Transcriber’s Note:

[n], [i], [u], [w], [U] indicate raised (superscript) letters. 

SACRED FORMULAS OF THE CHEROKEES. 

BY

JAMES MOONEY. 

CONTENTS

 Introduction 307

 How the formulas were obtained. 310

 The A‘yû[n]inĭ (Swimmer) manuscript 310

 The Gatigwanastĭ (Belt) manuscript 312

 The Gahunĭ manuscript 313

 The Inâlĭ (Black Fox) manuscript 314

 Other manuscripts 316

 The Kanâhe´ta Ani-Tsa´lagĭ Etĭ or Ancient Cherokee Formulas 317

 Character of the formulas--the Cherokee religion 318

 Myth of the origin of disease and medicine 319

 Theory of disease--animals, ghosts, witches 322

 Selected list of plants used 324

 Medical practice--theory of resemblances--fasting--tabu--seclusion--women 328

 Illustration of the gaktû[n]ta or tabu 331

 Neglect of sanitary regulations 332

 The sweat bath--bleeding--rubbing--bathing 338

 Opposition of shamans to white physicians 336

 Medicine dances 337

 Description of symptoms 337

 The ugista´‘tĭ or pay of the shaman 337

 Ceremonies for gathering plants and preparing medicine 339

 The Cherokee gods and their abiding places 340

 Color symbolism 342

 Importance attached to names 343

 Language of the formulas 343

 Specimen formulas 344

 Medicine. 345

 To treat the crippler (rheumatism)--from Gahuni 345

 Second formula for the crippler--from Gahuni 349

 Song and prescription for snake bites--from Gahuni 351

 When something is causing something to eat them--Gahuni 353

 Second formula for the same disease--A‘wanita 355

 For moving pains in the teeth (neuralgia?)--Gatigwanasti 356

 Song and prayer for the great chill--A‘yû[n]ini 359

 To make children jump down (child birth)--A‘yû[n]ini 363

 Second formula for child birth--Takwatihi 364

 Song and prayer for the black yellowness (biliousness)--A‘yû[n]ini 365

 To treat for ordeal diseases (witchcraft)--A‘yû[n]ini 366

 Hunting 369

 Concerning hunting--A‘yû[n]ini 369

 For hunting birds--A‘yû[n]ini 371

 To shoot dwellers in the wilderness--A‘wanita 372

 Bear song--A‘yû[n]ini 373

 For catching large fish--A‘yû[n]ini 374

 Love 375

 Concerning living humanity--Gatigwanasti 376

 For going to water--Gatigwanasti 378

 Yû[n]wehi song for painting--Gatigwanasti 379

 Song and prayer to fix the affections--A‘yû[n]ini 380

 To separate lovers--A‘yû[n]ini 381

 Song and prayer to fix the affections--Gatigwanasti 382

 Miscellaneous 384

 To shorten a night goer on this side--A‘yû[n]ini 384

 To find lost articles--Gatigwanasti 386

 To frighten away a storm--A‘yû[n]ini 387

 To help warriors--A´wanita 388

 To destroy life (ceremony with beads)--A‘yû[n]ini 391

 To take to water for the ball play--A‘yû[n]ini 395

ILLUSTRATIONS

 Pl. XXIV. Portrait of A‘yû[n]ini (Swimmer) 306 XXV. Facsimile of A‘yû[n]ini manuscript--Formula for Dalâni Û[n]nagei 310 XXVI. Facsimile of Gatigwanasti manuscript--Yû[n]wĕhĭ formula 312 XXVII. Facsimile of Gahuni manuscript--Formula for Didû[n]lĕskĭ 314

[Illustration: BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XXIV

A‘YU[N]INI (SWIMMER). ]

SACRED FORMULAS OF THE CHEROKEES. 

By James Mooney. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The sacred formulas here given are selected from a collection of aboutsix hundred, obtained on the Cherokee reservation in North Carolina in1887 and 1888, and covering every subject pertaining to the daily lifeand thought of the Indian, including medicine, love, hunting, fishing, war, self-protection, destruction of enemies, witchcraft, the crops, the council, the ball play, etc. , and, in fact, embodying almostthe whole of the ancient religion of the Cherokees. The originalmanuscripts, now in the possession of the Bureau of Ethnology, were written by the shamans of the tribe, for their own use, inthe Cherokee characters invented by Sikwâ´ya (Sequoyah) in 1821, and were obtained, with the explanations, either from the writersthemselves or from their surviving relatives. 

Some of these manuscripts are known to be at least thirty yearsold, and many are probably older. The medical formulas of all kindsconstitute perhaps one-half of the whole number, while the love charmscome next in number, closely followed by the songs and prayers used inhunting and fishing. The great number of love charms will doubtless bea surprise to those who have been educated in the old theory that theIndian is insensible to the attractions of woman. The comparativelysmall number of war formulas is explained by the fact that the lastwar in which the Cherokees, as a tribe, were engaged on their ownaccount, closed with the Revolutionary period, so that these thingswere well nigh forgotten before the invention of the alphabet, ageneration later. The Cherokees who engaged in the Creek war and thelate American civil war fought in the interests of the whites, andtheir leaders were subordinated to white officers, hence there was notthe same opportunity for the exercise of shamanistic rites that therewould have been had Indians alone been concerned. The prayers forhunting, fishing, and the ball play being in more constant demand, have been better preserved. 

These formulas had been handed down orally from a remote antiquityuntil the early part of the present century, when the invention ofthe Cherokee syllabary enabled the priests of the tribe to put theminto writing. The same invention made it possible for their rivals, the missionaries, to give to the Indians the Bible in their ownlanguage, so that the opposing forces of Christianity and shamanismalike profited by the genius of Sikwâya. The pressure of the newcivilization was too strong to be withstood, however, and thoughthe prophets of the old religion still have much influence with thepeople, they are daily losing ground and will soon be without honor intheir own country. 

Such an exposition of the aboriginal religion could be obtained fromno other tribe in North America, for the simple reason that no othertribe has an alphabet of its own in which to record its sacred lore. It is true that the Crees and Micmacs of Canada and the Tukuth ofAlaska have so-called alphabets or ideographic systems invented fortheir use by the missionaries, while, before the Spanish conquest, the Mayas of Central America were accustomed to note down their herolegends and priestly ceremonials in hieroglyphs graven upon the wallsof their temples or painted upon tablets made of the leaves of themaguey. But it seems never to have occurred to the northern tribesthat an alphabet coming from a missionary source could be used for anyother purpose than the transcription of bibles and catechisms, whilethe sacred books of the Mayas, with a few exceptions, have long sincemet destruction at the hands of fanaticism, and the modern copieswhich have come down to the present day are written out from imperfectmemory by Indians who had been educated under Spanish influences inthe language, alphabet and ideas of the conquerors, and who, as isproved by an examination of the contents of the books themselves, drew from European sources a great part of their material. Moreover, the Maya tablets were so far hieratic as to be understood onlyby the priests and those who had received a special training inthis direction, and they seem therefore to have been entirelyunintelligible to the common people. 

The Cherokee alphabet, on the contrary, is the invention or adaptationof one of the tribe, who, although he borrowed most of the Romanletters, in addition to the forty or more characters of his owndevising, knew nothing of their proper use or value, but reversed themor altered their forms to suit his purpose, and gave them a name andvalue determined by himself. This alphabet was at once adopted by thetribe for all purposes for which writing can be used, including therecording of their shamanistic prayers and ritualistic ceremonies. Theformulas here given, as well as those of the entire collection, werewritten out by the shamans themselves--men who adhere to the ancientreligion and speak only their native language--in order that theirsacred knowledge might be preserved in a systematic manner for theirmutual benefit. The language, the conception, and the executionare all genuinely Indian, and hardly a dozen lines of the hundredsof formulas show a trace of the influence of the white man orhis religion. The formulas contained in these manuscripts are notdisjointed fragments of a system long since extinct, but are therevelation of a living faith which still has its priests and devotedadherents, and it is only necessary to witness a ceremonial ballplay, with its fasting, its going to water, and its mystic beadmanipulation, to understand how strong is the hold which the old faithyet has upon the minds even of the younger generation. The numerousarchaic and figurative expressions used require the interpretationof the priests, but, as before stated, the alphabet in which they arewritten is that in daily use among the common people. 

In all tribes that still retain something of their ancientorganization we find this sacred knowledge committed to the keeping ofvarious secret societies, each of which has its peculiar ritual withregular initiation and degrees of advancement. From this analogywe may reasonably conclude that such was formerly the case with theCherokees also, but by the breaking down of old customs consequentupon their long contact with the whites and the voluntary adoptionof a civilized form of government in 1827, all traces of such societyorganization have long since disappeared, and at present each priestor shaman is isolated and independent, sometimes confining himselfto a particular specialty, such as love or medicine, or even thetreatment of two or three diseases, in other cases broadening hisfield of operations to include the whole range of mystic knowledge. 

It frequently happens, however, that priests form personal friendshipsand thus are led to divulge their secrets to each other for theirmutual advantage. Thus when one shaman meets another who he thinks canprobably give him some valuable information, he says to him, “Let ussit down together. ” This is understood by the other to mean, “Let ustell each other our secrets. ” Should it seem probable that the seekerafter knowledge can give as much as he receives, an agreement isgenerally arrived at, the two retire to some convenient spot securefrom observation, and the first party begins by reciting one of hisformulas with the explanations. The other then reciprocates withone of his own, unless it appears that the bargain is apt to prove alosing one, in which case the conference comes to an abrupt ending. 

It is sometimes possible to obtain a formula by the payment of a coat, a quantity of cloth, or a sum of money. Like the Celtic Druids of old, the candidate for the priesthood in former times found it necessary tocultivate a long memory, as no formula was repeated more than once forhis benefit. It was considered that one who failed to remember afterthe first hearing was not worthy to be accounted a shaman. This task, however, was not so difficult as might appear on first thought, whenonce the learner understood the theory involved, as the formulas areall constructed on regular principles, with constant repetition ofthe same set of words. The obvious effect of such a regulation wasto increase the respect in which this sacred knowledge was held byrestricting it to the possession of a chosen few. 

Although the written formulas can be read without difficulty by anyCherokee educated in his own language, the shamans take good care thattheir sacred writings shall not fall into the hands of the laity orof their rivals in occult practices, and in performing the ceremoniesthe words used are uttered in such a low tone of voice as to beunintelligible even to the one for whose benefit the formula isrepeated. Such being the case, it is in order to explain how theformulas collected were obtained. 

HOW THE FORMULAS WERE OBTAINED. 

On first visiting the reservation in the summer of 1887, I devotedconsiderable time to collecting plants used by the Cherokees for foodor medicinal purposes, learning at the same time their Indian namesand the particular uses to which each was applied and the mode ofpreparation. It soon became evident that the application of themedicine was not the whole, and in fact was rather the subordinate, part of the treatment, which was always accompanied by certainceremonies and “words. ” From the workers employed at the time nodefinite idea could be obtained as to the character of these words. One young woman, indeed, who had some knowledge of the subject, volunteered to write the words which she used in her prescriptions, but failed to do so, owing chiefly to the opposition of the half-breedshamans, from whom she had obtained her information. 

THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT. 

Some time afterward an acquaintance was formed with a man namedA‘yû[n]´inĭ or “Swimmer, ” who proved to be so intelligent that Ispent several days with him, procuring information in regard to mythsand old customs. He told a number of stories in very good style, andfinally related the Origin of the Bear[1]. The bears were formerly apart of the Cherokee tribe who decided to leave their kindred and gointo the forest. Their friends followed them and endeavored to inducethem to return, but the Ani-Tsâ´kahĭ, as they were called, weredetermined to go. Just before parting from their relatives at theedge of the forest, they turned to them and said, “It is better foryou that we should go; but we will teach you songs, and some day whenyou are in want of food come out to the woods and sing these songsand we shall appear and give you meat. ” Their friends, after learningseveral songs from them, started back to their homes, and afterproceeding a short distance, turned around to take one last look, butsaw only a number of bears disappearing in the depths of the forest. The songs which they learned are still sung by the hunter to attractthe bears. 

[Footnote 1: To appear later with the collection of Cherokee myths. ]

[Illustration: BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XXV

FACSIMILE OF GAHUNI MANUSCRIPT. 

Formula for Didù[n]lĕckĭ. (Page 349. )]

When Swimmer had finished the story he was asked if he knew thesesongs. He replied that he did, but on being requested to sing onehe made some excuse and was silent. After some further efforts theinterpreter said it would be useless to press the matter then as therewere several other Indians present, but that to-morrow we should havehim alone with us and could then make another attempt. 

The next day Swimmer was told that if he persisted in his refusal itwould be necessary to employ some one else, as it was unfair in him tofurnish incomplete information when he was paid to tell all he knew. He replied that he was willing to tell anything in regard to storiesand customs, but that these songs were a part of his secret knowledgeand commanded a high price from the hunters, who sometimes paid asmuch as $5 for a single song, “because you can’t kill any bears ordeer unless you sing them. ”

He was told that the only object in asking about the songs was to putthem on record and preserve them, so that when he and the half dozenold men of the tribe were dead the world might be aware how much theCherokees had known. This appeal to his professional pride provedeffectual, and when he was told that a great many similar songs hadbeen sent to Washington by medicine men of other tribes, he promptlydeclared that he knew as much as any of them, and that he would giveall the information in his possession, so that others might be able tojudge for themselves who knew most. The only conditions he made werethat these secret matters should be heard by no one else but theinterpreter, and should not be discussed when other Indians werepresent. 

As soon as the other shamans learned what was going on they endeavoredby various means to persuade him to stop talking, or failing in this, to damage his reputation by throwing out hints as to his honesty oraccuracy of statement. Among other objections which they advancedwas one which, however incomprehensible to a white man, was perfectlyintelligible to an Indian, viz: That when he had told everything thisinformation would be taken to Washington and locked up there, and thusthey would be deprived of the knowledge. This objection was one ofthe most difficult to overcome, as there was no line of argument withwhich to oppose it. 

These reports worried Swimmer, who was extremely sensitive in regardto his reputation, and he became restive under the insinuations ofhis rivals. Finally on coming to work one day he produced a book fromunder his ragged coat as he entered the house, and said proudly:“Look at that and now see if I don’t know something. ” It was a smallday-book of about 240 pages, procured originally from a white man, andwas about half filled with writing in the Cherokee characters. A briefexamination disclosed the fact that it contained just those mattersthat had proved so difficult to procure. Here were prayers, songs, and prescriptions for the cure of all kinds of diseases--for chills, rheumatism, frostbites, wounds, bad dreams, and witchery; love charms, to gain the affections of a woman or to cause her to hate a detestedrival; fishing charms, hunting charms--including the songs withoutwhich none could ever hope to kill any game; prayers to make the corngrow, to frighten away storms, and to drive off witches; prayers forlong life, for safety among strangers, for acquiring influence incouncil and success in the ball play. There were prayers to the LongMan, the Ancient White, the Great Whirlwind, the Yellow Rattlesnake, and to a hundred other gods of the Cherokee pantheon. It was in factan Indian ritual and pharmacopoeia. 

After recovering in a measure from the astonishment produced by thisdiscovery I inquired whether other shamans had such books. “Yes, ”said Swimmer, “we all have them. ” Here then was a clew to follow up. Abargain was made by which he was to have another blank book into whichto copy the formulas, after which the original was bought. It is nowdeposited in the library of the Bureau of Ethnology. The remainder ofthe time until the return was occupied in getting an understanding ofthe contents of the book. 

THE GATIGWANASTI MANUSCRIPT. 

Further inquiry elicited the names of several others who might besupposed to have such papers. Before leaving a visit was paid to oneof these, a young man named Wilnoti, whose father, Gatigwanasti, hadbeen during his lifetime a prominent shaman, regarded as a man ofsuperior intelligence. Wilnoti, who is a professing Christian, saidthat his father had had such papers, and after some explanation fromthe chief he consented to show them. He produced a box containing alot of miscellaneous papers, testaments, and hymnbooks, all in theCherokee alphabet. Among them was his father’s chief treasure, amanuscript book containing 122 pages of foolscap size, completelyfilled with formulas of the same kind as those contained in Swimmer’sbook. There were also a large number of loose sheets, making in allnearly 200 foolscap pages of sacred formulas. 

On offering to buy the papers, he replied that he wanted to keep themin order to learn and practice these things himself--thus showinghow thin was the veneer of Christianity, in his case at least. Onrepresenting to him that in a few years the new conditions wouldrender such knowledge valueless with the younger generation, and thateven if he retained the papers he would need some one else to explainthem to him, he again refused, saying that they might fall intothe hands of Swimmer, who, he was determined, should never see hisfather’s papers. Thus the negotiations came to an end for the time. 

[Illustration: BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XXVI

FACSIMILE OF SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT. 

