas tliere een mnore diversity of opinioln as to innate possibilities of imiiprovement thani wvith regard to our Amrlerican Imidiamins, ol, as (a sistel society las lately decided to call tlhem,, Aamel inld1. But the telrms just imemitionedl are of veery wide application-nunch too wide to matke it possible for alny oiie to arrive at a conclusion ; for what is true of olle stock, or of olne group in a stock, may 1be wvlholly, or largely, inapplicable to atny other divisioni or subdivisioim.

The Hutroln Iroqtuois believe that they themselves oriigilnatecd frolm a hole uniider a hill on1 the northl shore, of the St. Lawrence river. Their traditions furthltel dteclare that on accounlt of a great dissenisioni wh1iel took place, those whlio ar1e latterly kn1owin mi1orUe specifically as Hurons, anld lhave beeli regarded by Brilntoln atild Hale o0i philological gr1ounlds as the semiior branllch, founld(I tlheir' wtay by circ uitous rotutes to the country wvlichl lies north of Tooinito, oni time soutlh sh1ore of tho c Georgian Bay; while tlhe portion1 we call Iroquois took a souLtlherly courise and occulpied tlle niortlhern anld cenltial part of wlhat is niowv the state of New York.

Otlier two niot incolmsiClerable bodies fotund excellent huiintinig g rouunds sill lartimer west, oni the inortlherni andct southern slhor-es of Lake Erie, tlhe formiier being, kn1ownl to us as the Attiwalidarons, or Neutrals, an1d the latter as tIme Eries, or Cats. Otlher divisions lying soutl of the main body welre the Tuscalroras alnd Alidastes. It is wholly with those wlho imcade tlleir holmle in Newv Yolrk amlid ultimiiately ini Olntario, tllat we are now colncerlned.

It is unnumecessary for presenit purposes to follow the hiistory of tllese people frolmi the date of their first conltact witli the French. Let it suffice to say that early ini the seveniteelnth cenittury they becamiie the unldlyiing eliemies of France, oln accouln-t of an attack thlat wvas miiadte oli tlheimi by Clhatlmiplaini, wvlo allied himself wvithi time Huronms of Olntairio, anid thlus initiated a series of wvars thlat continued(



264 DAVID BoYLE.-Otl the Pagantism of the Civilised Iroquois of Ontario.

until the French were colmipelled to retire fromi the continelit. This allmiost chronic state of lhostilities, lhowever, did not prevelit Frelielh missiollaries from (levoting, thenmselves to the conversioli of these most untaimable of savages, t small portioln of whomlo became Roman Catholics, and liave left descendanlts liviing, liow at St. Ilegis and Caughliawaga ol0 the St. Lawrence. Protestalnt missionaries also, both Dutchl aiid English, maiet with some success; but still a very large miiinority remained true to paganism, so that of those who, on accouint of their loyaltv to us, left the newly formeed United States to take up their abode i Caianada, nearly oniefourtlh clung to the belief of their forefathers. To-day the proportiorn of avowed pagralns to professiina Clhristians is about the samlie, and we lhave tlherefore, on the Grand River Reserve in Ontario, a pagan popullationl of fully onie thousand peirsons. There is another settlement on the Bay of Quinte at Deserointo, all the members of whichl are Mohawks, and profess Christianity.

It will be seen very readily that a colnditioln of society in which pagaanisin opeiily professed and practised has existed side by side with Christianity for nearly three hundred years cannot fail to possess many features of peculial iliterest to the ethlnological studelit, alnd to afford much material for )rofountd studv.

One of the first things that obtrudes itself on the attention of a visitor, eveli duriii, a brief stay among the Iroquois, is the utter indifferelnce of Chlristianl or of pagan to the religiotus convictions of each other. In their Council or governing body of fifty-two members both beliefs are represelnted ; yet lno recriiiiiiatiolns or causes of difference occur on this accounit. Malny of the so-called, Christialns are influeliced largely by old-time predilections, alid either alttendl no place of worship at all or would just as sooll ptut in ali appearance at a pagan festival in the long-house. Still it iiiust be acknowledged that there are whole families on tlje Reserve wlhich are as truly Clhristiani as birth, brilioi,-iip), alnd Indiaii noture relndel possible, but one's opinioln of the possibilities need not be uniireasonably high.

