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| 7 Cherokee Ceremonies |
| The First New Moon of Spring Ceremony took place when the grass began to grow and when the Trees sent out their pale new leaves around the First New Moon of March. this Festival initiated the Planting Season and Incorporated Predications Concerning Crop sucess or faliure . it lasted seven days and included dancing and the re-lighting of the Sacred Fire by the Fire Maker. The Ceremony included Sacrificing a Deer Tongue in the Fire. all the Home Fires were extinguished and rekindled from the sacred fires coals. In August came the green corn ceremony (selutsunigististi) it was performed when the new corn was ripe enough to eat. new Corn was not to be eaten untill after the Ceremony took place. Messengers were sent to notify the Towns of the Nation about when the celebration would take place. along the way they gathered seven years of Corn, each from a field of a different Clan. after the Messengers returned the chief and his 7 Councilors fasted for six days . the Ceremony began on the seventh. again, the sacred fire was extinguished and rekindled as of the first new moon Cermony, a Deer tongue was sacrificed in the sacred fire. kerenels from the 7 years of corn gathered from the Clans were also sacrificed . a powder made of tobacco was sprinkled over the fire.afterwared the chief offered a prayer, dedicating the corn to the creator. food that was made from the new core was brought to the townhouse and everyone was fed. the chief and the councilors could only eat corn from the previous years crop for another 7 days. The Ripe Corn Cermony (Donagohuni) was held in late september. it was the only ancent Ceremony that survived into the 20th century. it celebrated the maturing of the corn and was held outdoors in the square ground. in the center of the ground a leafy tree was set. the celebration lasted 4 days and was also marked by feasting. during the Ceremony a special Dance was performed by the chief `s right hand man, as he Danced he carried a green bough, a Mans dance was also held in which eacm man carried a green bough. while it was taking place women were excluded from the square. The third Cermony in the cycle was, The New moon Cermony (Nuwatiegwa) it took place in octoberwhen the New Moon appeared. since autum was the season when Cherokee Stories say the World was created, it represented the New Years Celebration each Family brought some produce from their field to share such as corn, beans, and pumpkins.Cermonies Included Dancing, purification by immersing seven times in water the purification Cermony included predications oh health for the coming year by the priest using the Ulvsuti Crystal. Ten days after the new moon Cermony held the Reconciliation, Friends made Cermony (Atohuna) the Cermony dealt with relationships were bonds of eternal frindships in which each person vowed to regard the other as himself as long as they both lived. it was a Cermony that was a pledge of universal, fraternal, or paternal love. it also intailed reconciliation between those who had quarreled during the previous year. it symbolized the uniting of the people with the Creator and purification of the mind and body The sixth Cermony in the cycle was the Bounding Bush Cermony ( Elawatalegi) few detals are now know about this Cermony the time of this Festival varied ,as the time of it was determined at the New Moon of Autumn. it was non religious in Nature and was celebrated by fasting and dancing. in the dance Men and women alternated in pairs. Two Male Leaders carried hoops with four spokes, each with a white feather at the end. the remainder of the dance is as follows other pairs in the center and at the end of the Dancing Column also carried hoops. all of the remaining couples carried white pine boughs in their right hands. the Dance movement was circular, and in the center was a Man with a small box. he Danced around with in the circle, singing as he did so, and as he passed by the Dancers each dropped a piece of tobacco in the box. the Dance ended at midnight, and was repeted on three successive nights. on the forth night their was a feast before the Dancing. Dancing resumed at midnight. this time People droped pine needles into the box. at the end of the dance, near daylight the dancers formed a circle around the sacred fire, one by one they advanced three times towards the fire , the third tossing both tobacco and pine needles into the flames. Every Seventh year uku Dance the (Peace Chiefs Dance) replaced the New Moon Cermony in this Dance the chief or uku, led the Nation in a Cermony of thanks giving and rejoicing at the conclusion of the forth day observance, the Chief was reinvasted with his religious and cival powers by his right-hand man. uku was one of several titles conferred upon him during friends made Ceremony his title ment one who renews heart and body. |