Formula for Dalàni Ù[n]nagei (Page 364. )]

On returning to the reservation in July, 1888, another effort was madeto get possession of the Gatigwanasti manuscripts and any others ofthe same kind which could be procured. By this time the Indians hadhad several months to talk over the matter, and the idea had graduallydawned upon them that instead of taking their knowledge away from themand locking it up in a box, the intention was to preserve it to theworld and pay them for it at the same time. In addition the writertook every opportunity to impress upon them the fact that he wasacquainted with the secret knowledge of other tribes and perhaps couldgive them as much as they gave. It was now much easier to approachthem, and on again visiting Wilnoti, in company with the interpreter, who explained the matter fully to him, he finally consented to lendthe papers for a time, with the same condition that neither Swimmernor anyone else but the chief and interpreter should see them, buthe still refused to sell them. However, this allowed the use ofthe papers, and after repeated efforts during a period of severalweeks, the matter ended in the purchase of the papers outright, with unreserved permission to show them for copying or explanationto anybody who might be selected. Wilnoti was not of a mercenarydisposition, and after the first negotiations the chief difficulty wasto overcome his objection to parting with his father’s handwriting, but it was an essential point to get the originals, and he was allowedto copy some of the more important formulas, as he found it utterlyout of the question to copy the whole. 

These papers of Gatigwanasti are the most valuable of the whole, andamount to fully one-half the entire collection, about fifty pagesconsisting of love charms. The formulas are beautifully writtenin bold Cherokee characters, and the directions and headings aregenerally explicit, bearing out the universal testimony that he was aman of unusual intelligence and ability, characteristics inherited byhis son, who, although a young man and speaking no English, is one ofthe most progressive and thoroughly reliable men of the band. 

THE GAHUNI MANUSCRIPT. 

The next book procured was obtained from a woman named Ayâsta, “TheSpoiler, ” and had been written by her husband, Gahuni, who died about30 years ago. The matter was not difficult to arrange, as she hadalready been employed on several occasions, so that she understood thepurpose of the work, besides which her son had been regularly engagedto copy and classify the manuscripts already procured. The bookwas claimed as common property by Ayâsta and her three sons, andnegotiations had to be carried on with each one, although in thisinstance the cash amount involved was only half a dollar, in additionto another book into which to copy some family records and personalmemoranda. The book contains only eight formulas, but these are ofa character altogether unique, the directions especially throwinga curious light on Indian beliefs. There had been several otherformulas of the class called Y´û´[n]wĕhĭ, to cause hatred betweenman and wife, but these had been torn out and destroyed by Ayâsta onthe advice of an old shaman, in order that her sons might never learnthem. In referring to the matter she spoke in a whisper, and it wasevident enough that she had full faith in the deadly power of thesespells. 

In addition to the formulas the book contains about twenty pages ofScripture extracts in the same handwriting, for Gahuni, like severalothers of their shamans, combined the professions of Indian conjurerand Methodist preacher. After his death the book fell into the handsof the younger members of the family, who filled it with miscellaneouswritings and scribblings. Among other things there are about seventypages of what was intended to be a Cherokee-English pronouncingdictionary, probably written by the youngest son, already mentioned, who has attended school, and who served for some time as copyist onthe formulas. This curious Indian production, of which only a fewcolumns are filled out, consists of a list of simple English wordsand phrases, written in ordinary English script, followed by Cherokeecharacters intended to give the approximate pronunciation, togetherwith the corresponding word in the Cherokee language and characters. As the language lacks a number of sounds which are of frequentoccurrence in English, the attempts to indicate the pronunciationsometimes give amusing results. Thus we find: _Fox_ (Englishscript); _kwâgisĭ´_ (Cherokee characters); _tsú‘lû´_ (Cherokeecharacters). As the Cherokee language lacks the labial _f_ and has nocompound sound equivalent to our _x_, _kwâgisĭ´_ is as near as theCherokee speaker can come to pronouncing our word _fox_. In the sameway “bet” becomes _wĕtĭ_, and “sheep” is _síkwĭ_, while “if he hasno dog” appears in the disguise of _ikwĭ hâsĭ nâ dâ´ga_. 

THE INÂLI MANUSCRIPT. 

In the course of further inquiries in regard to the whereabouts ofother manuscripts of this kind we heard a great deal about Inâ´lĭ, or “Black Fox, ” who had died a few years before at an advanced age, and who was universally admitted to have been one of their most ablemen and the most prominent literary character among them, for fromwhat has been said it must be sufficiently evident that the Cherokeeshave their native literature and literary men. Like those alreadymentioned, he was a full-blood Cherokee, speaking no English, and inthe course of a long lifetime he had filled almost every position ofhonor among his people, including those of councilor, keeper of thetownhouse records, Sunday-school leader, conjurer, officer in theConfederate service, and Methodist preacher, at last dying, as he wasborn, in the ancient faith of his forefathers. 

[Illustration: BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XXVII

FACSIMILE OF GATIGWANASTI MANUSCRIPT. 

Yugwilû´ formula. (Page 375. )]

On inquiring of his daughter she stated that her father had left agreat many papers, most of which were still in her possession, andon receiving from the interpreter an explanation of our purpose shereadily gave permission to examine and make selections from them oncondition that the matter should be kept secret from outsiders. A daywas appointed for visiting her, and on arriving we found her living ina comfortable log house, built by Inâlĭ himself, with her childrenand an ancient female relative, a decrepit old woman with snow-whitehair and vacant countenance. This was the oldest woman of the tribe, and though now so feeble and childish, she had been a veritable savagein her young days, having carried a scalp in the scalp dance in theCreek war 75 years before. 

Having placed chairs for us in the shade Inâlĭ’s daughter broughtout a small box filled with papers of various kinds, both Cherokee andEnglish. The work of examining these was a tedious business, as eachpaper had to be opened out and enough of it read to get the generaldrift of the contents, after which the several classes were arrangedin separate piles. While in the midst of this work she brought outanother box nearly as large as a small trunk, and on setting it downthere was revealed to the astonished gaze such a mass of material asit had not seemed possible could exist in the entire tribe. 

In addition to papers of the sort already mentioned there were anumber of letters in English from various officials and religiousorganizations, and addressed to “Enola, ” to “Rev. Black Fox, ” and to“Black Fox, Esq, ” with a large number of war letters written to himby Cherokees who had enlisted in the Confederate service. These latterare all written in the Cherokee characters, in the usual gossipy stylecommon among friends, and several of them contain important historicmaterial in regard to the movements of the two armies in EastTennessee. Among other things was found his certificate as a Methodistpreacher, dated in 1848. “Know all men by these presents that BlackFox (Cherokee) is hereby authorized to exercise his Gifts and Gracesas a local preacher in M. E. Church South. ”. 

There was found a manuscript book in Inâlĭ’s handwriting containingthe records of the old council of Wolftown, of which he had beensecretary for several years down to the beginning of the war. Thisalso contains some valuable materials. 

There were also a number of miscellaneous books, papers, and pictures, together with various trinkets and a number of conjuring stones. 

In fact the box was a regular curiosity shop, and it was with afeeling akin, to despair that we viewed the piles of manuscript whichhad to be waded through and classified. There was a day’s hard workahead, and it was already past noon; but the woman was not done yet, and after rummaging about inside the house for a while longer sheappeared with another armful of papers, which she emptied on top ofthe others. This was the last straw; and finding it impossible toexamine in detail such a mass of material we contented ourselveswith picking out the sacred formulas and the two manuscript bookscontaining the town-house records and scriptural quotations anddeparted. 

The daughter of Black Fox agreed to fetch down the other papers ina few days for further examination at our leisure; and she kept herpromise, bringing with her at the same time a number of additionalformulas which she had not been able to obtain before. A large numberof letters and other papers were selected from the miscellaneous lot, and these, with the others obtained from her, are now deposited alsowith the Bureau of Ethnology. Among other things found at this housewere several beads of the old shell wampum, of whose use the Cherokeeshave now lost even the recollection. She knew only that they werevery old and different from the common beads, but she prized them astalismans, and firmly refused to part with them. 

OTHER MANUSCRIPTS. 

Subsequently a few formulas were obtained from an old shaman namedTsiskwa or “Bird, ” but they were so carelessly written as to be almostworthless, and the old man who wrote them, being then on his dyingbed, was unable to give much help in the matter. However, as he wasanxious to tell what he knew an attempt was made to take down someformulas from his dictation. A few more were obtained in this way butthe results were not satisfactory and the experiment was abandoned. About the same time A‘wani´ta or “Young Deer, ” one of their best herbdoctors, was engaged to collect the various plants used in medicineand describe their uses. While thus employed he wrote in a bookfurnished him for the purpose a number of formulas used by him in hispractice, giving at the same time a verbal explanation of the theoryand ceremonies. Among these was one for protection in battle, whichhad been used by himself and a number of other Cherokees in thelate war. Another doctor named Takwati´hĭ or “Catawba Killer, ” wasafterward employed on the same work and furnished some additionalformulas which he had had his son write down from his dictation, he himself being unable to write. His knowledge was limited to thepractice of a few specialties, but in regard to these his informationwas detailed and accurate. There was one for bleeding with thecupping horn. All these formulas obtained from Tsiskwa, A´wanita, andTakwtihi are now in possession of the Bureau. 

THE KANÂHETA ANI-TSALAGI ETI. 

Among the papers thus obtained was a large number which for variousreasons it was found difficult to handle or file for preservation. Many of them had been written so long ago that the ink had almostfaded from the paper; others were written with lead pencil, so that inhandling them the characters soon became blurred and almost illegible;a great many were written on scraps of paper of all shapes and sizes;and others again were full of omissions and doublets, due to thecarelessness of the writer, while many consisted simply of the prayer, with nothing in the nature of a heading or prescription to show itspurpose. 

Under the circumstances it was deemed expedient to have a number ofthese formulas copied in more enduring form. For this purpose itwas decided to engage the services of Ayâsta’s youngest son, anintelligent young man about nineteen years of age, who had attendedschool long enough to obtain a fair acquaintance with English inaddition to his intimate knowledge of Cherokee. He was also giftedwith a ready comprehension, and from his mother and uncle Tsiskwa hadacquired some familiarity with many of the archaic expressions used inthe sacred formulas. He was commonly known as “Will West, ” but signedhimself W. W. Long, Long being the translation of his father’s name, Gûnahi´ta. After being instructed as to how the work should be donewith reference to paragraphing, heading, etc. , he was furnished ablank book of two hundred pages into which to copy such formulas as itseemed desirable to duplicate. He readily grasped the idea and in thecourse of about a month, working always under the writer’s personalsupervision, succeeded in completely filling the book according tothe plan outlined. In addition to the duplicate formulas he wrotedown a number of dance and drinking songs, obtained originally fromA‘yû[n]´inĭ, with about thirty miscellaneous formulas obtained fromvarious sources. The book thus prepared is modeled on the plan ofan ordinary book, with headings, table of contents, and even with anilluminated title page devised by the aid of the interpreter accordingto the regular Cherokee idiomatic form, and is altogether a uniquespecimen of Indian literary art. It contains in all two hundred andfifty-eight formulas and songs, which of course are native aboriginalproductions, although the mechanical arrangement was performed underthe direction of a white man. This book also, under its Cherokeetitle, _Kanâhe´ta Ani-Tsa´lagĭ E´tĭ_ or “Ancient CherokeeFormulas, ” is now in the library of the Bureau. 

There is still a considerable quantity of such manuscript in the handsof one or two shamans with whom there was no chance for negotiating, but an effort will be made to obtain possession of these on somefuture visit, should opportunity present. Those now in the Bureaulibrary comprised by far the greater portion of the whole quantityheld by the Indians, and as only a small portion of this was copied bythe owners it can not be duplicated by any future collector. 

CHARACTER OF THE FORMULAS--THE CHEROKEE RELIGION. 

It is impossible to overestimate the ethnologic importance of thematerials thus obtained. They are invaluable as the genuine productionof the Indian mind, setting forth in the clearest light the state ofthe aboriginal religion before its contamination by contact with thewhites. To the psychologist and the student of myths they are equallyprecious. In regard to their linguistic value we may quote thelanguage of Brinton, speaking of the sacred books of the Mayas, already referred to:

 Another value they have, ... And it is one which will be properly appreciated by any student of languages. They are, by common consent of all competent authorities, the genuine productions of native minds, cast in the idiomatic forms of the native tongue by those born to its use. No matter how fluent a foreigner becomes in a language not his own, he can never use it as does one who has been familiar with it from childhood. This general maxim is tenfold true when we apply it to a European learning an American language. The flow of thought, as exhibited in these two linguistic families, is in such different directions that no amount of practice can render one equally accurate in both. Hence the importance of studying a tongue as it is employed by natives; and hence the very high estimate I place on these “Books of Chilan Balam” as linguistic material--an estimate much increased by the great rarity of independent compositions in their own tongues by members of the native races of this continent. [2]

[Footnote 2: Brinton, D. G. : The books of Chilan Balam 10, Philadelphia, n. D. , (1882). ]

The same author, in speaking of the internal evidences of authenticitycontained in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Kichés, uses thefollowing words, which apply equally well to these Cherokee formulas:

 To one familiar with native American myths, this one bears undeniable marks of its aboriginal origin. Its frequent puerilities and inanities, its generally low and coarse range of thought and expression, its occasional loftiness of both, its strange metaphors and the prominence of strictly heathen names and potencies, bring it into unmistakable relationship to the true native myth. [3]

[Footnote 3: Brinton, D. G. : Names of the Gods in the Kiché Myths, inProc. Am. Philos. Soc. , Philadelphia, 1881, vol. 19, p. 613. ]

These formulas furnish a complete refutation of the assertion sofrequently made by ignorant and prejudiced writers that the Indian hadno religion excepting what they are pleased to call the meaning lessmummeries of the medicine man. This is the very reverse of the truth. The Indian is essentially religious and contemplative, and it mightalmost be said that every act of his life is regulated and determinedby his religious belief. It matters not that some may call thissuperstition. The difference is only relative. The religion ofto-day has developed from the cruder superstitions of yesterday, andChristianity itself is but an outgrowth and enlargement of the beliefsand ceremonies which have been preserved by the Indian in their moreancient form. When we are willing to admit that the Indian has areligion which he holds sacred, even though it be different fromour own, we can then admire the consistency of the theory, theparticularity of the ceremonial and the beauty of the expression. So far from being a jumble of crudities, there is a wonderfulcompleteness about the whole system which is not surpassed even by theceremonial religions of the East. It is evident from a study of theseformulas that the Cherokee Indian was a polytheist and that the spiritworld was to him only a shadowy counterpart of this. All his prayerswere for temporal and tangible blessings--for health, for long life, for success in the chase, in fishing, in war and in love, for goodcrops, for protection and for revenge. He had no Great Spirit, nohappy hunting ground, no heaven, no hell, and consequently death hadfor him no terrors and he awaited the inevitable end with no anxietyas to the future. He was careful not to violate the rights of histribesman or to do injury to his feelings, but there is nothing toshow that he had any idea whatever of what is called morality in theabstract. 

As the medical formulas are first in number and importance it may bewell, for the better understanding of the theory involved, to give theCherokee account of

THE ORIGIN OF DISEASE AND MEDICINE. 

In the old days quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and insects could all talk, and they and the human race lived together in peace and friendship. But as time went on the people increased so rapidly that theirsettlements spread over the whole earth and the poor animals foundthemselves beginning to be cramped for room. This was bad enough, but to add to their misfortunes man invented bows, knives, blowguns, spears, and hooks, and began to slaughter the larger animals, birdsand fishes for the sake of their flesh or their skins, while thesmaller creatures, such as the frogs and worms, were crushed andtrodden upon without mercy, out of pure carelessness or contempt. Inthis state of affairs the animals resolved to consult upon measuresfor their common safety. 

The bears were the first to meet in council in their townhouse inKuwa´hĭ, the “Mulberry Place, ”[4] and the old White Bear chiefpresided. After each in turn had made complaint against the way inwhich man killed their friends, devoured their flesh and used theirskins for his own adornment, it was unanimously decided to begin warat once against the human race. Some one asked what weapons man usedto accomplish their destruction. “Bows and arrows, of course, ” criedall the bears in chorus. “And what are they made of?” was the nextquestion. “The bow of wood and the string of our own entrails, ”replied one of the bears. It was then proposed that they make a bowand some arrows and see if they could not turn man’s weapons againsthimself. So one bear got a nice piece of locust wood and anothersacrificed himself for the good of the rest in order to furnish apiece of his entrails for the string. But when everything was readyand the first bear stepped up to make the trial it was found thatin letting the arrow fly after drawing back the bow, his long clawscaught the string and spoiled the shot. This was annoying, but anothersuggested that he could overcome the difficulty by cutting his claws, which was accordingly done, and on a second trial it was found thatthe arrow went straight to the mark. But here the chief, the old WhiteBear, interposed and said that it was necessary that they should havelong claws in order to be able to climb trees. “One of us has alreadydied to furnish the bowstring, and if we now cut off our claws weshall all have to starve together. It is better to trust to the teethand claws which nature has given us, for it is evident that man’sweapons were not intended for us. ”

[Footnote 4: One of the High peaks of the Smoky Mountains, on theTennessee line, near Clingman’s Dome. ]

No one could suggest any better plan, so the old chief dismissed thecouncil and the bears dispersed to their forest haunts without havingconcerted any means for preventing the increase of the human race. Hadthe result of the council been otherwise, we should now be at war withthe bears, but as it is the hunter does not even ask the bear’s pardonwhen he kills one. 

