CONTENT WARNING
Authors Note:
Ruby may contain triggers for some. As a reader, I find trigger warnings to be spoilers, but as an author, I understand that they are sometimes necessary. Although I am not going to list each one, there are many, please feel free to email me at author.jmarshall@gmail.com with your specific trigger(s) and I will let you know if that trigger is in this book.
For those of you who wish to go in blind, please remember that this is a work of fiction, and I DO NOT condone any of the situations or actions of the characters.
Happy Reading. Jade Marshall
HOUSE RULES
1. NO HUMANS ALLOWED. EVER.
2. All dancers must wear a hormone suppression patch. AT ALL TIMES.
3. No boyfriends/husbands allowed.
4. No drinking on shift.
5. Zero tolerance for drug use.
6. No dating the customers.
7. Whatever you do after hours is your business, just don’t bring your drama to work.
8. All clothing will be supplied.
9. If you are on shift, you must maintain your assigned persona.
10. No exceptions will be made.
By order of management
CHAPTER 1
NOT WHAT I EXPECTED TO HAPPEN RUBY
I’m not like all the other girls that work at Burlesque Love. I love my job. The eyes on me, the feeling of being watched. Being a burlesque dancer excites me. I may not have been doing this for more than a few months, I simply can’t imagine having to give this up any time soon.
Dancing is what I love. More than anything else.
The moment I turned eighteen I bolted from my pack and the life I was being forced to live. Groomed to be the perfect little omega wife to a man I had never met. Betrothed since before I was even born, all so that our fathers could strengthen their own standing and make a power grab.
I wish that the rest of my life was as simple as my job. No such luck though. I stare at the message on my phone again for the millionth time while I wait for my set to start.
Everything has been arranged. You will be married this Saturday.Bethere.OrElse…
Those are the only words my supposedly loving father sent to me. I knew this was coming but I was hoping it wouldn’t happen for a while yet. Since I can remember I have been groomed to marry the future Alpha from the Dagger pack, Atlas Green. I never intended to let it get this far though it seems I may have let some things slip these past months.
I was planning on finding a way out of the engagement, praying that perhaps the other person in this fucked up arrangement would call it quits. Basically, I was waiting for a miracle that never happened.
“Are you okay, doll?” my manager, Talulla asks.
I’ve been staring at my phone for long minutes and it has clearly drawn her attention.
“Fine,” I reply smiling just as the orange light in the corner of the backstage area starts to flicker, signaling that it’s time for me to get on stage. “I should get going.”
I quickly make my way to the stage as the first strands of music start to filter through the overhead speaker system.
“For your enjoyment,” Peter, our DJ announces. “Here is the lovely Ruby!”
Applause ricochets off the high ceilings as I step out onto the stage. My spiked heels carry me as I sway my hips seductively. The frilly deep red mini skirt I am wearing skates across the skin of my thighs.
Hoots and hollers come from the men in front of the stage as I dance around the pole, divesting myself of my clothes as I go. I barely hear them anymore. I zone out and let the music watch over me and the beat to dictate my every move. Before I know it, the music is done, and the stage fades to black, with me standing in a thong and a set of red and white pompoms. I don’t remember any of my routine, my mind was in the wrong head space. By the sound of applause, I’m sure it went well.
This is what I do after all.
I am a burlesque dancer.
I quickly make my way off the stage and into the back. Grabbing my firetruck red robe from the hook, I wrap it around myself and fall into the chair in front of my vanity. I don’t want to give up my job or this new life I have been building for myself.
“Are you okay?”
I look up to find the girl we call Amethyst, standing beside me wearing a worried expression. We have built up somewhat of a friendship in the past months.
“Not really,’ I supply honestly and she frowns. “Just family drama. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“You know I’m here if you feel like talking later,” she says, squeezing my shoulder before sashaying her way over to her own space.
It’s one of the reasons we’re such good friends. She knows when not to pry. The two of us are happy to spend time together. Going to the movies, shopping, eating dinner. We never get too personal, both of us hiding things we don’t want to discuss.
I need to think of a way to get myself out of this fucking mess but I also need to focus on my job. I don’t want to get fired even though I don’t know if I will be able to keep dancing for long.
The owner, Riggs watches me with hawk eyes from the back of the room and I know he can tell that something is going on, he just doesn’t know what yet. I need to stay away from the big Alpha if I want to keep my secret. He’ll compel me to tell him the truth and I don’t need any more people in my business.
I watch him turn and walk away, leaving me in peace for a moment more. Taking my phone in hand, I reread the message once more just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. And still, there it is. All those words I never wanted to see.
Fuck my life.
CHAPTER 2
HOW TO BREAK A HEART
ATL AS
I have been fighting against this since I can remember but now it’s too late. There is nothing left to fight anymore. My father and hers have made the decision and we are both expected to fall into place.
“This is ridiculous. Do you realize how out of touch this makes you seem?” I demand of my father.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion on the matter,” he replies with no inflection in his voice. “You will obey my order. Your Alpha’s order.”
“So I am to be married to some lowly bitch from the Clover pack. Against my will.”
“Saturday.”
“And if I don’t fall into line? What then father?” He chuckles without humor. “Don’t test me Atlas. I have other sons.”
