Note 452 — SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS (continued 5)

“You must know further that I, on whom you are looking, I, who am speaking to you, am indeed the oldest person among my people, and it is on account of my great age that they have chosen me to come to you to tell you our wishes and to teach you our songs. You, too, are able to sing them. It is needful that you shall enjoy yourselves; that you shall dance in order to do this; and that all your people who are here shall take part. In dancing you shall make circuits around the places where you have kindled your fires. When you have finished the singing and the dancing you shall go with your chief to make an offering of tobacco at the very border of our encampment, where you two shall stand to perform this ceremony. When you have kindled a fire you shall cast native tobacco thereon, and while thus occupied you must pray our Creator to permit you and your people to pass your period of sojourn here in health and in prosperity. At that time your chief, too, shall cast something on the fire—things of which you make daily use, and these objects shall become the prayer (the word)452 or message of the people. Furthermore, we together, your and my people, must unite in the performance of this ceremony, and we must also be of one accord when we make this prayer and request of the Creator of our bodies. Now it is for you to return to your people and tell them fully what I have said to you. This is what I have to say.”