The deer next held a council under their chief, the Little Deer, andafter some deliberation resolved to inflict rheumatism upon everyhunter who should kill one of their number, unless he took care to asktheir pardon for the offense. They sent notice of their decision tothe nearest settlement of Indians and told them at the same time howto make propitiation when necessity forced them to kill one of thedeer tribe. Now, whenever the hunter brings down a deer, the LittleDeer, who is swift as the wind and can not be wounded, runs quickly upto the spot and bending over the blood stains asks the spirit of thedeer if it has heard the prayer of the hunter for pardon. If the replybe “Yes” all is well and the Little Deer goes on his way, but if thereply be in the negative he follows on the trail of the hunter, guidedby the drops of blood on the ground, until he arrives at the cabin inthe settlement, when the Little Deer enters invisibly and strikesthe neglectful hunter with rheumatism, so that he is rendered on theinstant a helpless cripple. No hunter who has regard for his healthever fails to ask pardon of the deer for killing it, although somewho have not learned the proper formula may attempt to turn aside theLittle Deer from his pursuit by building a fire behind them in thetrail. 

Next came the fishes and reptiles, who had their own grievancesagainst humanity. They held a joint council and determined to maketheir victims dream of snakes twining about them in slimy folds andblowing their fetid breath in their faces, or to make them dream ofeating raw or decaying fish, so that they would lose appetite, sicken, and die. Thus it is that snake and fish dreams are accounted for. 

Finally the birds, insects, and smaller animals came together for alike purpose, and the Grubworm presided over the deliberations. It wasdecided that each in turn should express an opinion and then vote onthe question as to whether or not man should be deemed guilty. Seven votes were to be sufficient to condemn him. One after anotherdenounced man’s cruelty and injustice toward the other animals andvoted in favor of his death. The Frog (walâ´sĭ) spoke first andsaid: “We must do something to check the increase of the race orpeople will become so numerous that we shall be crowded from off theearth. See how man has kicked me about because I’m ugly, as he says, until my back is covered with sores;” and here he showed the spotson his skin. Next came the Bird (tsi´skwa; no particular species isindicated), who condemned man because “he burns my feet off, ” alludingto the way in which the hunter barbecues birds by impaling them on astick set over the fire, so that their feathers and tender feet aresinged and burned. Others followed in the same strain. The GroundSquirrel alone ventured to say a word in behalf of man, who seldomhurt him because he was so small; but this so enraged the others thatthey fell upon the Ground Squirrel and tore him with their teeth andclaws, and the stripes remain on his back to this day. 

The assembly then began to devise and name various diseases, one afteranother, and had not their invention finally failed them not one ofthe human race would have been able to survive. The Grubworm in hisplace of honor hailed each new malady with delight, until at last theyhad reached the end of the list, when some one suggested that it bearranged so that menstruation should sometimes prove fatal to woman. On this he rose up in his place and cried: “Wata´[n] Thanks! I’m gladsome of them will die, for they are getting so thick that they treadon me. ” He fairly shook with joy at the thought, so that he fell overbackward and could not get on his feet again, but had to wriggle offon his back, as the Grubworm has done ever since. 

When the plants, who were friendly to man, heard what had been done bythe animals, they determined to defeat their evil designs. Each tree, shrub, and herb, down, even to the grasses and mosses, agreed tofurnish a remedy for some one of the diseases named, and each said: “Ishall appear to help man when he calls upon me in his need. ” Thus didmedicine originate, and the plants, every one of which has its use ifwe only knew it, furnish the antidote to counteract the evil wroughtby the revengeful animals. When the doctor is in doubt what treatmentto apply for the relief of a patient, the spirit of the plant suggeststo him the proper remedy. 

THEORY OF DISEASE--ANIMALS, GHOSTS, WITCHES. 

Such is the belief upon which their medical practice is based, andwhatever we may think of the theory it must be admitted that thepractice is consistent in all its details with the views set forthin the myth. Like most primitive people the Cherokees believe thatdisease and death are not natural, but are due to the evil influenceof animal spirits, ghosts, or witches. Haywood, writing in 1823, states on the authority of two intelligent residents of the Cherokeenation:

 In ancient times the Cherokees had no conception of anyone dying a natural death. They universally ascribed the death of those who perished by disease to the intervention or agency of evil spirits and witches and conjurers who had connection with the Shina (Anisgi´na) or evil spirits.... A person dying by disease and charging his death to have been procured by means of witchcraft or spirits, by any other person, consigns that person to inevitable death. They profess to believe that their conjurations have no effect upon white men. [5]

[Footnote 5: Haywood, John: Natural and Aboriginal History of EastTennessee, 267-8, Nashville, 1823. ]

On the authority of one of the same informants, he also mentionsthe veneration which “their physicians have for the numbers four andseven, who say that after man was placed upon the earth four and sevennights were instituted for the cure of diseases in the human body andthe seventh night as the limit for female impurity. ”[6]

[Footnote 6: Ibid. , p. 281. ]

Viewed from a scientific standpoint, their theory and diagnosisare entirely wrong, and consequently we can hardly expect theirtherapeutic system to be correct. As the learned Doctor Berendtstates, after an exhaustive study of the medical books of the Mayas, the scientific value of their remedies is “next to nothing. ” It mustbe admitted that many of the plants used in their medical practicepossess real curative properties, but it is equally true that manyothers held in as high estimation are inert. It seems probable that inthe beginning the various herbs and other plants were regarded as somany fetiches and were selected from some fancied connection with thedisease animal, according to the idea known to modern folklorists asthe doctrine of signatures. Thus at the present day the doctor putsinto the decoction intended as a vermifuge some of the red fleshystalks of the common purslane or chickweed (Portulaca oleracea), because these stalks somewhat resemble worms and consequently musthave some occult influence over worms. Here the chickweed is a fetichprecisely as is the flint arrow head which is put into the samedecoction, in order that in the same mysterious manner its sharpcutting qualities may be communicated to the liquid and enable itto cut the worms into pieces. In like manner, biliousness is calledby the Cherokees dalâ´nĭ or “yellow, ” because the most apparentsymptom of the disease is the vomiting by the patient of the yellowbile, and hence the doctor selects for the decoction four differentherbs, each of which is also called dalânĭ, because of the color ofthe root, stalk, or flower. The same idea is carried out in the tabuwhich generally accompanies the treatment. Thus a scrofulous patientmust abstain from eating the meat of a turkey, because the fleshydewlap which depends from its throat somewhat resembles an inflamedscrofulous eruption. On killing a deer the hunter always makes anincision in the hind quarter and removes the hamstring, because thistendon, when severed, draws up into the flesh; ergo, any one whoshould unfortunately partake of the hamstring would find his limbsdraw up in the same manner. 

There can be no doubt that in course of time a haphazard use ofplants would naturally lead to the discovery that certain herbs areefficacious in certain combinations of symptoms. These plants wouldthus come into more frequent use and finally would obtain generalrecognition in the Indian materia medica. By such a process ofevolution an empiric system of medicine has grown up among theCherokees, by which they are able to treat some classes of ailmentswith some degree of success, although without any intelligent ideaof the process involved. It must be remembered that our own medicalsystem has its remote origin in the same mythic conception of disease, and that within two hundred years judicial courts have condemnedwomen to be burned to death for producing sickness by spells andincantations, while even at the present day our faith-cure professorsreap their richest harvest among people commonly supposed to belongto the intelligent classes. In the treatment of wounds the Cherokeedoctors exhibit a considerable degree of skill, but as far as anyinternal ailment is concerned the average farmer’s wife is worth allthe doctors in the whole tribe. 

The faith of the patient has much to do with his recovery, for theIndian has the same implicit confidence in the shaman that a child hasin a more intelligent physician. The ceremonies and prayers are wellcalculated to inspire this feeling, and the effect thus producedupon the mind of the sick man undoubtedly reacts favorably upon hisphysical organization. 

The following list of twenty plants used in Cherokee practice willgive a better idea of the extent of their medical knowledge thancould be conveyed by a lengthy dissertation. The names are givenin the order in which they occur in the botanic notebook filled onthe reservation, excluding names of food plants and species notidentified, so that no attempt has been made to select in accordancewith a preconceived theory. Following the name of each plant aregiven its uses as described by the Indian doctors, together with itsproperties as set forth in the United States Dispensatory, one of theleading pharmacopoeias in use in this country. [7] For the benefitof those not versed in medical phraseology it may be stated thataperient, cathartic, and deobstruent are terms applied to medicinesintended to open or purge the bowels, a diuretic has the property ofexciting the flow of urine, a diaphoretic excites perspiration, anda demulcent protects or soothes irritated tissues, while hæmoptysisdenotes a peculiar variety of blood-spitting and aphthous is anadjective applied to ulcerations in the mouth. 

[Footnote 7: Wood, T. B. , and Bache, F. : Dispensatory of the UnitedStates of America, 14th ed. , Philadelphia, 1877. ]

SELECTED LIST OF PLANTS USED. 

1. UNASTE´TSTIYÛ=“very small root”--Aristolochiaserpentaria--Virginia or black snakeroot: Decoction of root blown uponpatient for fever and feverish headache, and drunk for coughs; rootchewed and spit upon wound to cure snake bites; bruised root placedin hollow tooth for toothache, and held against nose made sore byconstant blowing in colds. Dispensatory: “A stimulant tonic, actingalso as a diaphoretic or diuretic, according to the mode of itsapplication; * * * also been highly recommended in intermittentfevers, and though itself generally inadequate to the cure oftenproves serviceable as an adjunct to Peruvian bark or sulphate ofquinia. ” Also used for typhous diseases, in dyspepsia, as a garglefor sore throat, as a mild stimulant in typhoid fevers, and to promoteeruptions. The genus derives its scientific name from its supposedefficacy in promoting menstrual discharge, and some species haveacquired the “reputation of antidotes for the bites of serpents. ”

2. UNISTIL´Û[n]ISTÎ[8]=“they stick on”--CynoglossumMorrisoni--Beggar lice: Decoction of root or top drunk for kidneytroubles; bruised root used with bear oil as an ointment for cancer;forgetful persons drink a decoction of this plant, and probably alsoof other similar bur plants, from an idea that the sticking qualitiesof the burs will thus be imparted to the memory. From a similarconnection of ideas the root is also used in the preparation of lovecharms. Dispensatory: Not named. C. Officinale “has been used asa demulcent and sedative in coughs, catarrh, spitting of blood, dysentery, and diarrhea, and has been also applied externally inburns, ulcers, scrofulous tumors and goiter. ”

[Footnote 8: The Cherokee plant names here given are generic names, which are the names commonly used. In many cases the same name isapplied to several species and it is only when it is necessary todistinguish between them that the Indians use what might be calledspecific names. Even then the descriptive term used serves todistinguish only the particular plants under discussion and theintroduction of another variety bearing the same generic name wouldnecessitate a new classification of species on a different basis, while hardly any two individuals would classify the species by thesame characteristics. ]

3. Û[n]NAGÉI=“black”--Cassia Marilandica--Wild senna: Root bruisedand moistened with water for poulticing sores; decoction drunk forfever and for a disease also called û[n]nage´i, or “black” (samename as plant), in which the hands and eye sockets are said to turnblack; also for a disease described as similar to û[n]nagei, but moredangerous, in which the eye sockets become black, while black spotsappear on the arms, legs, and over the ribs on one side of the body, accompanied by partial paralysis, and resulting in death should theblack spots appear also on the other side. Dispensatory: Described as“an efficient and safe cathartic, * * * most conveniently given in theform of infusion. ”

4. KÂSD´ÚTA=“simulating ashes, ” so called on account of theappearance of the leaves--Gnaphalium decurrens--Life everlasting:Decoction drunk for colds; also used in the sweat bath for variousdiseases and considered one of their most valuable medical plants. Dispensatory: Not named. Decoctions of two other species of this genusare mentioned as used by country people for chest and bowel diseases, and for hemorrhages, bruises, ulcers, etc. , although “probablypossessing little medicinal virtue. ”

5. ALTSA´STI=“a wreath for the head”--Vicia Caroliniana--Vetch:Decoction drunk for dyspepsia and pains in the back, and rubbed onstomach for cramp; also rubbed on ball-players after scratching, torender their muscles tough, and used in the same way after scratchingin the disease referred to under û[n]nagei, in which one side becomesblack in spots, with partial paralysis; also used in same manner indecoction with Kâsduta for rheumatism; considered one of their mostvaluable medicinal herbs. Dispensatory: Not named. 

6. DISTAI´YǏ=“they (the roots) are tough”--TephrosiaVirginiana--Catgut, Turkey Pea, Goat’s Rue, or Devil’s Shoestrings:Decoction drunk for lassitude. Women wash their hair in decoction ofits roots to prevent its breaking or falling out, because these rootsare very tough and hard to break; from the same idea ball-playersrub the decoction on their limbs after scratching, to toughen them. Dispensatory: Described as a cathartic with roots tonic and aperient. 

7. U´GA-ATASGI´SKǏ=“the pus oozes out”--Euphorbiahypericifolia--Milkweed: Juice rubbed on for skin eruptions, especially on children’s heads; also used as a purgative; decoctiondrunk for gonorrhoea and similar diseases in both sexes, and held inhigh estimation for this purpose; juice used as an ointment for soresand for sore nipples, and in connection with other herbs for cancer. Dispensatory: The juice of all of the genus has the property of“powerfully irritating the skin when applied to it, ” while nearly allare powerful emetics and cathartics. This species “has been highlycommended as a remedy in dysentery after due depletion, diarrhea, menorrhagia, and leucorrhea. ”

8. GÛ´NǏGWALǏ´SKǏ=“It becomes discolored whenbruised”--Scutellaria lateriflora--Skullcap. The name refers tothe red juice which comes out of the stalk when bruised or chewed. A decoction of the four varieties of Gûnigwalĭ´skĭ--S. Lateriflora, S. Pilosa, Hypericum corymbosum, and Stylosanthes elatior--is drunk topromote menstruation, and the same decoction is also drunk and usedas a wash to counteract the ill effects of eating food prepared by awoman in the menstrual condition, or when such a woman by chance comesinto a sick room or a house under the tabu; also drunk for diarrheaand used with other herbs in decoction for breast pains. Dispensatory:This plant “produces no very obvious effects, ” but some doctors regardit as possessed of nervine, antispasmodic and tonic properties. Noneof the other three species are named. 

9. K´GA SKÛ´[n]TAGǏ=“crow shin”--Adiantum pedatum--MaidenhairFern: Used either in decoction or poultice for rheumatism and chills, generally in connection with some other fern. The doctors explainthat the fronds of the different varieties of fern are curled upin the young plant, but unroll and straighten out as it grows, andconsequently a decoction of ferns causes the contracted muscles ofthe rheumatic patient to unbend and straighten out in like manner. Itis also used in decoction for fever. Dispensatory: The leaves “havebeen supposed to be useful in chronic catarrh and other pectoralaffections. ”

10. ANDA´NKALAGI´SKǏ=“it removes things from the gums”--Geraniummaculatum--Wild Alum, Cranesbill: Used in decoction with YânûUnihye´stĭ (Vitis cordifolia) to wash the mouths of children inthrush; also used alone for the same purpose by blowing the chewedfiber into the mouth. Dispensatory: “One of our best indigenousastringents. * * * Diarrhea, chronic dysentery, cholora infantumin the latter stages, and the various hemorrhages are the forms ofdisease in which it is most commonly used. ” Also valuable as “anapplication to indolent ulcers, an injection in gleet and leucorrhea, a gargle in relaxation of the uvula and aphthous ulcerations of thethroat. ” The other plant sometimes used with it is not mentioned. 

11. Û´[n]LĚ UKǏ´LTǏ=“the locust frequents it”--Gilleniatrifoliata--Indian Physic. Two doctors state that it is good as a teafor bowel complaints, with fever and yellow vomit; but another saysthat it is poisonous and that no decoction is ever drunk, but that thebeaten root is a good poultice for swellings. Dispensatory: “Gilleniais a mild and efficient emetic, and like most substances belonging tothe same class occasionally acts upon the bowels. In very small dosesit has been thought to be tonic. ”

12. SKWA´LǏ=Hepatica acutiloba--Liverwort, Heartleaf: Used forcoughs either in tea or by chewing root. Those who dream of snakesdrink a decoction of this herb and I´natû Ga´n‘ka=“snake tongue”(Camptosorus rhizophyllus or Walking Fern) to produce vomiting, afterwhich the dreams do not return. The traders buy large quantities ofliverwort from the Cherokees, who may thus have learned to esteem itmore highly than they otherwise would. The appearance of the otherplant, Camptosorus rhizophyllus, has evidently determined its Cherokeename and the use to which it is applied. Dispensatory: “Liverwort is avery mild demulcent tonic and astringent, supposed by some to possessdiuretic and deobstruent virtues. It was formerly used in Europein various complaints, especially chronic hepatic affections, buthas fallen into entire neglect. In this country, some years since, it acquired considerable reputation, which, however, it has notmaintained as a remedy in hæmoptysis and chronic coughs. ” The otherplant is not named. 

13. DA´YEWÛ=“it sews itself up, ” because the leaves are said to growtogether again when torn--Cacalia atriplicifolia--Tassel Flower: Heldin great repute as a poultice for cuts, bruises, and cancer, to drawout the blood or poisonous matter. The bruised leaf is bound over thespot and frequently removed. The dry powdered leaf was formerly usedto sprinkle over food like salt. Dispensatory: Not named. 