The pagan does lnot regard himself, nor is he regarded bY othiers, as beillg iii alny degiee, or ill alny sense, inferior. He is not ostentatiQusly a pagan othe-wise than in coninectioll with the reaulation feasts, such as those of the New Year (wlhen the white clog is burned), the strawberry-dance, the cor-cldaliee, and malny others. Indeed, it is liot characteristic of the Ildian to be ostentatious in anly capacity, except that of a brave, and, fol the Iroquois, the dlays of bravery in his seiise have long since departed. In lhis relig,ious oi' ceremnouiial dalnces hoe may deck hiiiiself gorgeously with bead-work, cheap jewelleiy, feathers, alnd hiighly coloured garments, but there is an evidelit lack of individuality about hillm inotwithstanding. He seemiis to regards lhinmself miierely as ali alnybody; as a quite indifferelnt unit of hiis clan ; as oiie who happenis to hlave the lnecessary toggery for such a display, alid whose ilmlpersollal or clain duty it is to appear in any sort of grotesque costulnme he pleases Otlher imcii please tlheliselves also by atttelidiiigP



DAVID BOYLE.-On the Paganisnm of the Civilisecl Iroquois of Ontario. 265

the iimost solemni feasts il everyday clothinig. Most of the younger fellows appear in fashionable tailor-made garb, with linen collars and bright silk neckties. The women dress, as a rule, more carefully and conservatively than the imien, their clhief article of apparel besides their gownls or dresses being a brightly coloured shawl, either of some strong uniform colour or of a large tartan pattern.

Now as to the worship itself. Originally it was, as a matter of cou1rse, purely of a natural kind; that is to say, it was founded wholly on the experielnce of the race respectilng everyday phenomena, the occurrence of which was accounted for by explalnatory tales based on anthropomorphic and zoomorplhic grounds. Tlhus the sun would appear to have been regarded as an anirnate being with whoom, in time, became associated the Great White Wolf, if, indeed, it was iiot itself this very animal. Wlhiteness, it miiay be observed, was always associated in the Iidian miind with the East, and, in time, with goodness, success, and health. The other cardinal points were also connected with their respective colours. I1n some mythologies the deer became the mediator of the sun, and in others the turtle. Among nearly all American peoples the rattlesnake was of supreme importance, yet we do not find this creature represented among the totemis of the Iroquois. Animism, or spiritism, pervaded every nook and cranny of Indian belief. Not only could the lower animals converse with one another, alid arralnge plans to benefit their humnan friends or plots for the discomfiture of their enemies, but the hills, the rocks, the streams, the trees, and every object in nature, as well as those produced by art, possessed a spirit. As a result of this convictioll, the Ilidian was, and is, an arrant coward in the dark.

They also had their equivalent of the "fairies" of the Old World-little people who held the power to assist men, or to play them infilnite mi.schief.

Certain places were, to use a Scottish plhrase, "lno caniny." Al1io1ig tl1e lIoquois such places were mostly near rapids, or were the rapids, but sometimes they were in the form of caverns, or of beetling cliffs, on the shores of rock-bound lakes. On approaching or in passing such spots placatory offerings of tobacco were made, and soinetinies objects of considerable value were dropped into the water.

To dreams, our Iroquois, witlh all his congeners, was an abject slave, for he regarded theni as the experiences of the first of his three souls, the seconld being the one which always remainied with his body, and the thircd that which becanic, visible as his shadow.

