The Origin of Curing Ceremonies

This is how ceremonies started among us for the curing of sick people.

Long, long ago, the Earth was made.

Then the One Who Made the Earth also planned for each person to have a piece of land that he could live on and call his own.

Our people were living in one such place, but they didn't like that particular spot. So the One Who Made the Earth told them to move to a new location, and when they did, they slept well, and liked it, and lived in a good way.

Then two men among them became sick and grew weaker and weaker day by day. The people didn't do anything for them because no one knew then about illnesses and how to cure them.

The One Who Made the Earth said, "Why don't you do something for those two men? Why don't you say some words over them?"

But the people had no knowledge of curing ceremonies. Four men among the people happened to be standing, one to the east, one to the south, one to the west, and one to the north. The One Who Made the Earth spoke to one of these men, telling him, "Everything on Earth has power to cause its own kind of sickness, make its own trouble. There is a way to cure all these things."

Now this man understood that knowledge was available. Then those four stood there. On the first night, other one standing on the east side began to chant a set prayer all by himself. On the second night the one on the south started to drum and sing lightning songs. On the third night, the one on the west chanted a set prayer. On the fourth night, the one on the north began to drum and sing lightning songs.

They did not conceive this pattern in their own minds; it was bestowed upon them by the One Who Made the Earth. It was as if the knowledge was transmitted to them from outside.

Then the One Who Made the Earth said to these four, "Why don't you go to the two sick men and say some words over them and make them well?"

So those four went to where the two sick men were and worked over them, and they were cured.

From that time on, we had curing ceremonies and knowledge of the different kinds of sickness that may be caused by various things. That's the way all curing ceremonies started.

 

IROQUOIS FOLKLORE

Among some important Iroquois mythological figures we can find Sky Woman: the mother goddess of the Iroquois tribes, said to have fallen through a hole in the sky; and t he Twins: Sky Woman's grandsons. One of them (variously named Sapling, Good Spirit, Good Mind, Right-Handed, etc.) was the benefactor of the Iroquois, slew monsters and created many things to help humankind; his twin (variously named Flint, Bad Mind, Bad Spirit, Left-Handed, etc.) was evil and caused destruction.

The Origin of the Iroquois Nations

The Five Nations

Long, long ago, one of the Spirits of the Sky World came down and looked at the earth. As he travelled over it, he found it beautiful, and so he created people to live on it. Before returning to the sky, he gave them names, called the people all together, and spoke his parting words:

"To the Mohawks, I give corn," he said. "To the patient Oneidas, I give the nuts and the fruit of many trees. To the industrious Senecas, I give beans. To the friendly Cayugas, I give the roots of plants to be eaten. To the wise and eloquent Onondagas, I give grapes and squashes to eat and tobacco to smoke at the camp fires."

Many other things he told the new people. Then he wrapped himself in a bright cloud and went like a swift arrow to the Sun. There his return caused his Brother Sky Spirits to rejoice.

The Six Nations

Long, long ago, in the great past, there were no people on the earth. All of it was covered by deep water. Birds, flying, filled the air, and many huge monsters possessed the waters.

One day the birds saw a beautiful woman falling from the sky. Immediately the huge ducks held a council.

"How can we prevent her from falling into the water?" they asked.

After some discussion, they decided to spread out their wings and thus break the force of her fall. Each duck spread out its wings until it touched the wings of other ducks. So the beautiful woman reached them safely.

Then the monsters of the deep held a council, to decide how they could protect the beautiful being from the terror of the waters. One after another, the monsters decided that they were not able to protect her, that only Giant Tortoise was big enough to bear her weight. He volunteered, and she was gently placed upon his back. Giant Tortoise magically increased in size and soon became a large island.