14. A´TALǏ KÛLǏ´=“it climbs the mountain. ”--Araliaquinquefolia--Ginseng or “Sang:” Decoction of root drunk for headache, cramps, etc. , and for female troubles; chewed root blown on spot forpains in the side. The Cherokees sell large quantities of sang tothe traders for 50 cents per pound, nearly equivalent there to twodays’ wages, a fact which has doubtless increased their idea of itsimportance. Dispensatory: “The extraordinary medical virtues formerlyascribed to ginseng had no other existence than in the imagination ofthe Chinese. It is little more than a demulcent, and in this countryis not employed as a medicine. ” The Chinese name, ginseng, is said torefer to the fancied resemblance of the root to a human figure, whilein the Cherokee formulas it is addressed as the “great man” or “littleman, ” and this resemblance no doubt has much to do with the estimationin which it is held by both peoples. 

15. Û´TSATǏ UWADSǏSKA=“fish scales, ” from shape ofleaves--Thalictrum anemonoides--Meadow Rue: Decoction of root drunkfor diarrhea with vomiting. Dispensatory: Not named. 

16. K´KWĚ ULASU´LA=“partridge moccasin”--Cypripediumparviflorum--Lady-slipper: Decoction of root used for worms inchildren. In the liquid are placed some stalks of the common chickweedor purslane (Cerastium vulgatum) which, from the appearance of itsred fleshy stalks, is supposed to have some connection with worms. Dispensatory: Described as “a gentle nervous stimulant” useful indiseases in which the nerves are especially affected. The other herbis not named. 

17. A´HAWǏ´ AKĂ´TĂ´=“deer eye, ” from the appearance of theflower--Rudbeckia fulgida--Cone Flower: Decoction of root drunk forflux and for some private diseases; also used as a wash for snakebites and swellings caused by (mythic) tsgâya or worms; also droppedinto weak or inflamed eyes. This last is probably from the supposedconnection between the eye and the flower resembling the eye. Dispensatory: Not named. 

18. UTǏSTUGǏ´=Polygonatum multiflorum latifolium--Solomon’sSeal: Root heated and bruised and applied as a poultice to remove anulcerating swelling called tu´stĭ´, resembling a boil or carbuncle. Dispensatory: “This species acts like P. Uniflorum, which is saidto be emetic. In former times it was used externally in bruises, especially those about the eyes, in tumors, wounds, and cutaneouseruptions and was highly esteemed as a cosmetic. At present it isnot employed, though recommended by Hermann as a good remedy in goutand rheumatism. ” This species in decoction has been found to produce“nausea, a cathartic effect and either diaphoresis or diuresis, ” andis useful “as an internal remedy in piles, and externally in theform of decoction, in the affection of the skin resulting from thepoisonous exhalations of certain plants. ”

19. ĂMĂDITA‘TÌ=“water dipper, ” because water can be sucked upthrough its hollow stalk--Eupatorium purpureum--Queen of theMeadow, Gravel Root: Root used in decoction with a somewhat similarplant called Ămăditá´tĭ û´tanu, or “large water dipper” (notidentified) for difficult urination. Dispensatory: “Said to operateas a diuretic. Its vulgar name of gravel root indicates the popularestimation of its virtues. ” The genus is described as tonic, diaphoretic, and in large doses emetic and aperient. 

20. YÂNA UTSĚSTA=“the bear lies on it”--Aspidiumacrostichoides--Shield Fern: Root decoction drunk to produce vomiting, and also used to rub on the skin, after scratching, for rheumatism--inboth cases some other plant is added to the decoction; thewarm decoction is also held in the mouth to relieve toothache. Dispensatory: Not named. 

The results obtained from a careful study of this list may besummarized as follows: Of the twenty plants described as used by theCherokees, seven (Nos. 2, 4, 5, 13, 15, 17, and 20) are not noticedin the Dispensatory even in the list of plants sometimes used althoughregarded as not officinal. It is possible that one or two of theseseven plants have medical properties, but this can hardly be true ofa larger number unless we are disposed to believe that the Indians arebetter informed in this regard than the best educated white physiciansin the country. Two of these seven plants, however (Nos. 2 and 4), belong to genera which seem to have some of the properties ascribedby the Indians to the species. Five others of the list (Nos. 8, 9, 11, 14, and 16) are used for entirely wrong purposes, taking theDispensatory as authority, and three of these are evidently used onaccount of some fancied connection between the plant and the disease, according to the doctrine of signatures. Three of the remainder (Nos. 1, 3, and 6) may be classed as uncertain in their properties, that is, while the plants themselves seem to possess some medical value, theIndian mode of application is so far at variance with recognizedmethods, or their own statements are so vague and conflicting, thatit is doubtful whether any good can result from the use of the herbs. Thus the Unaste´tstiyû, or Virginia Snakeroot, is stated by theDispensatory to have several uses, and among other things is said tohave been highly recommended in intermittent fevers, although aloneit is “generally inadequate to the cure. ” Though not expressly stated, the natural inference is that it must be applied internally, but theCherokee doctor, while he also uses it for fever, takes the decoctionin his mouth and blows it over the head and shoulders of the patient. Another of these, the Distai´yĭ, or Turkey Pea, is described in theDispensatory as having roots tonic and aperient. The Cherokees drinka decoction of the roots for a feeling of weakness and languor, fromwhich it might be supposed that they understood the tonic propertiesof the plant had not the same decoction been used by the women as ahair wash, and by the ball players to bathe their limbs, under theimpression that the toughness of the roots would thus be communicatedto the hair or muscles. From this fact and from the name of the plant, which means at once hard, tough, or strong, it is quite probable thatits roots are believed to give strength to the patient solely becausethey themselves are so strong and not because they have been provedto be really efficacious. The remaining five plants have generallypronounced medicinal qualities, and are used by the Cherokees forthe very purposes for which, according to the Dispensatory, they arebest adapted; so that we must admit that so much of their practiceis correct, however false the reasoning by which they have arrived atthis result. 

MEDICAL PRACTICE. 

Taking the Dispensatory as the standard, and assuming that this listis a fair epitome of what the Cherokees know concerning the medicalproperties of plants, we find that five plants, or 25 per cent ofthe whole number, are correctly used; twelve, or 60 per cent, arepresumably either worthless or incorrectly used, and three plants, or15 per cent, are so used that it is difficult to say whether they areof any benefit or not. Granting that two of these three produce goodresults as used by the Indians, we should have 35 per cent, or aboutone-third of the whole, as the proportion actually possessing medicalvirtues, while the remaining two-thirds are inert, if not positivelyinjurious. It is not probable that a larger number of examples wouldchange the proportion to any appreciable extent. A number of herbsused in connection with these principal plants may probably be setdown as worthless, inasmuch as they are not named in the Dispensatory. 

The results here arrived at will doubtless be a surprise to thosepersons who hold that an Indian must necessarily be a good doctor, and that the medicine man or conjurer, with his theories of ghosts, witches, and revengeful animals, knows more about the propertiesof plants and the cure of disease than does the trained botanistor physician who has devoted a lifetime of study to the patientinvestigation of his specialty, with all the accumulated informationcontained in the works of his predecessors to build upon, and withall the light thrown upon his pathway by the discoveries of modernscience. It is absurd to suppose that the savage, a child inintellect, has reached a higher development in any branch of sciencethan has been attained by the civilized man, the product of long agesof intellectual growth. It would be as unreasonable to suppose thatthe Indian could be entirely ignorant of the medicinal propertiesof plants, living as he did in the open air in close communion withnature; but neither in accuracy nor extent can his knowledge becompared for a moment with that of the trained student working uponscientific principles. 

Cherokee medicine is an empiric development of the fetich idea. Fora disease caused by the rabbit the antidote must be a plant called“rabbit’s food, ” “rabbit’s ear, ” or “rabbit’s tail;” for snake dreamsthe plant used is “snake’s tooth;” for worms a plant resembling a wormin appearance, and for inflamed eyes a flower having the appearanceand name of “deer’s eye. ” A yellow root must be good when the patientvomits yellow bile, and a black one when dark circles come about hiseyes, and in each case the disease and the plant alike are named fromthe color. A decoction of burs must be a cure for forgetfulness, forthere is nothing else that will stick like a bur; and a decoction ofthe wiry roots of the “devil’s shoestrings” must be an efficaciouswash to toughen the ballplayer’s muscles, for they are almost strongenough to stop the plowshare in the furrow. It must be evident thatunder such a system the failures must far outnumber the cures, yet itis not so long since half our own medical practice was based upon thesame idea of correspondences, for the mediæval physicians taught that_similia similibus curantur_, and have we not all heard that “the hairof the dog will cure the bite?”

Their ignorance of the true medical principles involved is shown bythe regulations prescribed for the patient. With the exception of thefasting, no sanitary precautions are taken to aid in the recovery ofthe sick man or to contribute to his comfort. Even the fasting is asmuch religious as sanative, for in most cases where it is prescribedthe doctor also must abstain from food until sunset, just as in theCatholic church both priest and communicants remain fasting frommidnight until after the celebration of the divine mysteries. As theIndian cuisine is extremely limited, no delicate or appetizing dishesare prepared for the patient, who partakes of the same heavy, soddencornmeal dumplings and bean bread which form his principal food inhealth. In most cases certain kinds of food are prohibited, such assquirrel meat, fish, turkey, etc. ; but the reason is not that suchfood is considered deleterious to health, as we understand it, butbecause of some fanciful connection with the disease spirit. Thus ifsquirrels have caused the illness the patient must not eat squirrelmeat. If the disease be rheumatism, he must not eat the leg of anyanimal, because the limbs are generally the seat of this malady. Lye, salt, and hot food are always forbidden when there is any prohibitionat all; but here again, in nine cases out of ten, the regulation, instead of being beneficial, serves only to add to his discomfort. Lye enters into almost all the food preparations of the Cherokees, thealkaline potash taking the place of salt, which is seldom used amongthem, having been introduced by the whites. Their bean and chestnutbread, cornmeal dumplings, hominy, and gruel are all boiled in a pot, all contain lye, and are all, excepting the last, served up hot fromthe fire. When cold their bread is about as hard and tasteless as alump of yesterday’s dough, and to condemn a sick man to a diet of suchdyspeptic food, eaten cold without even a pinch of salt to give it arelish, would seem to be sufficient to kill him without any furtheraid from the doctor. The salt or lye so strictly prohibited is reallya tonic and appetizer, and in many diseases acts with curative effect. So much for the health regimen. 

In serious cases the patient is secluded and no strangers are allowedto enter the house. On first thought this would appear to be a genuinesanitary precaution for the purpose of securing rest and quiet to thesick man. Such, however, is not the case. The necessity for quiet hasprobably never occurred to the Cherokee doctor, and this regulation isintended simply to prevent any direct or indirect contact with a womanin a pregnant or menstrual condition. Among all primitive nations, including the ancient Hebrews, we find an elaborate code of rulesin regard to the conduct and treatment of women on arriving at theage of puberty, during pregnancy and the menstrual periods, and atchildbirth. Among the Cherokees the presence of a woman under any ofthese conditions, or even the presence of any one who has come froma house where such a woman resides, is considered to neutralize allthe effects of the doctor’s treatment. For this reason all women, excepting those of the household, are excluded. A man is forbidden toenter, because he may have had intercourse with a tabued woman, or mayhave come in contact with her in some other way; and children alsoare shut out, because they may have come from a cabin where dwells awoman subject to exclusion. What is supposed to be the effect of thepresence of a menstrual woman in the family of the patient is notclear; but judging from analogous customs in other tribes and fromrules still enforced among the Cherokees, notwithstanding their longcontact with the whites, it seems probable that in former times thepatient was removed to a smaller house or temporary bark lodge builtfor his accommodation whenever the tabu as to women was prescribedby the doctor. Some of the old men assert that in former times sickpersons were removed to the public townhouse, where they remainedunder the care of the doctors until they either recovered or died. A curious instance of this prohibition is given in the secondDidû[n]lĕ´skĭ (rheumatism) formula from the Gahuni manuscript (seepage 350), where the patient is required to abstain from touching asquirrel, a dog, a cat, a mountain trout, or a woman, and must alsohave a chair appropriated to his use alone during the four days thathe is under treatment. 

In cases of the children’s disease known as Gû[n]wani´gista´ĭ (seeformulas) it is forbidden to carry the child outdoors, but this is notto procure rest for the little one, or to guard against exposure tocold air, but because the birds send this disease, and should a birdchance to be flying by overhead at the moment the napping of its wingswould _fan the disease back_ into the body of the patient. 

ILLUSTRATION OF THE TABU. 

On a second visit to the reservation the writer once had a practicalillustration of the gaktû´[n]ta or tabu, which may be of interest asshowing how little sanitary ideas have to do with these precautions. Having received several urgent invitations from Tsiskwa (Bird), an oldshaman of considerable repute, who was anxious to talk, but confinedto his bed by sickness, it was determined to visit him at his house, several miles distant. On arriving we found another doctor namedSû´[n]kĭ (The Mink) in charge of the patient and were told that hehad just that morning begun a four days’ gaktû´[n]ta which, amongother provisions, excluded all visitors. It was of no use to arguethat we had come by the express request of Tsiskwa. The laws of thegaktû´[n]ta were as immutable as those of the Medes and Persians, and neither doctor nor patient could hope for favorable results fromthe treatment unless the regulations were enforced to the letter. But although we might not enter the house, there was no reason why weshould not talk to the old man, so seats were placed for us outsidethe door, while Tsiskwa lay stretched out on the bed just inside andThe Mink perched himself on the fence a few yards distant to keep aneye on the proceedings. As there was a possibility that a white manmight unconsciously affect the operation of the Indian medicine, the writer deemed it advisable to keep out of sight altogether, andaccordingly took up a position just around the corner of the house, but within easy hearing distance, while the interpreter sat facingthe doorway within a few feet of the sick man inside. Then began ananimated conversation, Tsiskwa inquiring, through the interpreter, as to the purpose of the Government in gathering such information, wanting to know how we had succeeded with other shamans and askingvarious questions in regard to other tribes and their customs. Thereplies were given in the same manner, an attempt being also madeto draw him out as to the extent of his own knowledge. Thus wetalked until the old man grew weary, but throughout the whole ofthis singular interview neither party saw the other, nor was thegaktû´[n]ta violated by entering the house. From this example itmust be sufficiently evident that the tabu as to visitors is not ahygienic precaution for securing greater quiet to the patient, or toprevent the spread of contagion, but that it is simply a religiousobservance of the tribe, exactly parallel to many of the regulationsamong the ancient Jews, as laid down in the book of Leviticus. 

NEGLECT OF SANITARY REGULATIONS. 

No rules are ever formulated as to fresh air or exercise, for thesufficient reason that the door of the Cherokee log cabin is alwaysopen, excepting at night and on the coldest days in winter, whilethe Indian is seldom in the house during his waking hours unless whennecessity compels him. As most of their cabins are still built in theold Indian style, without windows, the open door furnishes the onlymeans by which light is admitted to the interior, although when closedthe fire on the hearth helps to make amends for the deficiency. On theother hand, no precautions are taken to guard against cold, dampness, or sudden drafts. During the greater part of the year whole familiessleep outside upon the ground, rolled up in an old blanket. TheCherokee is careless of exposure and utterly indifferent to thesimplest rules of hygiene. He will walk all day in a pouring rainclad only in a thin shirt and a pair of pants. He goes barefoot andfrequently bareheaded nearly the entire year, and even on a frostymorning in late November, when the streams are of almost icy coldness, men and women will deliberately ford the river where the water iswaist deep in preference to going a few hundred yards to a foot-log. At their dances in the open air men, women, and children, with barefeet and thinly clad, dance upon the damp ground from darkness untildaylight, sometimes enveloped in a thick mountain fog which makeseven the neighboring treetops invisible, while the mothers have theirinfants laid away under the bushes with only a shawl between them andthe cold ground. In their ball plays also each young man, before goinginto the game, is subjected to an ordeal of dancing, bleeding, andcold plunge baths, without food or sleep, which must unquestionablywaste his physical energy. 

In the old days when the Cherokee was the lord of the whole countryfrom the Savannah to the Ohio, well fed and warmly clad and leadingan active life in the open air, he was able to maintain a condition ofrobust health notwithstanding the incorrectness of his medical ideasand his general disregard of sanitary regulations. But with the adventof the white man and the destruction of the game all this was changed. The East Cherokee of to-day is a dejected being; poorly fed, and worseclothed, rarely tasting meat, cut off from the old free life, andwith no incentive to a better, and constantly bowed down by a sense ofhelpless degradation in the presence of his conqueror. Considering allthe circumstances, it may seem a matter of surprise that any of themare still in existence. As a matter of fact, the best information thatcould be obtained in the absence of any official statistics indicateda slow but steady decrease during the last five years. Only theconstitutional vigor, inherited from their warrior ancestors, hasenabled them to sustain the shock of the changed conditions of thelast half century. The uniform good health of the children in thetraining school shows that the case is not hopeless, however, and thatunder favorable conditions, with a proper food supply and a regularmode of living, the Cherokee can hold his own with the white man. 

THE SWEAT BATH--BLEEDING--RUBBING--BATHING. 