Roughly, this was the mnental attitude of the Iroquois to lature ancd lnatural phenolmiena until the appearalnce of Ayontwatha, the " Hiawatha " of Longfellow, who, however, miakes an ethiiological niuddle by assigning an Iroquois culture-hero) to Algonkini legend. Ayontwatha was, first of all, at political reformer, if we may so dignify olne who lived in such a crude coliditioni of society; but his stuecess in bringing about a colnfederation of the Caniengas, Senecas, Cayugas, Ololidagas, anid Oiieidwa mtust lhave exerlcised a very p)owerflll infllueiicC in miiodifyilng solino beliefs and initeinsifyili(g otheers aimionig all these " nations " or tribes.



2)66 DAVID BOYLE.-N the Pa1gaCnism (/ the CGvilised Iroquois of Otdario.

We kniow liot wlhen he lived, despite attenipts that lhave beenl iiiacle both by Ilndlialns and by whites to determiine his date; inideed, we are ulncelrtaill whlethel there ever was suelh a person. But, in aliy evelit, there calnie a tilmie whleli tllh, spirit of clhange entered the minids of the Iroquois, and helncefoltlh they becamiie mlore adaptive alid more niodifiable than their surrounding Algoilkill nleighboulrs.

Thus it was, in large mleasure, that they proved themselves sucli unconquerable and resouirceful opponents of European, aind especially of Frencli, aggressionl.

After falling under pturely British influence the nulmiber of professing Clulistials rapidly increased, but, as has already beeli poiilted otut, fully 25 Per centt. hlave remiiailned steadfastly pagaii.

It is froin this point that our study of Iroquois paganiismll becomes interesting, because it was imiipossible that Christian alid pag,aln doctrlines and practices could lolg exist in proxilmlity Nvithout some mnodifyilng influences extelndinig frollm the strolnger to the weaker side. Long before this tilme, lhowever, the Iroquois, in commlllon iwitlh miialny otlher native races, had, perhaps uinconsciolusly, adopted the idea of a Great Spirit frolm tlhe missionaries, for in the aborigilnal palltheoln nto oaw beinog of this kilnd exercised supremie power, or even seemled to take alny ilnterest ini the work of the other spirits, an idea based lno doubt onl the custolmls of thle Indialns themselves, over wholil n1o one iiian exercised absolute sway.

Having adopted the idea of a Great Spirit, tlhe admiiissioni of soniie other beliefs becamiie easier, lnot boicause they lhad aliy logical conniiectioln at all, for logic is quite foreigni to the Indiall miind, but because, perhaps, of the familiarity consequent oii intercourse with Christialls, botlh wllite aild of tlheir owvnl kindl.

It was probably oil accoulnt of knlowledeoe arrived at inl some Such way that ani ()nOllida8ga, by iitae Ska-lne-o-dy-o, wvh1o lived at the endct of the eighleenth

ceiitury (ini 1790 aecordiiig to soiiie), declared hliiimself a proplhet alnd claimiied to hav;e had initelrcourse wvith diviiie beings. His congeners, by this timle, kiiew

enlouglh about Clrlistialnity to be in tiomne miieasure prepalred for a message flom thc Great Spilrit, aiidl thieir p)ecLlial liotions concerniiig soul-experielees fitted il with tlhe aiilnouniieemnelt of Ska-lie-o-dy-o that lie lhad beell favoured wvitlh an interview witlih foutr beiiig-s in lheaveni. IJildoubtedly the Iiidiaiis lhadt hlear-d of the Tmriiiity, but als tlhree is an unlisatisfactory nuumber to the Indian mliind, we lhere hiave a referelnce to fotur persolns, or the Foutr Angels, for although Ska-inc-o-dy-o sWtV only tlhree, the fourtlh one was always present.

it is soiiiewhat remarkable that although this revelation is of stuelh a enimparatively recent date, there is a good deal of confusion respectilng wlhat is known of the eircumstanlces by the frielnds and relations of the prophet; but this only goes to show us how extremely difficult it is to get at the trtuth iii such imatters, alild low little confideiice we miiay place in traditioll, if we demnaiid exactitude.