Effectively dismissed, I left his office. I can’t believe that this is really happening. Since I can remember, I have been betrothed to a female I have never met. it’s not that she lives hundreds of miles away, just that I’ve never had any interest in getting to know her. My heart has always belonged to Jana. We have been a couple since high school and I love her with everything I am. For a time I even believed she would be my fated mate when the time came. When we turned eighteen and the bond just wasn’t there.
Not that it mattered to either of us. We would be mated by choice, if not by fate.
Jana is my everything and I am hers.
And now I am tasked with finding her and breaking her heart the one person I never wanted to hurt and now I have to rip her heart out.
Walking through the compound, I wave at other pack members, smiling at the children running around, kicking a ball. Life in the Dagger pack is good and peaceful. We haven’t had any problems with outsiders or hunters for years.
I’ve considered taking Jana and making a run for it but she wouldn’t survive without a pack. Some of us are built to be one of many and fade on our own. I couldn’t do that to her.
I find my love sitting under a large elm tree in front of her parents’ house. She may already be twenty-four years old, but until she is mated she will remain with them; unless she leaves the pack. Just something more to prove my point. I moved out of my parent’s place the moment I could praying to never have to return.
I watch her deep chestnut hair shine in the fading rays of sunshine, her head bent over whatever book she is reading. Sitting beside her, I take in the beauty that has captured me since day one. Her creamy, pale skin, the jut of her chin, the slope of her neck, and the curve of her breasts barely contained in the pretty yellow sundress.
My cock awakens behind the zipper of my jeans and a bastard thought flashes through my mind. Should I fuck her one last time before telling her the truth?
No. This needs to end now.
“Atlas,” she smiles brightly, closing her book before kissing me deeply.
I allow the moment to linger for longer than I should but if this is my last moment with her I want to savor it.
Pulling away I stare into her hazel eyes.
“I’m getting married.” I blurt out the truth, ripping off the proverbial band-aid instead of dragging this out. “On Saturday. My father has decided.”
Shock flashes across her face before she lowers her gaze. I wait for long moments for her to say something.
“Isn’t there anything we can do?” she asks brokenly, tears spilling from her eyes when she faces me again.
“No. I will be fully mated to another woman,” I give her the truth.
“I don’t want to lose you,” she hiccups.
“I’m sorry.” The words are hollow and meaningless, and yet they are all I have.
Standing, I turn to walk away but Jana wraps her arms around my middle, stopping me in place.
“Do you have to tell her about me?” she whispers in my ear.
Shock courses through me. “You still want to be with me even if I have a mate?”
I turn to face her. I need to see her every reaction to gauge if she is actually being serious. It won’t be ideal but it could definitely work. Except for the initial mating, the only time I will have to be with my mate intimately is when she goes into her heat.
“I can’t stand the thought of you with anyone except for me,” she says. “But if this is the only way to be with you I want to try. She isn’t your fated mate either and I am the one who holds your heart.”
“Jana,” I say sadly. “Your heart wouldn’t be able to bear it.”
“It’s my choice, Atlas. And I want to try.”
CHAPTER 3
ONE LAST PRIVATE DANCE
RUBY
I haven’t told Talulla that I need to quit. I know leaving will leave her short staffed but I am hoping that I will be able to keep my job. If I’m lucky my new husband won’t have any interest in me besides the perfunctory breeding. If he doesn’t want me to be underfoot I can still keep doing what I love even after this ridiculous mating ceremony is over.
Sitting in the back, I touch up my makeup after finishing my routine. I have already gotten all my effects in order for tomorrow. In my cupboard, I have a pretty white sundress with a lace overlay that I will wear for the ceremony. I may not want to go through with this but I know if I make anything less than the full effort my father will lose his fucking mind.
“Ruby,” Talulla calls out as she makes her way through the other dancers. “I have a bachelor party that just watched your routine and have requested a private dance. Are you up for it?”
“How many guys?”
“Three.”
“Give me five minutes to change and I will be out.”
Quickly I drop my robe and find a different outfit. Fire engine red lace underwear, black and red plaid schoolgirl style skirt with tie, and white thigh-high stockings with red stiletto heels. I purposefully
undo the top three buttons on the shirt to show off the lace from my bra before I make sure my red bob wig is perfectly in place.
Making sure to put an extra sway into my hips I step out from the back and stride toward the bar. Chin up, breasts out, I strut like the proud peacock I am.
“Sam,” I call out to the bartender. “Give me a bottle of Fireball and three shot glasses.”
He laughs loudly while gathering the items I requested. “You love doing this, don’t you.”
“Yes sir. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” I bat my eyelashes at him as I balance the silver tray on my left hand before striding away.
At the entrance to the private room, I knock loudly, count to three, and push the door open before striding in confidently. Three men, dressed in suits stare back at me, each of them assessing me with various levels of interest.
“Gentlemen,” I purr seductively. My name is Ruby and I will be your entertainment for the next hour.”
“Entertainment?”
The question comes from the man with jet-black hair and icy blue eyes. Depositing my tray on the coffee table I take a seat beside him on the tan leather couch. His scent hits me and heat floods my core. Peppermint and coffee.
Thank God for my suppression patch. The males will assume I am simply aroused. If I wasn’t wearing the patch my omega scent would be filling the room and the club, driving each and every male mad.