In addition to their herb treatment the Cherokees frequently resortto sweat baths, bleeding, rubbing, and cold baths in the runningstream, to say nothing of the beads and other conjuring paraphernaliagenerally used in connection with the ceremony. The sweat bath was incommon use among almost all the tribes north of Mexico excepting thecentral and eastern Eskimo, and was considered the great cure-all insickness and invigorant in health. Among many tribes it appears tohave been regarded as a ceremonial observance, but the Cherokees seemto have looked upon it simply as a medical application, while theceremonial part was confined to the use of the plunge bath. The personwishing to make trial of the virtues of the sweat bath entered theâ´sĭ, a small earth-covered log house only high enough to allowof sitting down. After divesting himself of his clothing, some largebowlders, previously heated in a fire, were placed near him, and overthem was poured a decoction of the beaten roots of the wild parsnip. The door was closed so that no air could enter from the outside, andthe patient sat in the sweltering steam until he was in a profuseperspiration and nearly choked by the pungent fumes of the decoction. In accordance with general Indian practice it may be that he plungedinto the river before resuming his clothing; but in modern timesthis part of the operation is omitted and the patient is drenchedwith cold water instead. Since the âsĭ has gone out of general usethe sweating takes place in the ordinary dwelling, the steam beingconfined under a blanket wrapped around the patient. During theprevalence of the smallpox epidemic among the Cherokees at the closeof the late war the sweat bath was universally called into requisitionto stay the progress of the disease, and as the result about threehundred of the band died, while many of the survivors will carrythe marks of the visitation to the grave. The sweat bath, with theaccompanying cold water application, being regarded as the greatpanacea, seems to have been resorted to by the Indians in all parts ofthe country whenever visited by smallpox--originally introduced by thewhites--and in consequence of this mistaken treatment they have died, in the language of an old writer, “like rotten sheep” and at timeswhole tribes have been almost swept away. Many of the Cherokees triedto ward off the disease by eating the flesh of the buzzard, whichthey believe to enjoy entire immunity from sickness, owing to its foulsmell, which keeps the disease spirits at a distance. 

Bleeding is resorted to in a number of cases, especially in rheumatismand in preparing for the ball play. There are two methods ofperforming the operation, bleeding proper and scratching, the latterbeing preparatory to rubbing on the medicine, which is thus broughtinto more direct contact with the blood. The bleeding is performedwith a small cupping horn, to which suction is applied in the ordinarymanner, after scarification with a flint or piece of broken glass. Inthe blood thus drawn out the shaman claims sometimes to find a minutepebble, a sharpened stick or something of the kind, which he assertsto be the cause of the trouble and to have been conveyed into thebody of the patient through the evil spells of an enemy. He frequentlypretends to suck out such an object by the application of the lipsalone, without any scarification whatever. Scratching is a painfulprocess and is performed with a brier, a flint arrowhead, arattlesnake’s tooth, or even with a piece of glass, according to thenature of the ailment, while in preparing the young men for the ballplay the shaman uses an instrument somewhat resembling a comb, havingseven teeth made from the sharpened splinters of the leg bone ofa turkey. The scratching is usually done according to a particularpattern, the regular method for the ball play being to draw thescratcher four times down the upper part of each arm, thus makingtwenty-eight scratches each about 6 inches in length, repeating theoperation on each arm below the elbow and on each leg above and belowthe knee. Finally, the instrument is drawn across the breast from thetwo shoulders so as to form a cross; another curving stroke is madeto connect the two upper ends of the cross, and the same pattern isrepeated on the back, so that the body is thus gashed in nearly threehundred places. Although very painful for a while, as may wellbe supposed, the scratches do not penetrate deep enough to resultseriously, excepting in some cases where erysipelas sets in. Whilethe blood is still flowing freely the medicine, which in this caseis intended to toughen, the muscles of the player, is rubbed into thewounds after which the sufferer plunges into the stream and washesoff the blood. In order that the blood may flow the longer withoutclotting it is frequently scraped off with a small switch as it flows. In rheumatism and other local diseases the scratching is confined tothe part affected. The instrument used is selected in accordance withthe mythologic theory, excepting in the case of the piece of glass, which is merely a modern makeshift for the flint arrowhead. 

Rubbing, used commonly for pains and swellings of the abdomen, is avery simple operation performed with the tip of the finger or the palmof the hand, and can not be dignified with the name of massage. Inone of the Gahuni formulas for treating snake bites (page 351) theoperator is told to rub in a direction contrary to that in which thesnake coils itself, because “this is just the same as uncoiling it. ”Blowing upon the part affected, as well as upon the head, hands, and other parts of the body, is also an important feature of theceremonial performance. In one of the formulas it is specified thatthe doctor must blow first upon the right hand of the patient, thenupon the left foot, then upon the left hand, and finally upon theright foot, thus making an imaginary cross. 

Bathing in the running stream, or “going to water, ” as it is called, is one of their most frequent medico-religious ceremonies, and isperformed on a great variety of occasions, such as at each newmoon, before eating the new food at the green corn dance, before themedicine dance and other ceremonial dances before and after the ballplay, in connection with the prayers for long life, to counteract theeffects of bad dreams or the evil spells of an enemy, and as a part ofthe regular treatment in various diseases. The details of the ceremonyare very elaborate and vary according to the purpose for which it isperformed, but in all cases both shaman and client are fasting fromthe previous evening, the ceremony being generally performed just atdaybreak. The bather usually dips completely under the water four orseven times, but in some cases it is sufficient to pour the water fromthe hand upon the head and breast. In the ball play the ball sticksare dipped into the water at the same time. While the bather is in thewater the shaman is going through with his part of the performanceon the bank and draws omens from the motion of the beads between histhumb and finger, or of the fishes in the water. Although the oldcustoms are fast dying out this ceremony is never neglected at theball play, and is also strictly observed by many families on occasionof eating the new corn, at each new moon, and on other specialoccasions, even when it is necessary to break the ice in the streamfor the purpose, and to the neglect of this rite the older peopleattribute many of the evils which have come upon the tribe in laterdays. The latter part of autumn is deemed the most suitable season ofthe year for this ceremony, as the leaves which then cover the surfaceof the stream are supposed to impart their medicinal virtues to thewater. 

SHAMANS AND WHITE PHYSICIANS. 

Of late years, especially since the establishment of schools amongthem, the Cherokees are gradually beginning to lose confidence inthe abilities of their own doctors and are becoming more disposedto accept treatment from white physicians. The shamans are naturallyjealous of this infringement upon their authority and endeavor toprevent the spread of the heresy by asserting the convenient doctrinethat the white man’s medicine is inevitably fatal to an Indian unlesseradicated from the system by a continuous course of treatment forfour years under the hands of a skillful shaman. The officers of thetraining school established by the Government a few years ago met withconsiderable difficulty on this account for some time, as the parentsinsisted on removing the children at the first appearance of illnessin order that they might be treated by the shamans, until convinced byexperience that the children received better attention at the schoolthan could possibly be had in their own homes. In one instance, wherea woman was attacked by a pulmonary complaint akin to consumption, herhusband, a man of rather more than the usual amount of intelligence, was persuaded to call in the services of a competent white physician, who diagnosed the case and left a prescription. On a second visit, afew days later, he found that the family, dreading the consequences ofthis departure from old customs, had employed a shaman, who assertedthat the trouble was caused by a sharpened stick which some enemyhad caused to be imbedded in the woman’s side. He accordingly began aseries of conjurations for the removal of the stick, while the whitephysician and his medicine were disregarded, and in due time the womandied. Two children soon followed her to the grave, from the contagionor the inherited seeds of the same disease, but here also thesharpened sticks were held responsible, and, notwithstanding the threedeaths under such treatment, the husband and father, who was at onetime a preacher, still has faith in the assertions of the shaman. Theappointment of a competent physician to look after the health of theIndians would go far to eradicate these false ideas and preventmuch sickness and suffering; but, as the Government has made no suchprovision, the Indians, both on and off the reservation, excepting thechildren in the home school, are entirely without medical care. 

MEDICINE DANCES. 

The Cherokees have a dance known as the Medicine Dance, which isgenerally performed in connection with other dances when a number ofpeople assemble for a night of enjoyment. It possesses no featuresof special interest and differs in no essential respect from a dozenother of the lesser dances. Besides this, however, there was another, known as the Medicine Boiling Dance, which, for importance and solemnceremonial, was second only to the great Green Corn Dance. It hasnow been discontinued on the reservation for about twenty years. Ittook place in the fall, probably preceding the Green Corn Dance, andcontinued four days. The principal ceremony in connection with it wasthe drinking of a strong decoction of various herbs, which acted asa violent emetic and purgative. The usual fasting and going to wateraccompanied the dancing and medicine-drinking. 

DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTOMS. 

It is exceedingly difficult to obtain from the doctors any accuratestatement of the nature of a malady, owing to the fact that theirdescription of the symptoms is always of the vaguest character, whilein general the name given to the disease by the shaman expresses onlyhis opinion as to the occult cause of the trouble. Thus they havedefinite names for rheumatism, toothache, boils, and a few otherailments of like positive character, but beyond this their descriptionof symptoms generally resolves itself into a statement that thepatient has bad dreams, looks black around the eyes, or feels tired, while the disease is assigned such names as “when they dream ofsnakes, ” “when they dream of fish, ” “when ghosts trouble them, ” “whensomething is making something else eat them, ” or “when the food ischanged, ” i. E. , when a witch causes it to sprout and grow in the bodyof the patient or transforms it into a lizard, frog, or sharpenedstick. 

THE PAY OF THE SHAMAN. 

The consideration which the doctor receives for his services is calledugista´‘tĭ, a word of doubtful etymology, but probably derived fromthe verb tsĭ´giû, “I take” or “I eat. ” In former times this wasgenerally a deer-skin or a pair of moccasins, but is now a certainquantity of cloth, a garment, or a handkerchief. The shamans disclaimthe idea that the ugistâ´‘tĭ is pay, in our sense of the word, butassert that it is one of the agencies in the removal and banishmentof the disease spirit. Their explanation is somewhat obscure, butthe cloth seems to be intended either as an offering to the diseasespirit, as a ransom to procure the release of his intended victim, oras a covering to protect the hand of a shaman while engaged in pullingthe disease from the body of the patient. The first theory, whichincludes also the idea of vicarious atonement, is common to manyprimitive peoples. Whichever may be the true explanation, the evilinfluence of the disease is believed to enter into the cloth, whichmust therefore be sold or given away by the doctor, as otherwiseit will cause his death when the pile thus accumulating reaches theheight of his head. No evil results seem to follow its transfer fromthe shaman to a third party. The doctor can not bestow anything thusreceived upon a member of his own family unless that individual giveshim something in return. If the consideration thus received, however, be anything eatable, the doctor may partake along with the rest of thefamily. As a general rule the doctor makes no charge for his services, and the consideration is regarded as a free-will offering. This remarkapplies only to the medical practice, as the shaman always demandsand receives a fixed remuneration for performing love charms, huntingceremonials, and other conjurations of a miscellaneous character. Moreover, whenever the beads are used the patient must furnish acertain quantity of new cloth upon which to place them, and at theclose of the ceremony the doctor rolls up the cloth, beads and all, and takes them away with him. The cloth thus received by the doctorfor working with the beads must not be used by him, but must be sold. In one instance a doctor kept a handkerchief which he received for hisservices, but instead sold a better one of his own. Additional clothis thus given each time the ceremony is repeated, each time a secondfour days’ course of treatment is begun, and as often as the doctorsees fit to change his method of procedure. Thus, when he beginsto treat a sick man for a disease caused by rabbits, he expects toreceive a certain ugista´‘tĭ; but, should he decide after a timethat the terrapin or the red bird is responsible for the trouble, headopts a different course of treatment, for which another ugista´‘tĭis necessary. Should the sickness not yield readily to his efforts, itis because the disease animal requires a greater ugista´‘tĭ, and thequantity of cloth must be doubled, so that on the whole the doctrineis a very convenient one for the shaman. In many of the formulasexplicit directions are given as to the pay which the shaman isto receive for performing the ceremony. In one of the Gatigwanastiformulas, after specifying the amount of cloth to be paid, the writerof it makes the additional proviso that it must be “pretty good cloth, too, ” asserting as a clincher that “this is what the old folks said along time ago. ”

The ugista´‘tĭ can not be paid by either one of a married couple tothe other, and, as it is considered a necessary accompaniment of theapplication, it follows that a shaman can not treat his own wife insickness, and vice versa. Neither can the husband or wife of the sickperson send for the doctor, but the call must come from some oneof the blood relatives of the patient. In one instance within thewriter’s knowledge a woman complained that her husband was very sickand needed a doctor’s attention, but his relatives were taking nosteps in the matter and it was not permissible for her to do so. 

CEREMONIES FOR GATHERING PLANTS AND PREPARING MEDICINE. 

There are a number of ceremonies and regulations observed inconnection with the gathering of the herbs, roots, and barks, whichcan not be given in detail within the limits of this paper. Insearching for his medicinal plants the shaman goes provided with anumber of white and red beads, and approaches the plant from a certaindirection, going round it from right to left one or four times, reciting certain prayers the while. He then pulls up the plant by theroots and drops one of the beads into the hole and covers it up withthe loose earth. In one of the formulas for hunting ginseng the hunteraddresses the mountain as the “Great Man” and assures it that he comesonly to take a small piece of flesh (the ginseng) from its side, sothat it seems probable that the bead is intended as a compensation tothe earth for the plant thus torn from her bosom. In some cases thedoctor must pass by the first three plants met until he comes to thefourth, which he takes and may then return for the others. The barkis always taken from the east side of the tree, and when the root orbranch is used it must also be one which runs out toward the east, thereason given being that these have imbibed more medical potency fromthe rays of the sun. 

When the roots, herbs, and barks which enter into the prescriptionhave been thus gathered the doctor ties them up into a convenientpackage, which he takes to a running stream and casts into the waterwith appropriate prayers. Should the package float, as it generallydoes, he accepts the fact as an omen that his treatment will besuccessful. On the other hand, should it sink, he concludes that somepart of the preceding ceremony has been improperly carried out andat once sets about procuring a new package, going over the wholeperformance from the beginning. Herb-gathering by moonlight, soimportant a feature in European folk medicine, seems to be no partof Cherokee ceremonial. There are fixed regulations in regard tothe preparing of the decoction, the care of the medicine duringthe continuance of the treatment, and the disposal of what remainsafter the treatment is at an end. In the arrangement of details theshaman frequently employs the services of a lay assistant. In thesedegenerate days a number of upstart pretenders to the healing art havearisen in the tribe and endeavor to impose upon the ignorance of theirfellows by posing as doctors, although knowing next to nothing of theprayers and ceremonies, without which there can be no virtue in theapplication. These impostors are sternly frowned down and regardedwith the utmost contempt by the real professors, both men and women, who have been initiated into the sacred mysteries and proudly lookupon themselves as conservators of the ancient ritual of the past. 

THE CHEROKEE GODS AND THEIR ABIDING PLACES. 

After what has been said in elucidation of the theories involved inthe medical formulas, the most important and numerous of the series, but little remains to be added in regard to the others, beyond whatis contained in the explanation accompanying each one. A few points, however, may be briefly noted. 

The religion of the Cherokees, like that of most of our North Americantribes, is zootheism or animal worship, with the survival of thatearlier stage designated by Powell as hecastotheism, or the worshipof all things tangible, and the beginnings of a higher system inwhich the elements and the great powers of nature are deified. Theirpantheon includes gods in the heaven above, on the earth beneath, andin the waters under the earth, but of these the animal gods constituteby far the most numerous class, although the elemental gods aremore important. Among the animal gods insects and fishes occupy asubordinate place, while quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles are invokedalmost constantly. The uktena (a mythic great horned serpent), therattlesnake, and the terrapin, the various species of hawk, and therabbit, the squirrel, and the dog are the principal animal gods. Theimportance of the god bears no relation to the size of the animal, and in fact the larger animals are but seldom invoked. The spider alsooccupies a prominent place in the love and life-destroying formulas, his duty being to entangle the soul of his victim in the meshes of hisweb or to pluck it from the body of the doomed man and drag it way tothe black coffin in the Darkening Land. 

Among what may be classed as elemental gods the principal are fire, water, and the sun, all of which are addressed under figurativenames. The sun is called Une´‘lanû´hĭ, “the apportioner, ” just as ourword moon means originally “the measurer. ” Indians and Aryans alike, having noticed how these great luminaries divide and measure day andnight, summer and winter, with never-varying regularity, have given toeach a name which should indicate these characteristics, thus showinghow the human mind constantly moves on along the same channels. Missionaries have naturally, but incorrectly, assumed this apportionerof all things to be the suppositional “Great Spirit” of the Cherokees, and hence the word is used in the Bible translation as synonymouswith God. In ordinary conversation and in the lesser mythsthe sun is called Nû´[n]tâ. The sun is invoked chiefly by theball-player, while the hunter prays to the fire; but every importantceremony--whether connected with medicine, love, hunting, or the ballplay--contains a prayer to the “Long Person, ” the formulistic name forwater, or, more strictly speaking, for the river. The wind, the storm, the cloud, and the frost are also invoked in different formulas. 