All thle stories, lhowever, agree iii tlhe statemiielnt that Ska-ne-o-dy-o's revela'tion canie to Iiiii wlhile lie was in a tralnce, so that wve icedd liot care

whether this colnditioni lasted for olily a few lhours or unltil lie caiine to hiimself



DAVID BOYLE.-Oa thC Paganismi of the Civilisecd Iroqtois of Oidario. 267

oni the fourth day. He did not profess that lie had seen the Great Spirit, but only the four beiings wvho were coinmissionied by the Great Spirit to deliver His iessage. These were young imieln, dressed in the lleight of Indiani faslhioll, anld

carrying bows and arrows. Here we have a comproimiise alid a corresponiediec, the formiier as to the numiber, and the latter as to the office; for Christialn teacllilin, alvays initroduces a mediulmi of commlunication betweeln the Creator and His people. As a matter of course, the four persons were Ilndialns, anid bellaved in Inidian iuaimiier, forotherwise the appeal to Indian miiinds would lave lost muneli of its effect. Still Ska-ne-o-dy-o perceived clearly enough that his people required a lnew gospel-one that would correspolid in a miieasure to the altered circumilstarnces in which they found themiiselves, and that would, to solmie extent, place them on a level with white men. Himself, lno doubt, uniaware that a belief in the Gr-eat Spirit wvas oie, of compalatively recent acquiremeent, lie urged the people to offer prayers to Niyoh, the Creator, but lie adds a touclh of Indiai anthropomorphism wlheni lhe teaclhes that all suclh addresses muist be miiade befole nooii, on the groulnd that as thne Great Spirit goes to sleep in the afternooni, lie caimnot then hear anaythilng said to Himl. These prayers were lnearly an adjtnict to the old-time dances, wlichl were to be miiailntained; for the angels said to Sika-ne-o-dy-o, "You miiust worship Niyohm, the Great Spirit, by dancing tlhe, turtle- dance at the new imioon wlhen the strawberry ripelis. At the lne'v moon of the greeln coiln you shall give a thanksgiving-dalce. In the miidwiniter at the liew miooll you shlall give alnotlher thanksg-iving,-dalnce. You slhall lhave a thanksgiving- dalnce at the lnew liloon at the tinme of imlakinig sugar. You shall daiice at tlhe nIeW miioonl of plailtilig-time, alid pray for a good halrvest. You slhall dalnce at tl3c liow mioon of the harvest-tilne, and giv,e tlalmiks folr wlhat the CGreat Spirit hlas given you." Amiong primitive peoples daincilng is itself, as a distinguished Nvriter hsI,s sai(l, "prayiiig witlh the feet." Oral prayer wvas therefore, largely, time restult of Europeani inifluenice, sonethimii, witlh wlichl tIme Iiidian liad becolime to somlie extenit acquainted, alnd sometlhing that wvas of comiiparatively easy assimilationl.

Even the inatter of time prayers, lhowever, is in the liature of a comnproiiiise, for tlle addresses to the Great Spirit are ratlher in the formi of lequests that He vill colmiiinanid other elntities to do their duty, the performnanice of wlichl, but, for His orders, might, be dolie either reluctalitly or liot at all. Take, for examlmple, bearimig in miiind, mealnwhile, the animiiislmi whiclh pervades tlle Imidian ii iicl, tlic following petitions in the prayer whlielh is used at the Burnimig of the White Dlog ini connection with the New Year festival:-

"We ask that the sun will continue to shliiie oli us anId miiake all things grlow. "We ask that the nioon imiay always give us light by night. "We ask that the clouds niay never cease to give us rain aiid smiow. "We ask that the wilnds may always blowv. "We ask that the trees and phalits imiay always grow. We ask that Tlhou wvouldst seud all sorts of iiiuiiialhs for food and clothling,

aniid miiake tile, birds inicrease in muinber."



