Awe:yondo? Gawen'notgä'o Now all hearken to what must be said! We are gathered here because of what our Creator has done. He made it so that people should live only a certain length of time--none to be more favored than another. Now our uncles made provisions for this event, and our grandfathers and the chiefs when they first thought of this thing [death] in those days. They had never seen death [before]. Their first knowledge came when they saw a person in an assembly die. [Strangely] no one was surprised. Soon afterwards they saw another death in the manner of the first. Soon again another died. Then did the chiefs consider the matter, saying, "We were not born to live forever." Then did the people see that they were not to live forever but only for a certain period of time. Therefore, they made certain rules. Then did they divide the people into clans, kashadenioh. Then did they divide the clans into two divisions. Now when a death occurred the other division [phratry] was to officiate at the funeral. The side that lost one of its members must quietly mourn and say nothing. The cousins must do the speaking. They must speak telling the mourners what they must think. So now first they should say, "Keep your minds up." The preacher then turns to the mourners and addresses them as follows: There are many of your own relations yet remaining, there are old folk and there are children.. So let these lift up your minds. Moreover here is the earth upon which we tread, everything upon it is for our comfort. There is water, springs of water and streams of water flowing over the earth. There are different plants and trees. All of these our Creator has given us. So let this lift up your minds. So now then another. There is the sky above our heads. There are many things there. In the forms of the stars are signs to guide us. The sun gives us light. The moon gives us light. She is our grandmother., The sun is our brother. All these are performing that for which they were created. So let this lift up your minds. So now then another.
Now it is said that grief adds to the sorrows of the dead. It is said that it is not possible to grieve always. Ten days shall be the time for mourning and when our friends depart we must lay grief aside. When you, the beings of the earth, lose one of your number you must bury your grief in their grave. Some will die today and some tomorrow, for all our days are numbered. So hereafter do When the body of the dead is buried we must become resigned to our loss. It can not be helped. [The preacher speaks to the fathers] Now do you also do the same as the dead side and become resigned to your sorrow? [The preacher addresses the relatives afar off] And now you afar off who are the relatives of the dead, do you become resigned also when you hear of the loss? The things of the past shall continue. It [death] should not hamper or stop any ordination of the Creator. Let not a death stop an event in course of progress. Let us fulfil the law of mourning for a ten-day period and have the feast at the end. We believe that the dead will return at the end of ten days. Now the Creator said, "The customs ordained by the early chiefs [regarding mourning] are right. They had no knowledge of what would happen in the future when they made the customs but the Creator spoke to Ganio`dai'io and said, 'True and good is the ceremony of your grandfathers for the time of mourning and also the death feast.'" [When the face of the dead is unwrapped for its friends to look upon for the last time the preacher says]: Now let all journey to the grave with the body of the dead for it is as far as we can go. [At the grave the preacher turns to the crowd and says] So now we thank all those who have come to this funeral ceremony to help us. So it is done. [The body is then covered with earth.] 107:1 Related by Skidmore Lay, Cattaraugus chief, March 1906.
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