Midwinter Rites of the Cayuga Long House

Frank G. Speck

ISBN 10: 1512813796 / ISBN 13: 9781512813791

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press, US, 1950

About this Item

During his last years ethnohistorian Frank G. Speck turned to the study of Iroquois ceremonialism. This 1950 book investigates the religious rites of the Cayuga tribe, one of six in the Iroquois confederation that occupied upstate New York until the American Revolution. In the 1930s and the 1940s Frank Speck observed the Midwinter Ceremony, the Cayuga thanksgiving for the blessings of life and health, performed in long houses on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. Collaborating with Alexander General (DeskÁheh), the noted Cayuga chief, Speck describes vividly the rites and dances giving thanks to all spiritual entities. Of special interest are the medicine societies that not only prescribed herbs but used powerfully evocative masks in treating the underlying causes of sickness.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781512813791

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Midwinter Rites of the Cayuga Long House
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, US
• Publication Date: 1950
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1512813796
• ISBN 13: 9781512813791
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

During his last years ethnohistorian Frank G. Speck turned to the study of Iroquois ceremonialism. This 1950 book investigates the religious rites of the Cayuga tribe, one of six in the Iroquois confederation that occupied upstate New York until the American Revolution. In the 1930s and the 1940s Frank Speck observed the Midwinter Ceremony, the Cayuga thanksgiving for the blessings of life and health, performed in long houses on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario.

Collaborating with Alexander General (Deskáheh), the noted Cayuga chief, Speck describes vividly the rites and dances giving thanks to all spiritual entities. Of special interest are the medicine societies that not only prescribed herbs but used powerfully evocative masks in treating the underlying causes of sickness.

Review

"Since Speck's attitude toward native religion was charged with the highest respect and sympathy, he always was extremely successful in eliciting the cooperation of informants in securing reliable information. . . . Speck's linguistic gifts also facilitated such inquiries."—American Anthropologist

"The charm of [Dr. Speck's] book is matched only by the quiet dignity and poetic imagery of the Cayuga. Immersing himself in the native scene, the author entered sympathetically into the spirit of their thought. . . . Both the prayers and myths are remarkable for their power and loveliness."—Canadian Historical Review