268 DAVID BOYLE.-On the Paganisnt of the Civilised I'roqgois of Ontario.

Ini this imodern form of prayer it will be observed that lRawen. Niyoh, the Great Spirit, is addressed as controller aind director; in older (but not the oldest) fornms of address, whichl certainly are not prayers, the aiiinistic and individually independent idea colmes out strong-ly, as wlhen, for example, at the gieen-cornl- dance the head iiman, or speaker, says, " We thaink the eartlh for all the things that grow for food," and at a Cayuga sun-dance, at which I was present, the old chief opened the ceremionies by thankinig the eartlh for havingi yielded grass, trees, tobacco, and medicine,, the suln for giving light and heat, the moon for makilng dew, and the thunrder for supplying rain and for prevetnting, serpents from cominig up through the grounid and destroying the people. And then comes this: " We thank the Four Angels for protecting us from sicklness, disease, and accident, and the Great Spirit for providing everything, and governing all things, although we caninot see Him and never will see Him-unless we are good." Here the stock and the grafts are quite distinguishable; the ancient phrases remain much as we may suppose them to have been for centuries, while Rawen Niyoh and the Four Angels are a plain addition without the remotest attempt to miodify the old or assiillilate the new.

The aniiiistic and the anthropomorphic assert their sway once more when we are gravely informed that Rawen Niyoh also thought it would be a good plan to have solue Thunderers, to whom lie gave power to take charge of the whole wvorld, telling themi to use plenty of cold water in their work, as long as the world and the people should last. "He said to the Thunderers, 'You may go talmiolia the people just whenever you like, and give theiri all the water they need'; and we know that all the plants and trees are pleased whein the cold water comes to the earth. They are glad the Thunderers have not forgotten them. Niyoh also told the Thunderers to kill anything that miight be unlucky to the people."

The Indialu Angrels vouchsafed to Ska-lne-o-dy-o otlier ilifornilatioli, somiie of which had referelnce to what we may suppose the best of his people liad always believed, but somiie of it undoubtedly inspired by Christiall influelnce. Thus they told Iiini that Niyoh intended men and women to miiarry and lave famnilies; that the children were to be treated kinldly, liot to be provoked in any way, iiot to be despised for ugliness or awkwardliess, never to be wlhipped; that homeless clhildrien slioLild be adoptedl by imialried persolLs withotL famllilies; atnld lhat lo person iri want should be turnedl away hulugr,y frolii one's door. Ill all this, as well as in what appertaiiis to tlle holdiing of dances, or festivals, we have what is liative, or nearly so ; but wheii Ska-ne-o-dy-o declares that the fourl persolns said;, "Your people iluust not play cards," and " Niyoli says it is wicPket to play a fidldle, anld wronlg to drilk lrulli," he is profiting by Ihis colitact witlh wllite people. The r easolis adduced for the last-named inhibitioni are truly Indian. "i f," said the proplhet, " you are drunnk when you go hunting, the animaLs will snmell you a ]oing way off alndl keep out of your waty ; -if yotu go a-fishilng thle fish wvill bi (C; if you itie driving a 1ioize the slinell of tlle rtllui will iiiLake him rtuli atway; your dog wvill



PAVID ,BOYLE.-Onb the, Pcaganism of the Civilised Iroquois qf Ontario. 269

not like you; your corn andl puiimpkins and tobacco will not grow; if you try to dance or to run, or to sit still, you will have no sense; everything will go wrong."

It might be difficult to find a better illustration of purely aboriginal andl illogical reasoning than this is. Incapacity to hunt, fish, manage a dog or a horse, or to cultivate plants is attribuited to the intelligence of these things; they know that the man has been drinking too much, and for this reason fear him, or despise him; and it is only when the nman tries to sit still, or to ruln, or to dance when drunk, that lie himself will discover his lack of sense.

The inhibitions respecting cards and the use of the fiddle were no doubt intended by the "four persons "-i.e., by Ska-ne-o-dy-o-to prevent too much social intercourse witlh white people, the formner on account of the Indians' well-known gambling propensities, and the latter owing to their equally notorious desire for the strong drinks which usually accompanied such festivities a century ago. It was no doubt also intended to prevent any assimilation of the native feasts or dances with the white peoples' social gatherings-perhaps, indeed, this was the main consideratioln.