“You are paying for my time and as long as your request falls within the rules that we uphold here are Burlesque Love, the sky is the limit. Dancing, talking, drinking, whatever you want.”
I run my fingers along his thigh, trying to entice something except a frown from the man that has me enraptured. Interest shines in his eyes as he holds himself back, spreading his thighs and resting his arms along the back of the couch. More comfortable in his own skin than any man I have ever met. he knows he is attractive and the smell of my arousal hanging in the air is only making him more cocky.
“Why don’t you pour us each a shot of whatever you brought in here with you,” he says with a cocky grin. “Then we can decide what to do next.”
Rising from my spot I bend over at the waist, making sure the man behind me has an obscene view up my skirt. I’m not usually so brazen but if this is going to be my last night of freedom, I may as well enjoy myself.
“Fuck me,” he grumbles and I feel giddy.
Slowly, I pour the drinks and pass one to each of the men. Turning I face the dark stranger once more.
“Which one of you is the lucky bachelor?”
“Me.”
That single word carries more weight than anyone could imagine. He sounds about as happy about his upcoming nuptials as I am. Probably got some stupid girl knocked up and now her father is demanding the mating ceremony. Some people are more traditional in their views than others are.
“Well,” I say with an impish smile before grabbing the remote for the sound system and hitting play, “Let’s make sure you enjoy your last night as a free man.”
Walking back around the table, I straddle his hips without waiting for his permission. I place his hands on my hips, already gyrating, making sure he knows this lap dance isn’t for anyone else except him. His fingers dig into the flesh of my ass and I know I will carry the bruises in the morning. I guess I’ll have to shift before the ceremony to make sure that my future husband doesn’t see it.
“What are you doing?” He asks, staring at my breasts as I slowly unbutton my shirt.
“Lap dance, silly. just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
His friends laugh in the background but I am more focused on the sound reverberating from his chest. The deep growl builds, making it clear that his animal is more than happy to comply.
If I have to quit my job tomorrow, at least tonight will have been worth it.
CHAPTER 4 THE CEREMONY
ATL AS
I should be focused on everything that is happening around me but I couldn’t care less. Not about the guests, the pack elder about to bind me to a stranger, or my father, my Alpha, glaring at me from his seat in the front row. I almost flip him the bird although I know there will be hell to pay if I do something that stupid in front of this massive gathering, so I stowe the urge.
I should be worried about where Jana is and what she is doing but that isn’t a priority for me either.
No. My head is still reeling from last night. The woman who danced for me.
Ruby.
She has consumed my every waking thought since I left Burlesque Love. Hell, she even haunted my dreams last night. Unblemished skin, perky tits, swaying hips, and an ass I wanted to take a bite out of. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’ve never been the type of man to fall into lust. Why now?
It was my first time visiting the burlesque club that everyone in the area has been raving about this past year. And I can honestly say that I wasn’t disappointed.
She was stunning. Her confidence. Her sexuality. All of it folded into each other to create the most beautifully sexual being I have
ever laid eyes on. And the way she danced? Goddess, she was stunning.
I would have loved to spend more time with her, perhaps to fold her over the tan couch in that back room and fuck her until she screamed my name but I couldn’t. I already had enough on my plate and I didn’t feel like dealing with any extra bullshit. So I left the club after a few hours. I left a ridiculous tip for Ruby and vowed to forget about a strange woman whose real name I don’t even know.
I need to focus on being the son my father wants. I am going to be the Alpha of this pack someday and as such I need to learn to fall in line and follow orders. Even those I don’t want to.
And now I am standing in a clearing in the middle of the forest, ready to be mated before both our packs to a woman I have never laid eyes on. Hopefully, she will be as disinterested in this mating as I am and we can go on with our own lives even if we have to live together.
A hush falls over the crowd. Lifting my head I clear my thoughts and look down the aisle to see a woman with fiery red hair, standing in a white knee-length sundress. Her father, the Alpha of the Clover pack takes her arm in a grip that is clearly firmer than it should be and all but drags her toward me.
In her hands, she holds a bouquet of wild flowers and my lips twitch slightly. I can’t think that either of our fathers would be happy with such a simple thing. Looks like my future mate at least has a mind of her own.
A short veil covers the front of her face so I take in what I can see. Average height, beautiful alabaster skin, and curves like a country back road. Maybe being mated to her won’t be so much of an inconvenience after all. Fucking her definitely won’t be.
“Behave,” he father hisses in her ear.
She nods silently. Her father presses her hand into mine before taking a seat beside my father. I hope he knows he won’t be talking to her that way in the future. Strange, protective feelings for this strange woman well up inside me, and I want to pummel her father when I see the red handprint on her arm.
The pack elder beside us starts to drone on about the importance of the pack and the community we have built. How a bonded, mated couple is the lifeblood of our entire way of being.
“Atlas, will you take care of this woman? Will you cherish her and her animal unlike any other? Will you put her life, safety, and happiness before your own?” The pack elder asks.
“Yes.” My reply is loud and clear, carrying through the clearing.
“Charlene, will you take…”
The woman before me cuts off the pack elder, not needing to hear the rest.
“Yes.”
I stare at her covered face wishing she would remove the damn thing already. Her husky voice sounded familiar, niggling at my brain. I try to figure out where I would know her from but I can’t grab hold of the memory.
