FALSE FACE SOCIETIES

An injured or ill Iroquois Indian would sometimes ask the False Face Society to drive away the spirit of the illness or injury. The False Face Society wore masks carved from wood. After a new member joined the False Face Society he had to make his own mask. To make the mask the Iroquois walked through the woods until he found a tree whose spirit talked to him. After talking to the tree, the Indian built a fire. He sprinkled tobacco. then stripped bark from the tree.

Next the Indian outlined a face and cut out the section to the tree he had outlined. Then the Iroquois went into a secluded shelter to carve the mask.

The mask was polished then decorated with hair, feathers, etc.

The following is an e-mail sent to us by John Fadden on 12/28/02 regarding Iroquois masks.

Policy Statement On Medicine Masks

The Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy issues the following policy statement regarding all medicine masks of the Haudenosaunee.

Medicine Societies

Within are various medicine societies that have the sacred duty to maintain the use and strength of special medicines, both for individual and community welfare. A medicine society is comprised of Haudenosaunee who have partaken of the medicine and are thereby bound to the protection and perpetuation of the special medicines. Such medicines are essential to the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of the Haudenosaunee communities. The medicine societies are a united group of individuals who must uphold and preserve the rituals that guard and protect the people, and the future generations.

Among these medicine societies are those that utilize the wooden masks or cornhusk masks that represent the shared power of the original medicine beings. Although there are variations of their images, all the masks have power and an intended purpose that is solely for the members of the respective medicine societies. Interference with the sacred duties of the religious freedom of the Haudenosaunee does great harm to the welfare of the Haudenosaunee communities.

Status Of The Masks

All wooden and cornhusks masks of the Haudenosaunee are sacred regardless of size or age. By their very nature masks are empowered the moment they are made. The image of the mask is sacred and is only to be used for its intended purpose. Masks do not have to be put through any ceremony or have tobacco attached to them in order to become useful or powerful. Masks should not be made unless they are to be used by members of the medicine society according to established tradition.

There are no masks that can be made for commercial purposes.

Individuals who make masks for sale or sell masks to non-Indians violate the intended use of the masks and such individuals must cease these activities as they do great harm to the Haudenosaunee. The commercialization of medicine masks is an exploitation of Haudenosaunee culture.

Continued next week