Gambling in general, however, was not forbidden, only gambling with cardls. The Indlian prophet was too well aware how utterly imiipossible it wouild be, even were he wishful, to abolish this practice among, his people. Twice a year at the great public feasts it was allowable to play for stakes; and at home, or elsewhere, they could always do as they pleased in this respect.

The feasts or dances so often referred to were, and are, a stern necessity. Withouit these, life to the pagan Indiali would not be worth living, and one of themii is held on every possible occasion in addition to the regular, seasonable, ceremonial affairs to which reference has already beeii made. But in accordance with present custom some of the latter are set apart for thanksgiving. Now the giving of thanks (in our sense) for anything is wholly foreign to Indian nature, as indeed it is perhaps to aboriginal nature everywhere. It is ali acquired method of expression, and whether the sentiment of gratitude has yet been acquired is another question.

Agreeably to the totemic idea thankfulness is out of place, or rather has no existence in any of life's conditions. For primitive man in his tribal relations, individualism has but a hazy meaning, if any at all. He gives as freely as he takes, neither expecting nor giving thanks, but his associatiolns with us have taught him to comply with form at least, and thus in some measure to remove from himself the reproach of the white man respecting Indiani " ingratitude." We find, therefore, that Ska-ne-o-dy-o has introduiced expressions of thankfulness iii connection with some of the ceremonial feasts, but it is also observable in tlle older and slightly adulterated dance-speeches that not a word of this kind occurs. Take, for example, the address of the head man at the Burning of the White Dog, notwithstandino, its ostensible appeal to Niyoh. Following what may be called the invocation, he asks that the suln, moon, clouds, and winds may continue to perforimi their duities that the warriors, youngi men, alld womell



270 DAVID BOYLE.-OA th1e Paganism of th7e Civilised Iroqnois of Ontatrio.

may be preserved in health anid strength; that medicine-plants and fruit trees mllay contiinuie to grow; that game may be abuindant for food anid clothing ; and he eoncludes witlh the self-riglhteous andc unconisciouisly humorous wish, "May the scent of the tobacco I lhave throwni oln the fire reach Thee to let Thee know we are still ood, and that Tllou mayest give us all that we have asked."

With the introducition or adoption of the belief in a (Great Spirit-" Oie, voui kinow, that bosses all the otlher spirits, and the little peoples, and Ta-lon-ya- wit-gon, and Ongweh6goll, you know," as a Selneca onlce explained to me-it b)ecame necessary to provide somie mealls of communication between heaven and earth in addition to prayer anid tllanksgiving,, which, alone, are sonmewhlat too intangible for this puirpose. The Burning of the Wlhite Dog was therefore seized- as a fittinig occasion for the sendilng of messages heaveniwards. Bult this long ante(lates the appearance of Ska-ne-o-dy-o, who actuially forbade the ceremony, probably becauise it was a subject of ridicule amoncg wlhite people. Notwitlh- standinge, both circumstancees, our Canadian Iroquiois pagans mllaintain the custom in eonnection with their ainnual Neov Year's dance at the timne of the Februiary new m10oon, whenl lnear tlle close of a ten days' celebration the niiaster of ceremonies reverently says-

" Great Master, behold lhere all of our people who lbold the old faith, anld 1who initend to abide by it.

By miieanis of this dog )ei ng buirned we hope to please Tlhee, alnd that j ust as we lhave decked it with ribbonis alnd beads, Thou wilt grant favoours to us, Thy own people.

" I lnow place tlle dog oln the fire that its spirit nmay filnd its way to Tlhee who miadle it, and miiade everything, alnd by this means we hope to get all we walit from Thee in returni."