But few inanimate gods are included in the category, the principalbeing the Stone, to which the shaman prays while endeavoring to find alost article by means of a swinging pebble suspended by a string; theFlint, invoked when the shaman is about to scarify the patient witha flint arrow-head before rubbing on the medicine; and the Mountain, which is addressed in one or two of the formulas thus far translated. Plant gods do not appear prominently, the chief one seeming to be theginseng, addressed in the formulas as the “Great Man” or “Little Man, ”although its proper Cherokee name signifies the “Mountain Climber. ”

A number of personal deities are also invoked, the principal beingthe Red Man. He is one of the greatest of the gods, being repeatedlycalled upon in formulas of all kinds, and is hardly subordinate to theFire, the Water, or the Sun. His identity is as yet uncertain, but heseems to be intimately connected with the Thunder family. In a curiousmarginal note in one of the Gahuni formulas (page 350), it is statedthat when the patient is a woman the doctor must pray to the RedMan, but when treating a man he must pray to the Red Woman, so thatthis personage seems to have dual sex characteristics. Another godinvoked in the hunting songs is Tsu´l’kalû´, or “Slanting Eyes”(see Cherokee Myths), a giant hunter who lives in one of the greatmountains of the Blue Ridge and owns all the game. Others are theLittle Men, probably the two Thunder boys; the Little People, thefairies who live in the rock cliffs; and even the De´tsata, adiminutive sprite who holds the place of our Puck. One unwrittenformula, which could not be obtained correctly by dictation, wasaddressed to the “Red-Headed Woman, whose hair hangs down to theground. ”

The personage invoked is always selected in accordance with the theoryof the formula and the duty to be performed. Thus, when a sickness iscaused by a fish, the Fish-hawk, the Heron, or some other fish-eatingbird is implored to come and seize the intruder and destroy it, sothat the patient may find relief. When the trouble is caused by aworm or an insect, some insectivorous bird is called in for the samepurpose. When a flock of redbirds is pecking at the vitals of the sickman the Sparrow-hawk is brought down to scatter them, and when therabbit, the great mischief-maker, is the evil genius, he is drivenout by the Rabbit-hawk. Sometimes after the intruder has been thusexpelled “a small portion still remains, ” in the words of the formula, and accordingly the Whirlwind is called down from the treetops tocarry the remnant to the uplands and there scatter it so that it shallnever reappear. The hunter prays to the fire, from which he draws hisomens; to the reed, from which he makes his arrows; to Tsu´l’kalû, the great lord of the game, and finally addresses in songs the veryanimals which he intends to kill. The lover prays to the Spider tohold fast the affections of his beloved one in the meshes of his web, or to the Moon, which looks down upon him in the dance. The warriorprays to the Red War-club, and the man about to set out on a dangerousexpedition prays to the Cloud to envelop him and conceal him from hisenemies. 

Each spirit of good or evil has its distinct and appropriate placeof residence. The Rabbit is declared to live in the broomsage on thehillside, the Fish dwells in a bend of the river under the pendanthemlock branches, the Terrapin lives in the great pond in the West, and the Whirlwind abides in the leafy treetops. Each disease animal, when driven away from his prey by some more powerful animal, endeavorsto find shelter in his accustomed haunt. It must be stated herethat the animals of the formulas are not the ordinary, everydayanimals, but their great progenitors, who live in the upper world(galû´[n]lati) above the arch of the firmament. 

COLOR SYMBOLISM. 

Color symbolism plays an important part in the shamanistic systemof the Cherokees, no less than in that of other tribes. Each one ofthe cardinal points has its corresponding color and each color itssymbolic meaning, so that each spirit invoked corresponds in colorand local habitation with the characteristics imputed to him, and isconnected with other spirits of the same name, but of other colors, living in other parts of the upper world and differing widely in theircharacteristics. Thus the Red Man, living in the east, is the spiritof power, triumph, and success, but the Black Man, in the West, isthe spirit of death. The shaman therefore invokes the Red Man tothe assistance of his client and consigns his enemy to the fatalinfluences of the Black Man. 

The symbolic color system of the Cherokees, which will be explainedmore fully in connection with the formulas, is as follows:

 East red success; triumph. North blue defeat; trouble. West black death. South white peace; happiness. Above? brown unascertained, but propitious. ------ yellow about the same as blue. 

There is a great diversity in the color systems of the various tribes, both as to the location and significance of the colors, but forobvious reasons black was generally taken as the symbol of death;while white and red signified, respectively, peace and war. It issomewhat remarkable that red was the emblem of power and triumphamong the ancient Oriental nations no less than among the modernCherokees. [9]

[Footnote 9: For more in regard to color symbolism, see Mallery’sPictographs of the North American Indians in Fourth Report of theBureau of Ethnology, pp. 53-37, Washington, 1886; Gatschet’s CreekMigration Legend, vol. 3, pp. 31-41, St. Louis, 1888; Brinton’s KicheMyths in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 19, pp. 646-647, Philadelphia, 1882. ]

IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO NAMES. 

In many of the formulas, especially those relating to love and tolife-destroying, the shaman mentions the name and clan of his client, of the intended victim, or of the girl whose affections it is desiredto win. The Indian regards his name, not as a mere label, but as adistinct part of his personality, just as much as are his eyes orhis teeth, and believes that injury will result as surely from themalicious handling of his name as from a wound inflicted on any partof his physical organism. This belief was found among the varioustribes from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and has occasioned a numberof curious regulations in regard to the concealment and change ofnames. It may be on this account that both Powhatan and Pocahontas areknown in history under assumed appellations, their true names havingbeen concealed from the whites until the pseudonyms were too firmlyestablished to be supplanted. Should his prayers have no apparenteffect when treating a patient for some serious illness, the shamansometimes concludes that the name is affected, and accordingly goesto water, with appropriate ceremonies, and christens the patient witha new name, by which he is henceforth to be known. He then beginsafresh, repeating the formulas with the new name selected for thepatient, in the confident hope that his efforts will be crowned withsuccess. 

LANGUAGE OF THE FORMULAS. 

A few words remain to be said in regard to the language of theformulas. They are full of archaic and figurative expressions, many ofwhich are unintelligible to the common people, and some of which eventhe shamans themselves are now unable to explain. These archaic forms, like the old words used by our poets, lend a peculiar beauty which canhardly be rendered in a translation. They frequently throw light onthe dialectic evolution of the language, as many words found now onlyin the nearly extinct Lower Cherokee dialect occur in formulas whichin other respects are written in the Middle or Upper dialect. TheR sound, the chief distinguishing characteristic of the old Lowerdialect, of course does not occur, as there are no means of indicatingit in the Cherokee syllabary. Those who are accustomed to look to theBible for all beauty in sacred expression will be surprised to findthat these formulas abound in the loftiest nights of poetic imagery. This is especially true of the prayers used to win the love of a womanor to destroy the life of an enemy, in which we find such expressionsas--“Now your soul fades away--your spirit shall grow less anddwindle away, never to reappear;” “Let her be completely veiled inloneliness--O Black Spider, may you hold her soul in your web, so thatit may never get through the meshes;” and the final declaration of thelover, “Your soul has come into the very center of my soul, never toturn away. ”

In the translation it has been found advisable to retain as technicalterms a few words which could not well be rendered literally, suchas ada´wĕhĭ and ugistā´‘tĭ. These words will be found explainedin the proper place. Transliterations of the Cherokee text of theformulas are given, but it must be distinctly understood that thetranslations are intended only as free renderings of the spirit ofthe originals, exact translations with grammatic and glossarial notesbeing deferred until a more extended study of the language has beenmade, when it is hoped to present with more exactness of detail thewhole body of the formulas, of which the specimens here given are buta small portion. 

The facsimile formulas are copies from the manuscripts now inpossession of the Bureau of Ethnology, and the portraits are fromphotographs taken by the author in the field. 

SPECIMEN FORMULAS. 

NOTE ON THE ORTHOGRAPHY AND TRANSLATION. 

In the Cherokee text both _d_ and _g_ have a medial sound, approximating the sounds of _t_ and _k_ respectively. The otherletters are pronounced in regular accordance with the alphabet ofthe Bureau of Ethnology. The language abounds in nasal and aspiratesounds, the most difficult of the latter being the aspirate _‘l_, which to one familiar only with English sounds like _tl_. 

A few words whose meaning could not be satisfactorily ascertained havebeen distinctively indicated in the Cherokee text by means of italics. In the translation the corresponding expression has been queried, orthe space left entirely blank. On examining the text the student cannot fail to be struck by the great number of verbs ending in _iga_. This is a peculiar form hardly ever used excepting in these formulas, where almost every paragraph contains one or more such verbs. Itimplies that the subject has just come and is now performing theaction, and that he came for that purpose. In addition to this, manyof these verbs may be either assertive or imperative (expressingentreaty), according to the accent. Thus _hatû´[n]gani´ga_ means“you have just come and are listening and it is for that purpose youcame. ” By slightly accenting the final syllable it becomes “come atonce to listen. ” It will thus be seen that the great majority of theformulas are declarative rather than petitional in form--laudatoryrhapsodies instead of prayers, in the ordinary sense of the word. 

MEDICINE. 

DIDÛ[n]LĚ´SKĬ ADANÛ[n]´WÂTĬ KANÂHĚ´SKĬ. 

Sgĕ! Ha-Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ, Gi´‘lĭ Gigage´ĭ, hanâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga usĭnuli´yu. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, gahu´stĭ tsan´ultĭ nige´sû[n]na. Ha-diskwûlti´yûtĭ´nanugagĭ´, ase´gwû nige´sû[n]na tsagista´‘tĭadû[n]ni´ga. Ulsg´eta hû[n]hihyû´[n]stani´ga. Ha-usdig´iyu-gwû ha-e´lawastû´[n] iytû´[n]tadûhilâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-Uhû[n]tsâ´yĭ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ Gi´‘lĭ Sa‘ka´nĭ, hanâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga usĭnuli´yu. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, gahu´stĭ tsanu´ltĭ nige´sû[n]na. Diskwûlti´yû ti´nanugai´, ase´gwû nige´sû[n]na tsagista´‘tĭ adû[n]ni´ga. Ulsge´tahû[n]hihyû[n]stani´ga. Ha-usdigi´yu-gwû ha-e´lawastû´[n]iyû´ta dûhitâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! (Ha)-Usûhi´(-yĭ) tsûl‘dâ´histĭ, Gi‘l´ĭ Gû[n]nage´ĭ, hanâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga usĭnuli´yû. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, gahu´sti tsanu´ltĭ nige´sû´[n]na. Diskwûlti´yû tinanugagĭ´, ase´gwû nige´sû[n]na tsagista´‘tĭ adû[n]ni´ga. Ulsg´etahû[n]hihyû[n]stani´ga. Ha-usdigi´yu-gwû ha-e´lawastû´[n]iyû´[n]ta dûhitâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! Wa´hală´ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ, Gi´‘lĭ Tsûne´ga, hanâ´gwahatû´[n]gani´ga usĭnuli´yu. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, gahu´stĭtsanu´ltĭ nige´sû[n]na. Diskwûlti´yû ti´nanugagĭ´, ase´gwû nige´sû[n]na tsagista´‘tĭ adû[n]ni´ga. Ha-ulsge´tahû[n]hihyû´[n]stani´ga. Ha-usdigi´yu-gwû e´lawastû´[n]iyû´[n]ta dûhitâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! Wa´hală tsûl‘dâ´histĭ Tû´ksĭ Tsûne´ga, hanâ´gwahatû´[n]gani´ga usĭnuli´yu. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, gahu´stĭ tsanu´ltĭ nige´sû[n]na. Ha-kâ´lû _gayûske´ta_tsatû[n]´neli´ga. Utsĭna´wa nu´tatănû´[n]ta. 

(Degâsisisgû´[n]ĭ. )--Tûksĭ uhya´ska gûnsta‘tĭ´ na´skĭigahi´ta gunstâ´ĭ hĭ´skĭ iyuntale´gĭ tsûntûngi´ya. Û[n]skwû´ta kĭlû´ atsâ´tastĭ sâ´gwa iyûtsâ´tastĭ, nû´‘kĭ igû´[n]kta‘tĭ, naski-gwû´ diû[n]lĕ´nĭskâhĭ´igû[n]yi´yĭ tsale´nihû. Nû´‘kine û[n]skwû´ta kĭlû´nû´‘kĭ iyatsâ´tastĭ. Uhyaskâ´hi-‘nû ade´la degû‘la´ĭtă´lĭ unine´ga-gwû´ nû´[n]wâti-‘nû´ higûnehâ´ĭuhyaskâ´hĭ usdi´a-gwû. Une´lagi-‘nû sâĭ´ agadâ´ĭagadi´dĭ û´[n]ti-gwû´ yĭkĭ´ âsi´yu-gwû na´ski-‘nûaganû[n]li´eskâ´ĭ da´gûnstanehû´[n]ĭ ŭ‘taâ´ta. Hiă‘-nû´ nû´[n]wâtĭ: Yâ´na-Unatsĕsdâ´gĭ tsana´sehâ´ĭsâ´i-‘nû Kâ´ga-Asgû´[n]tagĕ tsana´sehâ´ĭ, sâi-‘nû´_Egû´[n]li_-gwû, sâi-nû´ (U)wa´sgilĭ tsĭgĭ´Egû´[n]lĭ Usdi´a tsĭgĭ´, nû[n]yâ´hi-‘nû tsuyĕ‘dâ´ĭYâ´na-Utsĕsdâgĭ naskiyû´ tsĭgĭ´, usdi´-gwû tsĭgĭ´. Egû´[n]lĭ (u)wa´sgilĭ tsĭgĭ´; sâ´ĭ Wâ´tige Unas(te´)tsatsĭgĭ´, sâ´i-‘nû Û´[n]age Tsunaste´tsa, Niga´ta unaste´tsagesâ´ĭ. 

Sunale´-gwû ale´ndĭ adanû´[n]wâtĭ; tă´line e´ladĭtsitkala´ĭ; tsâ´ine u´lsaladĭ´‘satû´; nû´‘kine igû´ts´kalâ´ĭ. Yeli´gwû´ igesâ´ĭ. Nû´lstâiyanû´na gesâ´ĭakanû[n]wi´skĭ, nasgwû´ nulstaiyanû´na. 

_Translation. _

FORMULA FOR TREATING THE CRIPPLER (RHEUMATISM). 

Listen! Ha! In the Sun Land you repose, O Red Dog, O now you haveswiftly drawn near to hearken. O great ada´wĕhĭ[10], you neverfail in anything. O, appear and draw near running, for your prey neverescapes. You are now come to remove the intruder. Ha! You have settleda very small part of it far off there at the end of the earth. 

Listen! Ha! In the Frigid Land you repose, O Blue Dog. O now you haveswiftly drawn near to hearken, O great ada´wĕhĭ, you never failin anything. O, appear and draw near running, for your prey neverescapes. You are now come to remove the intruder. Ha! You have settleda very small part of it far off there at the end of the earth. 

Listen! Ha! In the darkening land you repose, O Black Dog. O, now youhave swiftly drawn near to hearken. O great ada´wĕhĭ, you neverfail in anything. O, appear and draw near running, for your prey neverescapes. You are now come to remove the intruder. Ha! You have settleda very small part of it far off there at the end of the earth. 

Listen! On Wa´hală you repose. O White Dog. Oh, now you haveswiftly drawn near to hearken. O great ada´wĕhĭ, you never failin anything. Oh, appear and draw near running, for your prey neverescapes. You are now come to remove the intruder. Ha! You have settleda very small part of it far off there at the end of the earth. 

Listen! On Wa´hală, you repose, O White Terrapin. O, now you haveswiftly drawn near to hearken. O great ada´wĕhĭ, you never fail inanything. Ha! It is for you to loosen its hold on the bone. Belief isaccomplished. 

(Prescription. )--Lay a terrapin shell upon (the spot) and keep itthere while the five kinds (of spirits) listen. On finishing, thenblow once. Repeat four times, beginning each time from the start. Onfinishing the fourth time, then blow four times. Have two white beadslying in the shell, together with a little of the medicine. Don’tinterfere with it, but have a good deal boiling in another vessel--abowl will do very well--and rub it on warm while treating by applyingthe hands. And this is the medicine: What is called Yâ´na-Utsĕ´sta(“bear’s bed, ” the Aspidium acrostichoides or Christmas fern); and theother is called Kâ´ga-Asgû´[n]tagĭ (“crow’s shin, ” the Adianthumpedatum or Maidenhair fern); and the other is the common Egû´[n]lĭ(another fern); and the other is the Little Soft (-leaved)Egû´[n]lĭ (Osmunda Cinnamonea or cinnamon fern), which grows in therocks and resembles Yâna-Utsĕ´sta and is a small and soft (-leaved)Egû´[n]lĭ. Another has brown roots and another has black roots. Theroots of all should be (used). 

Begin doctoring early in the morning; let the second (application) bewhile the sun is still near the horizon; the third when it has risento a considerable height (10 a. M. ); the fourth when it is above atnoon. This is sufficient. (The doctor) must not eat, and the patientalso must be fasting. 

[Footnote 10: _Ada´wĕhĭ_ is a word used to designate one supposedto have supernatural powers, and is applied alike to human beingsand to the spirits invoked in the formulas. Some of the mythic heroesfamous for their magic deeds are spoken of as _ada´wĕhĭ_ (plural_anida´wĕhĭ_ or _anida´we_), but in its application to mortalsthe term is used only of the very greatest shamans. None of thosenow belonging to the band are considered worthy of being thus called, although the term was sometimes applied to one, Usawĭ, who died someyears ago. In speaking of himself as an ada´wĕhĭ, as occurs in someof the formulas, the shaman arrogates to himself the same powers thatbelong to the gods. Our nearest equivalent is the word magician, butthis falls far short of the idea conveyed by the Cherokee word. Inthe bible translation the word is used as the equivalent of angel orspirit. ]

_Explanation. _

As this formula is taken from the manuscript of Gahuni, who diednearly thirty years ago, no definite statement of the theory of thedisease, or its treatment, can be given, beyond what is contained inthe formula itself, which, fortunately, is particularly explicit;most doctors contenting themselves with giving only the words of theprayer, without noting the ceremonies or even the medicine used. Thereare various theories as to the cause of each disease, the most commonidea in regard to rheumatism being that it is caused by the spirits ofthe slain animals, generally the deer, thirsting for vengeance on thehunter, as has been already explained in the myth of the origin ofdisease and medicine. 

