essay
The Feast of the Dead or Ghost Dance at Six Nations Reserve, Canada
Symposium on local diversity in Iroquois culture • Washington, D.C. • Published In 1951 • Pages: 139-165
By: Fenton, William N., Kurath, Gertrude P..
Abstract
This article presents a detailed study of the ceremonial observance of the Feast of the Dead at Onondaga longhouse, Six Nations Reserve, Ontario in 1945 and at Sour Springs (Cayuga)longhouse, also at Six Nations in 1949. Fenton and Kurath describe all aspects of this ceremony with special emphasis on songs, music, dancing, the improtance of the women's role in the ceremony, and the distribution of gifts at the end of the performance. There are also data on Iroquois beliefs about the dead, illustrated by two folk tales concerning the relations between the living and the dead. The article concludes with a few comments on the functional relationship of the Feast of the Dead with other aspects of Iroquois culture.
- HRAF PubDate
- 1996
- Region
- North America
- Sub Region
- Eastern Woodlands
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Types
- Ethnologist
- Musicologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 1961
- Field Date
- ca. 1948
- Coverage Date
- 1949; 1945
- Coverage Place
- Cayuga (Upper) and Onondaga ; Six Nations Reserve, Grand River, Ontario, Canada
- Notes
- William N. Fenton and Gertrude P. Kurath
- LCSH
- Iroquois Indians