Page:Myths of the Iroquois.djvu/78

 In a former chapter it was concluded that the "Great Spirit" is the Indian's conception of the white man's God. This belief in God is common now to all of the Iroquois, but the Christian religion is professed by only about one-half of their number. The other half of the people are usually denominated "pagans." The so-called Christian Indians are distributed among various sects, worship in churches, and profess Christian creeds.

The pagan Indians worship the sun, moon, stars, thunder, and other spirits rather vaguely defined. But though in talking with white men they frequently speak of the Great Spirit, yet in their worship there seems to be no very well-defined recognition of the same, the term being used in a confused manner. Their religious rites are chiefly in the form of festivals.

Among these so-called pagan Iroquois of today no private worship is known, unless the offering of burning tobacco to Hinuⁿ, or the occasional solitary dance, as practiced by some of the squaws, be so considered.

The annual public national and religious festivals are eight in number, with the occasional addition of those specially appointed. As the nucleus to the ceremonies observed at these festivals we find many of their ancient practices retained, such as dancing, games, the use of incense, &c. And upon these have been grafted, according to their peculiar interpretation, varied forms from the Romish, Jewish, or Protestant churches, which to them seemed suitable and adapt-able. Although the Tuscaroras of western New York retain many of the old superstitions none of the national festivals are there observed, and hardly a trace now remains of their old religious customs.

About half of the Senecas still adhere to paganism, but it is only among the Onondagas that all the old festivals are strictly and religiously observed, after the sequence and manner of the following account of the New-Year Festival:

At the first new moon of the new year, which sometimes occurs three weeks after New Year's Day, the chiefs assemble and call what they