Among the modern Longhouse Iroquois, whose eastern population is spread over twelve reserves in Quebec, Ontario, and New York state, there has survived an ancient oratorical tradition which enters into almost every phase of traditional religious and political life. This is the thread that runs through the diverse institutions of the Handsome Lake religion, the Confederate Council of the Iroquois League, the individual rites surrounding death and curing, and the ceremonies of the agricultural cycle. The sight of speaker after speaker representing a family, a clan, a ‘side of the fire’ (moiety), or a whole nation, and taking his turn at formal talk, is familiar to all those who have worked with the conservative Iroquois. I have summarized elsewhere the different categories of speakers who carry this tradition, and have discussed their training and standards for successful performance (Foster 1971). In this paper I want to narrow the concern to a set of three closely related speeches. Except as specific qualifications will be made, all of these are associated with the agricultural ceremonies.

The speeches can be separated into two sets of one and two speeches respectively, depending upon their ritual purposes as conceived by the Longhouse people. In a set by itself is the kanṍhõnyõk ‘let there be thanks’ which is usually referred to in English as the Thanksgiving Address. Its purpose is to give thanks to the Creator for the many benefits of the natural world.