The Wampanoags only religious practitioner was the powow. His role was that of intermediary between the humans and the supernatural.[558]When illness was thought to be of supernatural origin he was called in to determine the kind of force at work and to carry out the proper ceremonies to restore health.[559]For this work he received payment in advance. Should the patient not recover, his relatives were apt to be angry with the powow; they would demand the return of the fee and perhaps his life if they felt that deception had been involved.[560]
Certain of the powow’s activities were deliberately misleading. He often used tricks to help demonstrate his command of supernatural powers. A powow was said to be able to accomplish such feats as making water burn, turning ashes into green leaves in the winter, making ice appear upon water in the summer, or turning himself into a “flaming man”. His skill at sleight of hand aided in the working of some of these wonders.[561]
A man became a powow by having a dream in which he was promised the type of supernatural power that would make him a powerful religious practitioner.[562]The man announced this dream to others on the following day, and in the course of a two-day celebration it was proclaimed that he was a powow.[563]The success and competence of the new powow would be judged by his future performance.