Chuckles erupt around us at her hurried reply, people assuming we simply want the mating ceremony over so we can move on to more important business, like the actual mating.
Very few people are aware of the fact that we don’t know each other, much less that we are being forced to do this. My father wants this to seem like a perfect little love story even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. appearance and all that shit, you know.
“Well then,” the pack elder says. “To seal this mating before your pack, friends, and family, you may now kiss your mate.”
Slowly, I lift the veil to reveal her face for the first time. Shock courses through me as I take in every inch of the face I know I’ll never forget.
Ruby.
“Kiss me, idiot,” she hisses, grabbing me behind my head and sealing our fates together.
CHAPTER 5
WHAT A WONDERFUL SUPRISE CHARLENE
Being dragged into this ceremony by my father I had no idea what I would find at the other end of the aisle. You can imagine my surprise at finding the sexy bachelor from last night, the same man that played the staring role in my erotic dreams was a welcome surprise.
The elder drones on and on about how important mates are and at one point I swear I want to scream. I’ve never been the most patient woman and this shit is driving me insane.
Once we have verbally sworn to remain true to one another he lifts my veil to seal the binding with a kiss. The shock on his face is almost laughable even if this the time for that. Everyone is watching us.
“Kiss me you idiot,” I hiss, circling my arms around his neck and drawing him down to me to fuse my lips with his.
Atlas, because I now know his name, doesn’t require any more encouragement from me. His hands grab my hips, the same as last night. Except now he isn’t holding me at arm’s length.
No. He drags me against his body, molding me against his hard chest as his lips devour mine, his tongue plunging forcing its way inside my mouth and seeking out every corner.
A mewl escapes me and the gathered crowd erupts in raucous clapping and hollering.
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Canoe, coming of white men in, 121; over river to Spirit land, 54
Cantico, Penn’s term for ceremony, 115-116
Cap, bearskin, of Mask impersonator, 42
Carved drumsticks, in Annual ceremony, 101-103, 150; in Minsi ceremony, 130-131, 139-140, 197
Carved faces, on drumsticks, 101, 130-131, 197; on posts of Big House, 42-43, 83, 88, 106, 119, 148, 150; on posts of Minsi Big House, 129-130, 151; representing Keepers of the Heavens, 31.
See Mask, Masks, Mĭsiʹngʷ'
Catfish, James Wolf’s dream of, 72-73
Cattle, Mask Being guardian of, 35, 157
Cayuga, False Face company of, 161; long-house, thanksgiving of Lenape in, 139; Planting dance of, 143
Cedar-leaves, burning of, at Annual ceremony, 105
Central post, carved faces on, 83, 119, 151; ceremonial of: in Annual ceremony, 94, 106, 119-120; in Feast of first fruits, 144; in Minsi Big House, 129-130, 135; in Muxhato ʹzing, 123
Central West, Peyote cult in, 185
Ceremonies, directed by guardian spirit, 65; extinction of, 63; in honor of dead, 55, 191, 195-196; minor, 198-199; of Big House, 75-76, 82; of Lenape, paintings of, 14; of Minsi Big House, 127-145; of Minsi to Mother Corn, 43; of Unami and Minsi, compared, 196-200;
thanks given to Great Spirit in, 18, 145, 196
See Annual ceremony, Ceremony
Ceremony, of Bear, 171-176; of Buffalo, 182-183; of Doll Being, 46, 162-171; of First fruits, 144-145; of Mask Being, 35, 198-199; of Mask society, 37, 159-161; of Otter, 176-183; of Peyote, 185-191; of Skeleton dance, 183-184; of Thanksgiving, 139-143.
See Annual ceremony, Ceremonies
Chant, at Otter ceremony, 180-181; of Pokiteʹhemun, 67-68; referring to Mask Being, 69; referring to visions, 66-74, 136, 174-175, 195; Unami examples of, 67-72.
See Singers, Singing, Visions
Charm, opiʹna or blessing as, 65-66; charms: from Great Horned Serpents, 49; miniature masks as, 36, 42.
See Fetishes
Charts of Heaven drawn on deerskin, 57
Chastity of boys, 62-63
Chief, of the gods, Great Spirit as, 19; hunter of Annual ceremony, 85, 97.
See Leader
Chief Waubuno, description of Minsi ceremony by, 143-145; on Great Spirit, 21-22
Children, cared for by Mask Being, 34-35, 153, 155-156; Doll Being revealed to, 162-163; Little People hunted by, 49, 193; meeting of, with parents in Heaven, 53, 91;
no longer piʹlsŭⁿ, 63, 112-114; part of, in Annual ceremony, 108-109; prayers for, 115.
See Boys, Girls
Cholera checked by False Face company, 161
Christ, tomb of, at Peyote rite, 186-187.
See Jesus Christ
Christianity, concepts of, in Peyote rite, 186-190; idols given up for, 38; Naniʹtis given up for, 169; visions given up for, 72.
See Devil, Missionary, Whites
Clans, see Phratries
Clothing of Naniʹtis, 167.
See Costume
Coat of bearskins of Mask impersonator, 34, 41
Colors, dyes for, 141.