In fuill accordance with Indialn belief, the spirit of the dog, oln reaching Niyoh, will apprise himii of the state of affa.irs oln the earth, a belief that not onily proves a wanit of faith in the adequacy of prayer alone, but which ecould not have lha(l any reason for its existenee before Rawen Niyohl himself was introdcted(l to "boss all the otlher spirits." But the killing, burning, or sacritice Of a white dog lhas always, alnd everywhere over the northern part of our conl- tillent, possessedl somne nmysterious inifluence. In my arebreological report for 1898 I have taken some pains to summarise our knowledge of this clustom, whereby it appears that not only with the Iroquois, but among the Algonkian, Athabaskan, and Siouan peoples, as well as among the more highly cultulred Aztecs, the custom of using sulch an aniimal in one or other of these ways was very gellerally observed.

It miay suiffice in this connectionl to state that in the opinion of General Clark, of Aubutirn, New York, who lhas made a special study of Iroquoian mythology, the white doog is niow employed as a substitute for the white wolf, wlichl formerly represented the sun; and Dr. Brinton, quoting Von Tseliudii, approves the statemiient of the latter that " white dogs were closely related witl cosmnogonical anid cultture myths " in many native religions.



DAVID BOYLE.-Of Mre Priqan)i) qf thf e CJiiisred Ironqoi,.q of Ontaro. 271

However this may be, the poillt to be observed here is that our present. lay pagan Iroqiiois, liaving long Msince forgotten the, original sicrnificanee of

the rite, now attribute mediatorial or intercessory powers to the white dogt, the spirit of one of which they despatch annually to carry a message to Niyoll, or 1Bawen N lvob, the Creator. Nothing can be more certaini thani tlhis, that wbhe there was nio Great Spirit there was ino need for the services of a messenger.

But lnotwithstaniding the evidenit infl Leiices whlich le(l to this liew idea respecting the office of the white dog's annuiial visit, implying as it does a heaven, as (listingnislied from a mere " lappy hiuntiog-ground", it is worthy (f notice that ouir Thidial. friends did liot take kindly to the idea of a hell, whiclh they have left in the undisturbed possession of the wvnite mani. Punishmnent in any case was objectionable to the Indian. It may be difficult to reconcile tlhis statemnent with ouir knowledge of the cruelties he iniflicted onl hiis enemies, wletlher white or of his own blood ; but his puirpose on suiclh occasions was rather to maintain the honouir of Iiis totemn, or of hiis tribe, by renderiing or provi(ding(, ani equivaleiit for the suifferilngs of his owni people when tlley were in tlhe eniemies' halids, as well as wvith a view to test the power of hiis captives' euidiurance, hopilng, if possible, to miiake them evince signs of pain, anid thus, prove, tlhemselves to be only women. Our pagan Iroquois, tlhen, lhas nio ilie, b)llt hiis lenielncy in this respect is more tlhani counterbalanced by his exclusive- iness respectilig heavein, wliere he admits no wlhite nman, Oii the New York Rleserve' it is asserted that George Washington, on accoulnt of his goodness to tlhe Iiidians, hlas been permitted to go half-way, where lhe remainis speechless, arnd accoompaaniied by hiis dlog; buit on the Grand River Reserve in Oiitario, I have niever lheard but one Iiidian refer to this exception, alld it is niot improbable that in time it will be wholly forgotten amongcy Canadian pagans.

Thle remlark has ofteln beeln iiiade that certain groups of people in i-ariois,

parts of the world hiave failed to keep pace with lieighibouiring grolups throughi sheer iinability to advaiice beyondl a giveni linie. Among ou1rselves eivilisatioii is a comparatively slow process, and with some of us it is of much slower (levelopmiieift thanm it is witlh the mass. America]) IndianAs are niot a progressive people. They assimilate Eiiropean- notionis very slowly, anid, at best, sollmewlhat, imperfectly. Tradition and usage are more powerfiil than appeals to action along nEew lines, even- wlien the advantages of the latter course are made plain. It is only wlheni tradition has been deprived of its power by the segregation of iludi- viduals from national or tribal associations that tradition itself ceases to goverln.