The measuring-worm (Catharis) is also held to cause rheumatism, fromthe resemblance of its motions to those of a rheumatic patient, andthe name of the worm _wahhĭlĭ´_ is frequently applied also to thedisease. 

There are formulas to propitiate the slain animals, but these are apart of the hunting code and can only be noticed here, although it maybe mentioned in passing that the hunter, when about to return to thesettlement, builds a fire in the path behind him, in order that thedeer chief may not be able to follow him to his home. 

The disease, figuratively called the intruder (ulsgéta), is regardedas a living being, and the verbs used in speaking of it show that itis considered to be long, like a snake or fish. It is brought by thedeer chief and put into the body, generally the limbs, of the hunter, who at once begins to suffer intense pain. It can be driven out onlyby some more powerful animal spirit which is the natural enemy of thedeer, usually the dog or the Wolf. These animal gods live up abovebeyond the seventh heaven and are the great prototypes of which theearthly animals are only diminutive copies. They are commonly locatedat the four cardinal points, each of which has a peculiar formulisticname and a special color which applies to everything in the sameconnection. Thus the east, north, west, and south are respectively theSun Land, the Frigid Land, the Darkening Land, and Wă´hală´, whiletheir respective mythologic colors are Red, Blue, Black, and White. Wáhală is said to be a mountain far to the south. The white or redspirits are generally invoked for peace, health, and other blessings, the red alone for the success of an undertaking, the blue spirits todefeat the schemes of an enemy or bring down troubles upon him, andthe black to compass his death. The white and red spirits are regardedas the most powerful, and one of these two is generally called upon toaccomplish the final result. 

In this case the doctor first invokes the Red Dog in the Sun Land, calling him a great adáwehi, to whom nothing is impossible and whonever fails to accomplish his purpose. He is addressed as if out ofsight in the distance and is implored to appear running swiftly to thehelp of the sick man. Then the supplication changes to an assertionand the doctor declares that the Red Dog has already arrived to takethe disease and has borne away a small portion of it to the uttermostends of the earth. In the second, third, and fourth paragraphs theBlue Dog of the Frigid Land, the Black Dog of the Darkening Land, andthe White Dog of Wáhală are successively invoked in the same termsand each bears away a portion of the disease and disposes of it inthe same way. Finally, in the fifth paragraph, the White Terrapin ofWáhălă is invoked. He bears off the remainder of the disease andthe doctor declares that relief is accomplished. The connection of theterrapin in this formula is not evident, beyond the fact that he isregarded as having great influence in disease, and in this case thebeads and a portion of the medicine are kept in a terrapin shellplaced upon the diseased part while the prayer is being recited. 

The formulas generally consist of four paragraphs, corresponding tofour steps in the medical ceremony. In this case there are five, thelast being addressed to the terrapin instead of to a dog. The prayersare recited in an undertone hardly audible at the distance of a fewfeet, with the exception of the frequent _ha_, which seems to be usedas an interjection to attract attention and is always uttered in alouder tone. The beads--which are here white, symbolic of relief--areof common use in connection with these formulas, and are held betweenthe thumb and finger, placed upon a cloth on the ground, or, as inthis case, put into a terrapin shell along with a small portion of themedicine. According to directions, the shell has no other part in theceremony. 

The blowing is also a regular part of the treatment, the doctor eitherholding the medicine in his mouth and blowing it upon the patient, or, as it seems to be the case here, applying the medicine by rubbing, and blowing his breath upon the spot afterwards. In some formulas thesimple blowing of the breath constitutes the whole application. Inthis instance the doctor probably rubs the medicine upon the affectedpart while reciting the first paragraph in a whisper, after which heblows once upon the spot. The other paragraphs are recited in thesame manner, blowing once after each. In this way the whole formulais repeated four times, with four blows at the end of the finalrepetition. The directions imply that the doctor blows only at the endof the whole formula, but this is not in accord with the regular modeof procedure and seems to be a mistake. 

The medicine consists of a warm decoction of the roots of fourvarieties of fern, rubbed on with the hand. The awkward descriptionof the species shows how limited is the Indian’s power of botanicclassification. The application is repeated four times during the samemorning, beginning just at daybreak and ending at noon. Four is thesacred number running through every detail of these formulas, therebeing commonly four spirits invoked in four paragraphs, four blowingswith four final blows, four herbs in the decoction, four applications, and frequently four days’ gaktu[n]´ta or tabu. In this case no tabuis specified beyond the fact that both doctor and patient must befasting. The tabu generally extends to salt or lye, hot food andwomen, while in rheumatism some doctors forbid the patient to eat thefoot or leg of any animal, the reason given being that the limbs aregenerally the seat of the disease. For a similar reason the patient isalso forbidden to eat or even to touch a squirrel, a buffalo, a cat, or any animal which “humps” itself. In the same way a scrofulouspatient must not eat turkey, as that bird seems to have a scrofulouseruption on its head, while ball players must abstain from eatingfrogs, because the bones of that animal are brittle and easily broken. 

HIĂ‘-NÛ´ NASGWÛ´ DIDÛ[n]LĚ´SKǏ ADĂNÛ´[n]WÂTǏ. 

 Asga´ya yûkanû´[n]wĭ | Yû! Higĕ´‘ya Gigage´ĭ tsûdante´lûhĭ _Agĕ´‘ya Giagage´ĭ_ atătĭ´; | gese´ĭ. Ulsge´ta hi´tsanu´y’tani´leĭ´. Agĕ´‘ya-nû yûkanû´[n]wĭ | Ha-Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭ Ulsge´ta _Asga´ya Gigage´ĭ_ atătĭ´. | hi´tsanu´y’tani´leĭ´. | Ha-Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭ nûnta´tsûdălenû´hĭ | gese´ĭ. Gasgilâ´ gigage´ĭ tsusdi´ga | tetsadĭ´ilĕ´ detsala´siditĕ-gĕ´ĭ. | Hanâ´gwa usĭnuli´yu detsaldisi´yûĭ. 

Utsĭ(nă´)wa nu´tatanû´[n]ta. Usû´hita nutanû´na. Utsĭnă´wa-gwû nigû[n]tisge´stĭ. 

(Degâ´sisisgû´[n]ĭ)--Hiă-gwû´ nigaû´ kanâhe´ta. Nû´‘kibanagû´nkw’tisga´ dagû´[n]stiskû´ĭ. Sâ´gwa nû[n]skwû´tagûnstû´[n]ĭ agûnstagi´s-kâĭ hû[n]tsatasgâ´ĭnû´‘kine-‘nû û[n]skwû´ta nû´‘kĭ nû[n]tsâtasgâ´ĭ. Hiă-‘nû´ nû´[n]wâtĭ: Egû´[n]lĭ, Yâ´na-‘nû Utsĕsdâ´gĭ, (U)wa´sgilĭ tsĭgĭ´ Egû´[n]lĭ, tă´lĭ tsinu´dalĕ´ha, Kâ´ga-‘nû Asgû´[n]tagĕ tsiû[n]nâ´sehâ´ĭ, Da´yĭ-‘nûUwâ´yĭ tsiû[n]nâ´sehâ´ĭ. Su´talĭ iyutale´gĭ unaste´tsaagâ´tĭ, uga´nawû‘nû´ dagûnsta´‘tisgâ´ĭ nû´[n]wâtĭasû[n]ga‘la´ĭ. Usû´hĭ adanû´[n]wâtĭ, nu´‘kĭ tsusû´hitadulsi´nisû´[n] adanû´[n]wâti. Ă‘nawa´gi-‘nû dilasula´gĭgesû´[n]ĭ ûlĕ´ tsĭkani´kaga´ĭ gûw’sdi´-gwû utsawa´taă‘nawa´-gwû-nû´. 

Hiă-nû´ gaktû´[n]ta gûlkwâ´gĭ tsusû´hita. Gû´[n]wădana´datlahistĭ´ nige´sû[n]na--Salâ´lĭ, gi´‘li-‘nû, wĕ´sa-‘nû, ă´tatsû-nû´, a´mă-‘nû´, anigĕ´‘ya-nû. Uda‘lĭ´ ya´kanû[n]wi´ya nû´‘kiha tsusû´hitaunădană´lâtsi´-tastĭ nige´sû[n]na. Gasgilâ´gi-‘nûuwă´su[n]-gwû´ u´skĭladi´stĭ uwă´sû nû´‘kĭtsusû´hită´. Disâ´i-‘nû dega´sgilâ û´[n]tsa nû‘nă´uwa´‘tĭ yigesûĭ nû´‘kĭ tsusû´hita. 

_Translation. _

AND THIS ALSO IS FOR TREATING THE CRIPPLER. 

Yû! O Red Woman, you have caused it. You have put the intruder underhim. Ha! now you have come from the Sun Land. You have brought thesmall red seats, with your feet resting upon them. Ha! now they haveswiftly moved away from you. Relief is accomplished. Let it not be forone night alone. Let the relief come at once. 

(Prescription)--(_corner note at top_. ) If treating a man one must say_Red Woman_, and if treating a woman one must say _Red Man_. 

This is just all of the prayer. Repeat it four times while laying onthe hands. After saying it over once, with the hands on (the bodyof the patient), take off the hands and blow once, and at the fourthrepetition blow four times. And this is the medicine. Egû´[n]lĭ(a species of fern). Yâ´-na-Utsĕ´sta (“bear’s bed, ” theAspidium acrostichoides or Christmas fern), _two_ varieties of thesoft-(leaved) Egû´[n]lĭ (one, the small variety, is the Cinnamonfern, Osmunda cinnamonea), and what is called Kâ´ga Asgû´[n]tagĕ(“crow’s shin, ” the Adiantum pedatum or Maidenhair fern) and what iscalled Da´yĭ-Uwâ´yĭ (“beaver’s paw”--not identified). Boil theroots of the six varieties together and apply the hands warm with themedicine upon them. Doctor in the evening. Doctor four consecutivenights. (The pay) is cloth and moccasins; or, if one does not havethem, just a little dressed deerskin and some cloth. 

And this is the tabu for seven nights. One must not touch a squirrel, a dog, a cat, the mountain trout, or women. If one is treating amarried man they (_sic_) must not touch his wife for four nights. Andhe must sit on a seat by himself for four nights, and must not sit onthe other seats for four nights. 

_Explanation. _

The treatment and medicine in this formula are nearly the same as inthat just given, which is also for rheumatism, both being writtenby Gahuni. The prayer differs in several respects from any otherobtained, but as the doctor has been dead for years it is impossibleto give a full explanation of all the points. This is probably theonly formula in the collection in which the spirit invoked is the “RedWoman, ” but, as explained in the corner note at the top, this is onlythe form used instead of “Red Man, ” when the patient is a man. The RedMan, who is considered perhaps the most powerful god in the Cherokeepantheon, is in some way connected with the thunder, and is invokedin a large number of formulas. The change in the formula, accordingto the sex of the patient, brings to mind a belief in Irish folkmedicine, that in applying certain remedies the doctor and patientmust be of opposite sexes. The Red Man lives in the east, inaccordance with the regular mythologic color theory, as alreadyexplained. The seats also are red, and the form of the verb indicatesthat the Red Woman is either standing upon them (plural) or sittingwith her feet resting upon the rounds. These seats or chairs arefrequently mentioned in the formulas, and always correspond in colorwith the spirit invoked. It is not clear why the Red Woman is heldresponsible for the disease, which is generally attributed to therevengeful efforts of the game, as already explained. In agreementwith the regular form, the disease is said to be put under (not into)the patient. The assertion that the chairs “have swiftly moved away”would seem from analogy to mean that the disease has been placed uponthe seats and thus borne away. The verb implies that the seats moveby their own volition. Immediately afterward it is declared thatrelief is accomplished. The expression “usû´hita nutanû´na” occursfrequently in these formulas, and may mean either “let it not be forone night alone, ” or “let it not stay a single night, ” according tothe context. 

The directions specify not only the medicine and the treatment, butalso the doctor’s fee. From the form of the verb the tabu, except asregards the seat to be used by the sick person, seems to apply toboth doctor and patient. It is not evident why the mountain troutis prohibited, but the dog, squirrel, and cat are tabued, as alreadyexplained, from the fact that these animals frequently assumepositions resembling the cramped attitude common to persons afflictedby rheumatism. The cat is considered especially uncanny, as comingfrom the whites. Seven, as well as four, is a sacred number with thetribe, being also the number of their gentes. It will be noted thattime is counted by nights instead of by days. 

HI´ I´NATÛ YUNISKÛ´LTSA ADANÛ´NWÂTǏ. 

 1. _Dûnu´wa_, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa (_song_). Sgĕ! Ha-Walâ´sĭ-gwû tsû[n]lû´[n]tani´ga. 2. _Dayuha_, dayuha, dayuha, dayuha dayuha (_song_). Sgĕ! Ha-_Usugĭ_-gwû tsû[n]-lû[n]´-tani´ga. 

(Degâ´sisisgû´[n]ĭ). --Kanâgi´ta nâyâ´ga hiă´dilentisg´û[n]ĭ. Tă´lĭ igû´nkw’ta‘tĭ, ûlĕ´ talinĕ´tsutanû´[n]na nasgwû´ tâ´lĭ igû´nkw’ta‘tĭ´. Tsâ´laaganû´[n]lieskâĭ´ tsâ´la yikani´gû[n]gû´âĭ´watsi´la-gwû ganû[n]li´yĕtĭ uniskûl‘tsû´[n]ĭ. Nû´‘kĭnagade´stisgâĭ´ aganû[n]li´esgû[n]ĭ. Akskû´nĭgadest´a‘tĭ, nûû‘kĭ nagade´ sta hû[n]tsatasgâ´ĭ. Hiă-‘nû´ i´natû akti´sĭ udestâ´ĭ yigû´n‘ka, naski-‘nû´tsagadû´lăgisgâ´ĭ iyu´stĭ gatgû´[n]ĭ. 

_Translation. _

THIS IS TO TREAT THEM IF THEY ARE BITTEN BY A SNAKE. 

 1. Dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa, dûnu´wa. Listen! Ha! It is only a common frog which has passed by and put it (the intruder) into you. 2. Dayuha, dayuha, dayuha, dayuha, dayuha. Listen! Ha! It is only an _Usu´‘gĭ_ which has passed by and put it into you. 

(Prescription. )--Now this at the beginning is a song. One should sayit twice and also say the second line twice. Rub tobacco (juice) onthe bite for some time, or if there be no tobacco just rub on salivaonce. In rubbing it on, one must go around four times. Go aroundtoward the left and blow four times in a circle. This is because inlying down the snake always coils to the right and this is just thesame (_lit. _ “means like”) as uncoiling it. 

_Explanation. _

This is also from the manuscript book of Gahuni, deceased, so that noexplanation could be obtained from the writer. The formula consists ofa song of two verses, each followed by a short recitation. The wholeis repeated, according to the directions, so as to make four versesor songs; four, as already stated, being the sacred number runningthrough most of these formulas. Four blowings and four circuits in therubbing are also specified. The words used in the songs are sometimescomposed of unmeaning syllables, but in this case dûnuwa and dayuhaseem to have a meaning, although neither the interpreter nor theshaman consulted could explain them, which may be because the wordshave become altered in the song, as frequently happens. Dûnu´waappears to be an old verb, meaning “it has penetrated, ” probablyreferring to the tooth of the reptile. These medicine songs are alwayssung in a low plaintive tone, somewhat resembling a lullaby. Usu´‘gĭalso is without explanation, but is probably the name of some smallreptile or batrachian. 

As in this case the cause of the trouble is evident, the Indians haveno theory to account for it. It may be remarked, however, that whenone dreams of being bitten, the same treatment and ceremonies mustbe used as for the actual bite; otherwise, although perhaps yearsafterward, a similar inflammation will appear on the spot indicatedin the dream, and will be followed by the same fatal consequences. Therattlesnake is regarded as a supernatural being or ada´wehi, whosefavor must be propitiated, and great pains are taken not to offendhim. In consonance with this idea it is never said among the peoplethat a person has been bitten by a snake, but that he has been“scratched by a brier. ” In the same way, when an eagle has been shotfor a ceremonial dance, it is announced that “a snowbird has beenkilled, ” the purpose being to deceive the rattlesnake or eagle spiritswhich might be listening. 

The assertion that it is “only a common frog” or “only an Usu´‘gĭ”brings out another characteristic idea of these formulas. Whenever theailment is of a serious character, or, according to the Indian theory, whenever it is due to the influence of some powerful disease spiritthe doctor always endeavors to throw contempt upon the intruder, andconvince it of his own superior power by asserting the sickness tobe the work of some inferior being, just as a white physician mightencourage a patient far gone with consumption by telling him that theillness was only a slight cold. Sometimes there is a regular scale ofdepreciation, the doctor first ascribing the disease to a rabbit orgroundhog or some other weak animal, then in succeeding paragraphsmentioning other still less important animals and finally declaring itto be the work of a mouse, a small fish, or some other insignificantcreature. In this instance an ailment caused by the rattlesnake, themost dreaded of the animal spirits, is ascribed to a frog, one of theleast importance. 