See Black, Red
Comet, attributes of, 48-49
Cones, copper, adorning Miziʹnk, 158
Confederacy of the Lenape, 13
Conjurer, information of, in regard to Great Spirit, 22-23
Copper adorning Miziʹnk, 158
Corn, beans and vegetables, wampum string symbolizing, 141142; called Lenape food, 70; in rattle of Mask impersonator, 42; offering of, 144; soul likened to, 59; spirit, duties of, 193; thanks for, 145;
thanks to, 134
See Mother Corn
Corn-bread at Minsi ceremony, 137
Corn Goddess, see Mother Corn
Corn-mush, see Hominy, Säʹpan
Costume, of impersonator: of Mask Being, 33-34, 41-42, 56, 152-153, 155, 158; of Otter, 177-182; of members of Mask society, 159; of Naniʹtis, 169-170; of Sun, 27; worn at Annual ceremony, 93; worn at Ghost dance, 191
Cranes or singers of Annual ceremony, 85. See Singers
Crayfish, James Wolf’s dream of, 72-73
Creator, see Great Spirit
Cripples, injunction to help, 91-92
Crooked nose of Miziʹnk, 158
Crops, prayer for, 44, 134; ruin of, 113; supernatural control of, 194; watered by Thunder Beings, 193
Cross, drumsticks marked with, 101; spirit road represented by line on, 187-188. See Crucifix
Crow as guardian spirit, 69-70
Crucifix at Peyote rite, 187
Cult, see Ceremony, Ceremonies
Dance, at Thanksgiving ceremony, 142-143; in honor of Great Spirit, 88; native terms for, 115-116; of Buffalo, 182-183; of Doll Being, 164-165; of First fruits, 128; of guardian spirits, 73; of Ghost, 190-191; of Mask impersonator in Big House, 42, 99; of Mĭsiʹngʷ', 152-156; of Skeleton, 183-184; of Weopĕʹlakis, 36; Planting, 143; Strawberry, 128, 197; dances connected with Mask society, 160.
See Dancing
Dance songs accompanying chants, 66.
See Chant, Singers, Singing
Dancing, at Annual ceremony, 42, 95, 99, 103, 106, 115-116, 118-122; at Feast of first fruits, 145; at Minsi ceremony, 135-136, 140; in ceremonies of Naniʹtis, 168, 171; in Happy Hunting Ground, 56, 58.
See Dance
Dankers, Jaspar, and Sluyter, Peter, on Great Spirit, 20
Day, clothing the Great Man, 23; god of, 28.
See Great Spirit
Dead, beliefs concerning, 52-60; ceremonies in honor of, 55, 191; dance in honor of, 183-184; food offered to, 52, 195-196; food taken by, 71; going west, 132;
spirits of, as guardians, 71-72, 194-195
See Ghosts, Immortality
Death, propitiation to prevent, 199
Deer, abundance of, in Happy Hunting Ground, 58; ceremonial hunting of, 97-101; for Annual ceremony, 117; for Doll dance, 163-164, 168-169; for Feast of first fruits, 144; for Minsi ceremony, 132; herded by Mask Being, 33, 148, 150, 156
Deer-hoofs adorning Miziʹnk, 158
Deerskin, charts of Heaven drawn on, 57; clothing Sun, 27; drum at Annual ceremony, 85, 94-95, 100, 106, 115-116, 120; drum at Buffalo dance, 182-183; drum at Doll dance, 165; drum at Minsi ceremonies, 130, 135, 139; drum at Mĭsiʹngʷ' dance, 154-155; drum at Peyote rite, 188; giving away of, at Annual ceremony, 108-109; stuffed with grass, 123; suspended from pole, 144; taken by hunters, 108; worn by members of Mask society, 159
Delaware, Lenape first encountered in, by whites, 13
Devil, a Christian concept, 24-25, 57, 194.
See Evil Spirit
Devil dance, Mĭsiʹngʷ' dance so called by whites, 156
Dewey, Oklahoma, Big House near, 82
Dictionary, Indian, Zeisberger, author, 43
Disease, caused by neglect of rites, 116; ceremony of expelling, 37;
cured by Mask Being, 159, 161; cured by Pabookowaih, 168-169; prevention of, by ashes, 160.
See Sickness
Dish of bark used in Annual ceremony, 105-106
Doe offered to Naniʹtis, 168-169
Dogs, forbidden in Big House, 121; prevented from eating bones, 118
Doll Being, belief in, 45-47, 162-163, 193, 199; Unami dance of, 163-166.