If we judge the pagan Iroquois thus, we shall wonder that they have beei in aniy wiay miiodified by Eturopean contact so far as their religion is concerned, for they are thoroughly separated from their Christian fellows in all that concernis their miiyths and suiperstitions. It is not with them, as it is with us, a matter of disputation concerning what constituites the true religion, for accor(dinig to their philosophy it is nlot necessary that all should bo of olle faith. The w1iite man's (o1od need not be-indeed, is ilot likely to be-the same being as the Indian',



272 DAVID BOYLE.-On the Pagqanism of tMe Civilised iroquois of Ontario,

God, and here we see how very superficially after all the idea of a Great Spirit affects the aboriginal mind. It has never been miiade to fit exactly into the Indialn pantheon, which recognises no paramount being, but leaves the thousand- and-one phenomena to the good or bad offices of a thousand-and-one independent spirits, or, perhaps it would be more correct to say, to spirits each of whom is independent in his own sphere, for it is within the power of any one of these beings to create so much trouble on his own account as to compel one or more of the others to " come to time " iD any matter of dispute.

The wonder, then, is, not that Iroquois paganism has been to some extent modified by Christian influences, but that it has been modified so little. One must mingle with these people in their homes, in the fields, at their games, and in their long-houses in connection with their feasts or dances, to appreciate fully their mental attitude in this respect. They are utterly unconscious of any similarity between their own and the white man's religion. They believe that Niyoh, the Great Spirit, has always formed a part of Indian belief, and consequently have no difficulty in accepting the story respecting the four persons or angels he commissioned to communicate with Ska-ne-o-dy-o. Similarly they have no hesitatioim in the offering of specific thanks to Rawen Niyoh, and have perfect faith in the intermediary services of the white dog. If we added to these a few suggestions respecting conduct, based on the Christian code of morals, we have about all for which Iroquois paganism is indebted to European culture after a period of more or less direct contact lasting for three hundred and fifty years. It is questionable whether mnany other forms of paganism have remained so unchanged for the samne length of time, and in anythino approaching similar circumstances. It is, indeed, a matter of doubt whether several forms of Christianity and Mohamrnedanisim have not suffered or benefited to a greater extent, even during the space of the present century.

Here we have in almost their pristine simplicity and crudity the music, the songs, the dances, the speeches, and the ceremonies of old, but the origin and meaning have long since been forgotten. Their maintenance is purely conservative. Even the significance of the words of the song is lost, and in maniy of the ceremonial rote-speeches in connection with the feasts, words andl phrases are employed respecting which even the oldest mnedicine man has no knowledge. In this, however, they are only a few degrees worse than ourselves. The same is true with regard to such customs as the " scattering of ashes," the spraying of heads with sweetened water, the anointing of heads with sunflower oil, and several other rites.

It is interesting, also, to note that all these are indulged in by the half- breeds, and by some who are more than half white, seemingly with quite as miuch zest as by those of purer or wholly pure Indian blood. It seems some- what anomalous, at first sight, to observe, engaged in a dance or a dlream interpretation, persolns of all shades of colour, from the darkest (wlicih is darker



DAVID BOYLE.- On the Pctganisn of the Civilised Iroqiwois of Ontario. 273

than mulatto) to a tint that conveys only the slightest suspicion of Indian blood.

But the old-time ways are doomed, and will probably disappear as a system long before the people die out, for the young nmen mingle more and more with their white neighbours, the young women frequently find employnment as domestics in "white houses," and parents are gradually losing their grip of the ancient forms, although they cling tenaciously to the superstitions these tvpify.

Meanwhile the condition is an extremely interesting and instrulctive one to the anthropologist, onie which in many respects is unique in thle history of the world.

I have frequelntly regretted that when the British Association miet in Toronto a few years ago, no arrangements were made for a visit of the Anthro- pological Section to the Six Nations' Reserve, only some sixty miles distant, when it would have been a matter of but little difficulty to arrange for a special pagan feast, and where the members might have been able to realise, to some extent, much that has been either only slightly adverted to or imperfectly explained in the present paper, respecting the pagan rites and ceremonies of the Iroquois- or, as olne has called thenm, the R Romans of Arnerica."

VOL. XXX (N.S. II1), T



On the Paganism of the Civilised Iroquois of Ontario

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