Myths and legends of the New York state Iroquois . r; I will not turn you away. I will spare your life,which now is mine, but henceforth you must obey my will be unseen, but you will hear my voice. I will be unknown,yet will I aid you. From here you will go forth, free to live withthe animals, the birds and fish. All these were your ancestors be- 1 All magic beings who possessed otgont, or wizzardly power seem to have been vulnerableonly on this portion of their anatomy. The Niahgwahe, another myth monster, is anotherexample of an otgont creature who could not be killed otherwise. I
Myths and legends of the New York state Iroquois . r; I will not turn you away. I will spare your life,which now is mine, but henceforth you must obey my will be unseen, but you will hear my voice. I will be unknown,yet will I aid you. From here you will go forth, free to live withthe animals, the birds and fish. All these were your ancestors be- 1 All magic beings who possessed otgont, or wizzardly power seem to have been vulnerableonly on this portion of their anatomy. The Niahgwahe, another myth monster, is anotherexample of an otgont creature who could not be killed otherwise. IROOUdlS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 77 fore you were luiman, and hereafter it will be yonr task to dedicateyour life to their honoriu;^! ^A hiehever of these \-i>u meet nn ydur way, do not pass untilyou have felled a strong- tree and ear\-ed its nuage in tlic woodgrain.^ When you first strike the tree, if it speaks, it will bemy A-oiee urging you and you must go on Avith your task. Whenthe trees were first set in their earth muld, eaehwasgiven a Mask of the False Face Company representing Ganusfiuah, the Giant, ttie niytiiica! founiJer of the company These voices you must learn, and the language of the entire , go on your way; I ain watching and guiding you. Go, now,and teach the mankind people kindness, the brother goodness ofall dumb things, and so win 3our wa} to live forever! AVhen the young hunter opened his eyes, he was standing beside ^ The mask to become the habitation of the Gagonsah spirit which lives in the tree mustfirst be carved on the living tree. A ceremonial tire is kindled and an invocation madeasking the life of the tree to enter the maslv and thereby furnish it with life that the Gagonsahspirit might enter. The tree was then propitiated by offerings of tobacco and the mask cutoff. -According to the teachings of the Jadigohsashooh, the False Face Company, each treehas its own voice which the initiated can recognize. When the hurricane twist
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectiroquoi, bookyear1908