See Naniʹtis
Dolls, see Fetishes
Dream helper, see Guardian spirit
Dreams, see Visions
Drink, ceremonial, at Bear cult, 175-176; of Minsi ceremonies, 128, 134
Drum, at Annual ceremony, 85, 95-94, 100, 103, 106, 115-116, 120, 197; at Buffalo dance, 182-183; at Doll dance, 165, 168; at Feast of first fruits, 144; at Ghost dance, 191; at Minsi ceremony, 130, 135, 139-140, 197; at Mĭsiʹngʷ' dance, 154-155; at Peyote rite, 188-189
Drummers, at Annual ceremony, 95, 100, 110, 150; at Doll dance, 165
Drumsticks, at Annual ceremony, 101-103, 106, 150; at Minsi ceremony, 130-131, 139, 197; at Peyote rite, 188
Duck as guardian spirit, 67-69, 140
Dyes for red and black, 141
Eagle-feathers, fan of, 188
Earth, concept of, 28-29; created by Great Spirit, 18, 21; duties of, 193; thanksgiving to, 89-90; wampum string symbolizing, 141-142
Earthquake caused by abandoning rites, 149, 151
East, ceremonial significance of, 74, 83, 85, 98, 100-101, 108109, 119, 121-122, 131, 137, 144-145, 149, 155, 182, 186187; Grandfather at, 26; home of Great Spirit in, 109; thanksgiving to, 89
Elauʹnato or Comet, attributes of, 48-49
Elder brother, title, of moon, 28, 193; of sun, 28, 193; of Thunder Beings, 29, 193
Elements, as guardian spirits, 77; worship of, 29-31. See Thunder Beings
Elkhair, Chief Charley, acknowledgment to, 14; Annual ceremony explained by, 112-115; myth of Mask related by, 146-152; speaker of Annual ceremony, 85; speech of, at Annual ceremony, 87-92
Elkire, see Elkhair
Emetics, purification by, 57, 79; visions induced by, 64
Endalŭn towiʹyŭn, title of Four Directions, 26
English settlements on Susquehanna, 41
Europeans, concept of Devil introduced by, 25, 57, 194
See Christianity, Whites
Evil, exclusion of, from Heaven, 53, 56-59
Evil Spirit, native concept of, 24-25
Evil spirits, driving out of, 133, 145, 188; ghosts as, 59; Giant Bear one of, 49; Great Horned Serpents as, 29, 49, 193; placation of, 194; Tornado one of, 47-48
E-ye-he-ye-ĕ, cry concluding chant, 136
Faces, carved: by children on sticks, 162; in Big House, 31, 42, 83, 88, 119, 148, 150; in Minsi Big House, 129-130, 151; on drumsticks, 101, 150, 197; on Minsi drumsticks, 130-131; ceremonial painting of, 105-106; painted by sun, 76; painted, of Mask Being, 33, 41-42, 150, 155; painted, of sun, 27.
See Mask, Masks
Fairies, Little People like, 49
Fall, Annual ceremony celebrated in, 81, 116, 119-120; ceremony of Naniʹtis in, 171; Thanksgiving in, 139
False Face Company of Iroquois, 198-199; compared with Minsi mask, 161
Family, keepers of: Bear, 172; Doll, 163-164; Mask, 33-35, 151; Naniʹtis, 166-171; Otter, 177-182;
sacrifice by, 116-117
Fans, eagle-feather, at Peyote rite, 188; turkey-wing, ceremonial sweeping with, 133
Fasting, visions induced by, 60, 64, 79, 194
Fat, drinking of, 176; thrown on fire, 117-118, 134, 173-175
Feast, at Annual ceremony, 85, 96-97, 107, 109; at Bear ceremony, 173-176; at Buffalo dance, 182; at Doll dance, 166-167; at Minsi ceremony, 137; at Mĭsiʹngʷ' dance, 152-156; at Peyote rite, 190; ceremonial, Zeisberger on, 116-118; of the Dead, 195-196; of First fruits, 144-145; of hunters, 97-98, 100-101; of Machtuzin, 126; of Otter ceremony, 177, 179, 182; to Naniʹtis, 169, 171
Feasting in Happy Hunting Ground, 56
Feathers, adorning Miziʹnk, 158; fan of, 188; Peyote placed on, 187; red, worn by sun, 27
Feeding, of dead, 52, 71; of Naniʹtis, 167; of Otter, 179, 182
Female deities: Doll Being, 46, 162-171; Earth, 28, 89-90, 193; Grandmother at the South, 26; Great Spirit, 20; Mother Corn, 43-44, 70, 195
Festival of Machtuzin, 125-126
See Ceremonies, Ceremony
Fetishes or dolls, 45-46, 162
See Charm, Doll Being
Fire, ceremonial making of: at Annual ceremony, 85-88, 101, 132-133, 196; at Buffalo dance, 182; at Otter ceremony, 179; ceremonial use of: at Annual ceremony, 98-100, 105, 107, 117-121, 134, 160; at Bear cult, 173-175; at Doll dance, 165-166; at Feast of first fruits, 144-145; at Otter ceremony, 180-181; at Peyote rite, 187, 189; festival in honor of, 125-126; gift of Great Spirit, 18; tobacco offered to, 126
Fire-drill used in Annual ceremony, 86.
See Pump-drill
Fire-maker of the manĭʹtos, 101.
See Pump-drill
First fruits, offering of, 115, 144-145, 197.
See Strawberry dance
Fish as guardian spirit, 72-73, 78
Flint, and steel, ceremonial fire-making with, 179; fire springing from, 18
Flying Wolf, vision of, 73-76
Food, ceremonial purity of, 62-63; distribution of, at Annual ceremony, 121; hunters provided with, 97; offered to dead, 52, 195-196; procured by dead, 71.
See Feast
Foot-log across river to Spirit land, 54
Forest, boys driven into, for vision, 63-64
Forks on drumsticks, 130, 141
Four, attendants: at Annual ceremony, 118; in Minsi ceremony, 132; drumsticks in Minsi ceremony, 139; musicians in Minsi ceremony, 140
Four Directions or Four Winds, manĭʹtowŭk of, 25-27, 29, 88, 112-113, 193; prayers to, 51.
