The most basic responsibility of the Hotinonshonni is to celebrate and sustain this relationship with the sacred through the annual ceremonial cycle, which starts with the Midwinter Ceremony - ‘the time when all things are new again’ - and moves through a series of ten more seasonal dances and rituals. The aim of the cycle is not directly to solicit spiritual help - the Iroquois, unlike many other peoples, believe it is wrong to ask the Creator for anything - but to ‘express our appreciation for all life.’ As the oral tradition records: ‘All these ceremonies will bring us closer to our Creator to remind us of our purpose in this life: to be grateful for all the things we have.’
~ James Wilson, The Earth Shall Weep, A History of Native America, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998 p 102
