Chapter 7 Not Among the Cayuga or Mohawk: Various Inferences

only possible contemporary evidence that any Cayuga may have been involved in WDS can be found briefly mentioned in Boyle's account of Seneca rites, provided earlier. In footnote, Boyle (1898: 92) states that The Cayugas on Grand River Reserve kill first day and hang it against building by its hind legs until time for burning, five days afterwards. This must have been reported to Boyle, but by whom and when remains unknown.Fifty years later, Frank Speck and his colleague, Sour Springs Cayuga named Alexander General (1889-1965), reported on events of midwinter rites of Cayuga (1949: 49, 1995: 49). Speck may have seen these rites in 1933 and again in 1936 (Speck and General 1949: 2). Speck described how various events were arranged over period of seven days, but he certainly did not see WDS. There never been an eyewitness report of WDS among Cayuga, but Speck and General imposed WDS into rites that supposedly took place at Cayuga longhouse. Alexander General, who held the title and office of Deskaheh in Council of Chiefs had personal name Sohyowa, 'Great Sky.' Shimony (1978: 178) presents name as Shao-hyowa and offers an important biography.There is no known kinship between Alexander General and Levi General (1873-1925), who had held title Deskaheh at an earlier date and is widely known. Alexander was youngest of eight children of an Oneida mother and Cayuga father. He grew up in Cayuga milieu and his primary language was Cayuga, but he retained matrilineal descent that linked him to his mother's people (Shimony 1978; Speck 1949: 185).We doubt that either Speck or General knew of Boyle's 1898 publication, or knew of any informant who years before may have provided Boyle with information regarding Cayuga in Canada. Quite possibly Cayuga on Grand River Reserve had adopted some form of WDS from their neighbors at very late date, but no firsthand account supports this inference. Speck's confusion of information in his own field records, if he generated any notes at all specifically regarding matters relating to WDS, is becoming increasingly well known (Becker 2007c, 2012b).Speck's study of midwinter rites at Cayuga longhouse at Sour Springs (Speck, with General 1949) was based on fieldwork conducted in 1933, period during which no WDS was observed. Speck's inclusion of discussion relating to WDS led some reviewers to believe that Cayuga were practitioners. authors (1949: 145) acknowledge that Alexander General has never seen that they present as called by Cayuga. General claimed that it had been performed fifteen years prior to time of writing or around 1918 (Speck and General 1949: 145-146), when General was about 45 years old. It is very unlikely that General would have missed this important part of Midwinter Feast!Speck never claimed that he had ever witnessed WDS. Wallace Chafe provides an insightful observation that may help explain General's input into 1949 discussion of Midwinter Feast. Chafe's study among Seneca (1961: 5) describes third ritual similar to Seneca Thanksgiving Speech and Thanksgiving Dance that he had previously presented, which relates to rituals of of tobacco. Two Seneca terms used to describe tobacco translate easily, but third, kajiyothweliterally means dog burning that Chafe describes as a ritual now long extinct. Quite possibly this Seneca term is what General, Cayuga, discussed with Speck, who merged all these details into synthetic account of Cayuga rituals.Snyderman's (1961: 589) belief that Speck had actually seen WDS among Cayuga is but one of errors he introduced to understanding of these rituals. Snyderman also erred in accepting General's report that rite had been discontinued at Sour Springs Longhouse only because Cayuga ran out of white dogs! …

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