See Winds
Four Powers, Brainerd on, 22.
See Four Directions
Fouts, see Fox
Fox, Julius, acknowledgment to, 14; explanation of Annual ceremony by, 111-113
Fox, Minnie, acknowledgment to, 14
Fruits, prayer for, 113.
See First fruits
Full moon, Annual ceremony held in, 119-120; Mĭsiʹngʷ' dance in, 152
Future, controlled by guardian spirit, 62; foretold by visions, 61-62, 79-80, 121; prayers for, 115.
See Immortality
Game, Mask Being guardian of, 150
Gaʹmuing, native name for Annual ceremony, 109. See Annual ceremony
General thanksgiving, see Thanksgiving
Genii of places, 51
Ghost dance, rites of, 190-191
Ghosts, as guardian spirits, 54; bewitchment by, 59
Giant Bear, an evil manĭʹto, 49.
See Great Bear
Gicelĕmû'ʹkaong or Great Spirit, 88.
See Great Spirit
Gickonĭkiʹzho or Gĭckokwiʹta, Unami name of sun, 27.
See Sun
Girls, sacred otter of, 176-179; vision of Doll Being by, 162-163
Gitctlaʹkan or Thanksgiving ceremony, 139-143
God of day, 28.
See Sun
God of light, 23-24.
See Great Spirit
Goodness, attribute of Great Spirit, 17, 23-24; definition of, 58; reward of, 53, 56, 58, 90-92
Gourd rattle at Peyote rite, 188
Grandfather, at the East, 26; at the North, 26, 48; at the West, 26; title of: Four Directions, 193; Mask, 112; Tornado, 47; Fire, 125
Grandmother, at the South, 26; Pabothʹkwe, Great Spirit of the Shawnee, 20;
title of Doll Being, 164; title of one of Four Directions, 193
Grandparents at the Four Directions, 26-27
Grand River, Ontario, drumsticks collected at, 130-131; Mask collected at, 158, 160-161; Naniʹtis collected at, 168; version of Minsi ceremony at, 138-143; worship of Corn Goddess at, 43
Grass, deerskin stuffed with, 123; drum stuffed with, 154, 165; strewn for seating guests, 117
Grasshoppers, plague of, 113
“Graven image” of Mask Being, 33.
See Mask, Mĭsiʹngʷ'
Grease, annointing with, in Annual ceremony, 105-106
Great Bear, a lesser manĭʹto, 49, 193
Great Father, see Great Spirit
Great Horned Serpents, evil manĭʹtowŭk, 49; protection against, 29, 193
Great Man, attributes of, 23.
See Great Spirit
Great Spirit or Gicelĕmû'ʹkaong, concept of, 18-24, 88-92, 192193; early writers on, 20-24; goodness of, 23-24; guardian spirit sent by, 80, 121; home of, in east, 109; home of, in Twelfth Heaven, 19, 31, 52-53, 196; masks the messengers of, 31, 88, 112-113; Minsi concept of, 127-128, 133-134; prayer to, 18, 31, 88-90, 112-113, 136-138, 196; relation of Mask Being to, 32-33;
remote from individual, 62; thanks to, at Annual ceremony, 18, 120, 138, 196; thanks to, at Feast of first fruits, 145; thanks to, in Peyote rite, 190; Thunder Beings ministers of, 29; wampum given by, 122; wampum string symbolizing, 141-142; worship of, at Annual ceremony, 118. See Pa'ʹtŭmawas
Guardian spirit, animals as, 49-50, 70, 77, 80; ants as, 78; birds as, 78, 80; buffalo as, 78; chants explanatory of, 66; courage derived from, 78-79; crows as, 69-70; dead as, 54, 71-72; ducks as, 67-69, 140; elements as, 77; fish as, 78; given by Great Spirit, 80, 121; given in visions, 65-66, 194-195; Mask Being as, 69, 151, 197; moon as, 78; Mother Corn as, 70; owl as, 78; periodic ceremonies of, 199; prayer to, in sweathouse, 123-124; serpent as, 78; sun as, 76, 78; supernatural helpers as, 61-63; Thunder Being as, 74-75; title of Mother Corn, 43; vision of, 174-175. See Thunder Beings, Visions
Ha-a-a, variant of prayer-cry, 108
See Ho-o-o
Hair, of Mask Being, 33, 158; of Sun, 27; of Tornado, 47
Halfmoon, Sun spirit guardian of, 76
Hank, Eunice, Naniʹtis given up by, 169
Happy Hunting Ground or Land of Spirits, 20-21, 52-59, 88, 9092.
See Heaven
Head, bear’s, ceremonial offering of, 173-175; of family, duties of, 117; heads: annointed with red paint, 105; carved on drumsticks, 101, 139-140, 150, 197; dropping of, by Comet, 48-49; stone, of Mask Being, 40-41
Health, Bear cult preserving, 172; fetishes preserving, 45-46; Otter cult preserving, 177-179; god of, 168; Mask restoring, 34, 36-37, 156-157, 159, 161; Naniʹtis guardian of, 163-164, 166-171; prayer for, 134; supernatural control of, 194.
See Sickness
Heaven, concept of, 20-21, 52-59; duration of journey to, 88; Milky Way to, 58; Peyote road to, 187; sweeping way to, 88, 107; visited by preachers, 57; visited during visions, 189-191.
