The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want
My writing with Jesus Christ
Joseph Niesyto, dr hab.
Independent scholar
Azilda, ON, Canada
Journal: SEIA.2020.20.10 p.1-20
published: Dec 18, 2020
https://orcid.org/000-0001-8582-8488
ABSTRACT
Present-day Iroquois are seeking to preserve traditional healing methods. Members of the False Faces Society routinely perform cleansing rituals using Hodo masks. The spiritual significance and proceedings of the rituals were conveyed by the employees of the Iroquois community center (Longhouse) and the fellow tribesmen gathered around these centers. The participants provided information on the ways of acquiring, crafting, invoking, storage, and honoring the sanctified, animated artifact – the mask. The author of the article confronts the current position of the Onondaga Reserve and the Grand River Reserve Iroquois with historical teachings. The elder generation of Indians has maintained their faith in the mystical power of the rituals, while the secularized new generation approaches them with a strong skepticism.
KEYWORDS
healing magic, Iroquois masks, False Faces Society, Hodo, First Nations
NOTE
This paper was published in an Ethnological And Anthropological Studies journal, issued by University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. (in Polish: SEiA "Studia Etnologiczne i Antropologiczne, Vol 20, 2020")
You can download it freely in a PDF format.
The whole SEiA journal, Volume 20 (2020), inlcuding Joseph Niesyto paper, is available at University of Silesia's publication department at this address.