See Happy Hunting Ground
Heavens, keepers of, 31;
return of Pa'ʹtŭmawas to, 127-128
See Happy Hunting Ground, Twelfth heaven
Heckewelder, John, on dreams or visions, 78-80; on Great Spirit, 21; on Thunder Beings, 30; on Unala'ʹtko, 124
Hell, extraneous concept of, 57
Hemlock-boughs, ceremonial burning of, 133, 144-145
Herb, passed at Peyote rite, 188-189; herbs: prayers in gathering, 26, 51; thanks to, 134
Heye Museum, see Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation
Hill, home of Mask Being, 158
Hog, feast of, at Otter ceremony, 176-179; offering of, 173-175
Hoⁿ-hoⁿ-hoⁿ or cry of Mask Being, 149, 153
Holm, Thomas Campanius, on Evil Spirit, 25; on Great Spirit, 21
Hominy, at Buffalo dance, 182; at Mĭsiʹngʷ' dance, 153-154; offered to Doll Being, 163-164, 166; offered to Mask Being, 150; preparation of, for Annual ceremony, 85, 96-97
Ho-o-o, a prayer-cry, at Annual ceremony, 95, 97, 99-100, 103104, 106-108, 136-138; at Bear ceremony, 175; origin of, 112-113
Horses, Mask Being guardian of, 35, 157; tobacco offered to recover, 35
Hu-hu-hu, cry at Bear ceremony, 174-175
Hu-hu-hu-hu, cry at Otter ceremony, 181
Human heads carved on drumsticks, 101, 139-140, 150, 197
Human skeleton dance, see Skeleton dance
Hunt for Naniʹtis, 171
Hunter at Doll dance, 164
Hunters, Buffalo dance of, 182-183; of Annual ceremony, 97-101, 108, 110, 117; of Minsi ceremony, 132, 137; of Muxhato ʹzing, 123
Hunting, help of impersonator of Mask Being in, 158; in Happy Hunting Ground, 56; prayer before, 134, 137; supernatural control of, 62, 194; tobacco offered before, 35, 157
Hweisk-queem, Minsi term for corn, 144.
See Corn
Idol or Mĕsinkʹ, 43.
See Mask, Mask Being, Mĭsiʹngʷ'
Illegitimacy disregarded in family rites, 116
Images possessing life, 45-47. See Doll Being, Fetishes
Immortality, belief in, 20-21, 52-60, 195-196
Impersonator, of Mask Being, 34-36, 41-42, 45, 56, 98-99, 138, 150, 152-159; of Otter, 177-182
Indian corn, see Corn
Indian dictionary, Zeisberger, author, 43
Indians, comments of, on Annual ceremony, 111-115; United States Census report on, cited, 80
Initiation of boys, 63-64; Heckewelder on, 78-80.
See Boys, Visions
Iroquois, ceremonial fire-drills of, 86; masks of, compared with Minsi, 36, 138, 160-161, 198-199; Planting dance of, 143; primitive skirt among, 169; Strawberry dance of, 128, 197
Jesus Christ, Naniʹtis given up for, 170; road of, 187.
See Christianity, Peyote rite
Jones, Peter, on Nahneetis, the Guardian of Health, 46, 168169; on Minsi masks, 37-38, 158
Journal of a voyage to New York in 1679-1680, Dankers and Sluyter, authors, 20
June, Minsi Big House ceremony in, 128
Kacheh Munitto, see Kaunzhe Pah-tum-owans
Kansas, celebration of Annual ceremony in, 122-124; Lenape now resident in, 13
Kaʹpyŭ'hŭm, native name of Isaac Monture, 14, 161
Kaunzhe Pah-tum-owans or Kacheh Munitto, ancient Minsi name of Great Spirit, 22.
See Great Spirit
Keeper of Mask, general duties of, 34-36, 151; notification of dance by, 152; stray stock returned through, 157
Keepers of Four Directions, see Four Directions Keepers of the Heavens, 31.
See Carved faces, Four Directions
Kĕ'ʹtanĭtoʹwĕt, ancient Minsi name of Great Spirit, 19, 127.
See Great Spirit
Kickeron or Kickerom, recorded name of Great Spirit in New Jersey, 20
Kĭʹnĭkä or Kĭʹntika, native terms for dance, 115-116
Kiowa, Ghost dance of, 191
Kiʹzho or Kiʹzhox, Minsi name of sun, 27.
See Sun
Kokŭlŭpoʹw'ʹe, native name of Chief Charley Elkhair, 14.
See Elkhair
Kunuⁿʹxäs, native term for otter-skin, 179.
See Otter ceremony
Kwi, or whoop, concluding dance, 136
Lakes, home of Great Horned Serpents, 49
Lameness caused by ghosts, 59.
See Cripples
Land of Spirits or Tschipeghacki, 58.
See Happy Hunting Ground, Heaven
Leader, of Annual ceremony, 81-82, 92-94, 117, 120; of Bear cult, 174-175; of Doll dance, 165; of Feast of first fruits, 145; of Minsi ceremony, 133-134; of Peyote rite, 188-190; leaders, favored with visions, 195
Leaves, strewn for seating guests, 131
Legend, of Annual ceremony, 111-112; of Comet, 48-49; of coming of whites, 121-122;