In applying the remedy the song is probably sung while rubbing thetobacco juice around the wound. Then the short recitation is repeatedand the doctor blows four times in a circle about the spot. The wholeceremony is repeated four times. The curious directions for uncoilingthe snake have parallels in European folk medicine. 

GÛ[n]WĂNI´GIST´Ǐ ADANU´[n]WÂTǏ. 

Sgĕ! Ha-tsida´wĕiyu, gahus´tĭ aginúl‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Gû[n]gwădag´anad‘diyû´ tsida´wĕi´yu. Ha-Wăhuhu´-gwûhitagu´sgastanĕ‘hĕĭ. Ha-nâ´gwa hŭ‘kikahû[n]û´ha-dusŭ´‘gahĭ digesû´[n]ĭ, iyû´[n]tawû[n]‘kidâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-tsida´wĕi´yu, gahu´stĭ aginu´l‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Gû[n]gwădaga´nad’diyû´ tsida´wĕi´yu. Ha-Uguku´-gwûhitagu´sgastanĕ´heĭ´ udâhi´yu tag´u´sgastanĕ´hĕĭ´. Ha-na´gwadi´na hû[n]kikahû[n]nû´. Ha-nânâ´hĭ digesŭ´[n]ĭiyû´[n]ta wû[n]‘kidâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-tsida´wĕi´yu, gahu´stĭ aginu´l‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Gû[n]gwădaga´nad’diyû´ tsida´wĕi´yu. Ha-Tsistu-gwûhitagu´sgastanĕ´he´ĭudâhi´yu tag´usgastanĕ´hĕĭ´. Ha-nâ´gwadi´na hû´[n]kikahû´[n]nû. Ha-sunû[n]da´sĭiyû´[n]ta kane´skawâ´dihĭ digesû´[n]ĭ, wû[n]‘kidâ´hĭstani´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-tsida´wĕi´yu, gahu´stĭ aginu´l‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Gû[n]gwădaga´nad’di´yû tsida´wĕi´yu. Ha-De´tsata´-gwû(hi)tagu´sgastanĕ´hĕĭ udâhi´yu tagu´sgastanĕ´hĕĭ. Ha-nâ´gwadi´na hû[n]kikahû´[n]a. Ha-udâ´tale´tadigesû´[n]ĭ, iyû´[n]ta wû[n]‘kidâ´hĭstani´ga. 

(Degâ´sisisgû´[n]ĭ)--Hiă´-skĭnĭ´ unsdi´yadĭkanû´[n]wâtĭ tsa‘natsa´yihâ´ĭ tsaniska´iha´ĭ;gû[n]wani´gista´ĭ hi´anûdĭ´sgaĭ´. Ămă´dûtsati´stĭsgâ´ĭ nû´‘kĭ tsusû´hita dĭkanû´[n]wâtĭUlsinide´na dakanû´[n]wisgâ´ĭ. Ŭ´[n]tsa iyû´[n]tawitunini´dastĭ yigesâ´ĭ. 

_Translation. _

TO TREAT THEM WHEN SOMETHING IS CAUSING SOMETHING TO EAT THEM. 

Listen! Ha! I am a great ada´wehi, I never fail in anything. Isurpass all others--I am a great ada´wehi. Ha! It is a mere screechowl that has frightened him. Ha! now I have put it away in the laurelthickets. There I compel it to remain. 

Listen! Ha! I am a great ada´wehi, I never fail in anything. Isurpass all others--I am a great ada´wehi. Ha! It is a mere hootingowl that has frightened him. Undoubtedly that has frightened him. Ha!At once I have put it away in the spruce thickets. Ha! There I compelit to remain. 

Listen! Ha! I am a great ada´wehi, I never fail in anything. Isurpass all others--I am a great ada´wehi. Ha! It is only a rabbitthat has frightened him. Undoubtedly that has frightened him. Ha!Instantly I have put it away on the mountain ridge. Ha! There in thebroom sage I compel it to remain. 

Listen! Ha! I am a great ada´wehi, I never fail in anything. Isurpass all others--I am a great ada´wehi. Ha! It is only a mountainsprite that has frightened him. Undoubtedly that has frightened him. Ha! Instantly I have put it away on the bluff. Ha! There I compel itto remain. 

(Prescription)--Now this is to treat infants if they are affected bycrying and nervous fright. (Then) it is said that something is causingsomething to eat them. To treat them one may blow water on them forfour nights. Doctor them just before dark. Be sure not to carry themabout outside the house. 

_Explanation. _

The Cherokee name for this disease is Gu[n]wani´gistâĭ´, whichsignifies that “something is causing something to eat, ” or gnaw thevitals of the patient. The disease attacks only infants of tender ageand the symptoms are nervousness and troubled sleep, from which thechild wakes suddenly crying as if frightened. The civilized doctorwould regard these as symptoms of the presence of worms, but althoughthe Cherokee name might seem to indicate the same belief, the realtheory is very different. 

Cherokee mothers sometimes hush crying children, by telling them thatthe screech owl is listening out in the woods or that the De´tsata--amalicious little dwarf who lives in caves in the river bluffs--willcome and get them. This quiets the child for the time and is so farsuccessful, but the animals, or the De´tsata, take offense at beingspoken of in this way, and visit their displeasure upon the _childrenborn to the mother afterward_. This they do by sending an animal intothe body of the child to gnaw its vitals. The disease is very commonand there are several specialists who devote their attention toit, using various formulas and prescriptions. It is also calledătawi´nĕhĭ, signifying that it is caused by the “dwellers in theforest, ” i. E. , the wild game and birds, and some doctors declare thatit is caused by the revengeful comrades of the animals, especiallybirds, killed by the father of the child, the animals tracking theslayer to his home by the blood drops on the leaves. The next formulawill throw more light upon this theory. 

In this formula the doctor, who is certainly not overburdened withmodesty, starts out by asserting that he is a great ada´wehi, whonever fails and who surpasses all others. He then declares that thedisease is caused by a mere screech owl, which he at once banishesto the laurel thicket. In the succeeding paragraphs he reiterates hisformer boasting, but asserts in turn that the trouble is caused by amere hooting owl, a rabbit, or even by the De´tsata, whose greatestexploit is hiding the arrows of the boys, for which the youthfulhunters do not hesitate to rate him soundly. These variousmischief-makers the doctor banishes to their proper haunts, thehooting owl to the spruce thicket, the rabbit to the broom sage on themountain side, and the De´tsata to the bluffs along the river bank. 

Some doctors use herb decoctions, which are blown upon the body of thechild, but in this formula the only remedy prescribed is water, whichmust be blown upon the body of the little sufferer just before darkfor four nights. The regular method is to blow once each at the end ofthe first, second, and third paragraphs and four times at the end ofthe fourth or last. In diseases of this kind, which are not supposedto be of a local character, the doctor blows first upon the back ofthe head, then upon the left shoulder, next upon the right shoulder, and finally upon the breast, the patient being generally sitting, orpropped up in bed, facing the east. The child must not be taken outof doors during the four days, because should a bird chance to flyoverhead so that its shadow would fall upon the infant, it would _fanthe disease back_ into the body of the little one. 

GÛ[n]WANI´GISTÛ´[n]Ǐ DITANÛ[n]WÂTI´YǏ

Yû! Sgĕ! Usĭnu´lĭ hatû´[n]gani´ga, Giya´giya´ Sa‘ka´nĭ, ew’satâ´gĭ tsûl‘da´histĭ. Usĭnu´lĭ hatlasi´ga. Tsis´kwa-gwû´ ulsge´ta uwu´tlani‘lĕĭ´. Usĭnuli´yuatsahilu´gĭsi´ga. Utsĭnă´wa nu´tatanû´[n]ta. Yû!

Yû! Sgĕ! Usĭnu´lĭ hatû´[n]gani´ga, Diga´tiskĭ Wâtige´ĭ, galû´[n]latĭ iyû´[n]ta ditsûl‘dâ´histĭ. Ha-nâ´gwausĭnu´lĭ hatlasi´ga. Tsi´skwa-gwû dĭtu´nila´w’itsû´hĭhigese´ĭ. Usĭnûlĭ kĕ‘tati´gû‘lahi´ga. Utsĭnă´waadû[n]ni´ga. Yû!

_Translation. _

TO TREAT GÛ[n]WANI´GISTÛ´[n]Ǐ--(SECOND). 

Yû! Listen! Quickly you have drawn near to hearken, O BlueSparrow-Hawk; in the spreading tree tops you are at rest. Quickly youhave come down. The intruder is only a bird which has overshadowedhim. Swiftly you have swooped down upon it. Relief is accomplished. Yû!

Yû! Listen! Quickly you have drawn near to hearken, O BrownRabbit-Hawk; you are at rest there above. Ha! Swiftly now you havecome down. It is only the birds which have come together fora council. Quickly you have come and scattered them. Relief isaccomplished. Yû!

_Explanation. _

This formula, also for Gû[n]wani´gistû´[n]ĭ or Atawinĕ´hĭ, wasobtained from A‘wan´ita (Young Deer), who wrote down only the prayerand explained the treatment orally. He coincides in the opinion thatthis disease in children is caused by the birds, but says that itoriginates from the shadow of a bird flying overhead having fallenupon the pregnant mother. He says further that the disease is easilyrecognized in children, but that it sometimes does not develop untilthe child has attained maturity, when it is more difficult to discernthe cause of the trouble, although in the latter case dark circlesaround the eyes are unfailing symptoms. 

The prayer--like several others from the same source--seemsincomplete, and judging from analogy is evidently incorrect in somerespects, but yet exemplifies the disease theory in a striking manner. The disease is declared to have been caused by the birds, it beingasserted in the first paragraph that a bird has cast its shadowupon the sufferer, while in the second it is declared that theyhave gathered in council (in his body). This latter is a favoriteexpression in these formulas to indicate the great number of thedisease animals. Another expression of frequent occurrence is tothe effect that the disease animals have formed a settlement orestablished a townhouse in the patient’s body. The disease animal, being a bird or birds, must be dislodged by something which preys uponbirds, and accordingly the Blue Sparrow-Hawk from the tree tops andthe Brown Rabbit-Hawk (Diga´tiskĭ--“One who snatches up”), fromabove are invoked to drive out the intruders. The former is then saidto have swooped down upon them as a hawk darts upon its prey, whilethe latter is declared to have scattered the birds which wereholding a council. This being done, relief is accomplished. Yû! isa meaningless interjection frequently used to introduce or closeparagraphs or songs. 

The medicine used is a warm decoction of the bark of Kûnstû´tsĭ(Sassafras--Sassafras officinale), Kanû[n]si´ta (FloweringDogwood--Cornus florida), Udâ´lana (Service tree--AmelanchierCanadensis), and Uni´kwa (Black Gum--Nyssa multiflora), with theroots of two species (large and small) of Da´yakalĭ´skĭ (WildRose--Rosa lucida). The bark in every case is taken from the east sideof the tree, and the roots selected are also generally, if not always, those growing toward the east. In this case the roots and barks arenot bruised, but are simply steeped in warm water for four days. Thechild is then stripped and bathed all over with the decoction morningand night for four days, no formula being used during the bathing. Itis then made to hold up its hands in front of its face with the palmsturned out toward the doctor, who takes some of the medicine in hismouth and repeats the prayer mentally, blowing the medicine upon thehead and hands of the patient at the final _Yû!_ of each paragraph. It is probable that the prayer originally consisted of fourparagraphs, or else that these two paragraphs were repeated. The childdrinks a little of the medicine at the end of each treatment. 

The use of salt is prohibited during the four days of the treatment, the word (amă´) being understood to include lye, which enterslargely into Cherokee food preparations. No chicken or other featheredanimal is allowed to enter the house during the same period, forobvious reasons, and strangers are excluded for reasons alreadyexplained. 

HIA´ DU´NIYUKWATISGÛ´[n]Í KANA´HÈHÛ. 

Sgĕ! Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ, Kanani´skĭGigage. Usĭnu´lĭ nû´[n]nâ gi´gage hĭnû[n]ni´ga. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, astĭ´ digi´gage usĭnû´lĭdehĭkssa´û[n]tani´ga. Ulsge´ta kane´ge kayu´‘ga gesû´[n], tsgâ´ya-gwû higese´ĭ. Ehĭstĭ´ hituwa´saniy’teĭ´. Usĭnu´lĭ astĭ´ digi´gage dehada´û[n]tani´ga, adi´natsûlstai-yû´‘ti-gwû higese´ĭ. Nâ´gwa gânagi´tada´tsatane´lĭ. Utsĭnă´wa nu´tatanû´[n]ta nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

Hĭgayû´[n]lĭ Tsûne´ga hatû´[n]gani´ga. “A´ya-gâgû´gatû´[n]gisge´stĭ tsûngili´sĭ deagwûlstawĭ´stitege´stĭ, ”tsadûnû´hĭ. Na´ski-gâgû´ itsa´wesû´hĭ nâ´gwa usĭnu´lĭhatu´[n]gani´ga. Utsĭnă´wa nútatanû´ta nû[n]tû´neli´ga. Yû!

Sgĕ! Uhyû[n]tlâ´yĭ tsûl‘dâ´histi Kanani´skĭSa‘ka´nĭ. Usĭnu´lĭ nû´[n]nâ sa‘ka´nĭ hĭnû[n]ni´ga. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, astĭ´ (di)sa‘ka´nĭ usĭnu´lĭdehĭksa´û[n]tani´ga. Ulsge´ta kane´ge kayu´‘ga gesû´[n], tsgâ´ya-gwû higese´ĭ. Ehĭstĭ´ hituwa´saniy‘te(ĭ´). Usĭnu´lĭ astĭ´ disa‘ka´nige dehada´û[n]taniga, adi´natsûlstai-yû´‘ti-gwû higese´ĭ. Nâ´gwa tsgâ´ya gûnagi´tatsûtûneli´ga. Utsĭnă´wa nu´tatanû´[n]ta nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

Hĭgayû´[n]lĭ Tsûne´ga hatû[n]gani´ga. “A´ya-gâgû´gatû´[n]gisge´stĭ tsûngili´sĭ deagwûlstawĭ´stitege´stĭ, ”tsadûnû´hĭ. Nas´kigâgû´ itsawesû´hĭ nâ´gwa usĭnu´lĭhatû´[n]gani´ga. Utsĭnă´wa nutatanû´[n]ta nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

Sgĕ! Usûhi´yĭ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ Kanani´skĭ Û´[n]nage. Usĭnu´lĭ nû´[n]nâ û´[n]nage hĭnû[n]ni´ga. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, astĭ´ digû´[n]nage usĭnu´lĭdehĭksa´û[n]tani´ga. Ulsge´ta kane´ge kayu´‘ga gesû´[n], tsgâ´ya-gwû higese´ĭ. Ehĭstĭ´ hituwa´saniy‘teĭ´. Usĭnu´lĭ astĭ´ digû´[n]nage dehada´û[n]tani´ga, adi´natsûlstai-yû´‘ti-gwû higese´ĭ. Nâ´gwa tsgâ´ya gûnagi´tatsûtûneli´ga. Utsĭnă´wa nutatanû´[n]ta nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

Hĭgayû´[n]lĭ Tsûne´ga hatû[n]gani´ga. “A´ya-gâgû´gatû´[n]gisge´stĭ tsûngili´sĭ deagwûlstawĭ´stitege´stĭ, ”tsadûnû´hĭ. Na´skigâgû´ itsawesû´hĭ nâ´gwa usĭnu´lĭhatû´[n]gani´ga. Utsĭnă´wa nutatanû´[n]ta nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

Sgĕ! Galû´[n]latĭ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ, Kanani´skĭ Tsûne´ga. Usĭnu´lĭ nû´[n]nâ une´ga hĭnû[n]ni´ga. Hida´wĕhi-gâgû´, astĭ´ tsune´ga usĭnu´lĭ dehĭksa´û[n] tani´ga. Ulsge´takane´ge kayu´‘ga gesû´[n], tsgâ´ya-gwû higese´ĭ. Ehĭstĭ´ hituwa´săniy’teĭ´. Usĭnu´lĭ astĭ´ tsune´gadehada´û[n]tani´ga, adi´na tsûlstai-yû´‘ti-gwû higese´ĭ. Nâ´gwa tsgâ´ya gûnagi´ta tsûtûneli´ga. Utsĭnă´wanu´tatanû´[n]ta, nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

Hĭgayû´[n]lĭ Tsûne´ga hatû´[n]gani´ga. “A´ya-gâgû´gatû´[n]gisge´stĭ tsûngili´sĭ deagwûlstawĭ´stitege´stĭ, ”tsadûnû´hĭ. Naski-gâgû´ itsawesû´hĭ nâ´gwa usĭnu´lĭhatû[n]gani´ga. U´tsĭna´wa nutatanû´[n]ta nû[n]tûneli´ga. Yû!

(Degasi´sisgû´[n]ĭ)--Hiă´ duniyukwa´tisgû´[n]ĭdĭkanû´[n]wâtĭ ătanû´[n]sida´hĭ yĭ´gĭ. Na´skĭdigû´nstanĕ´‘ti-gwû ûlĕ´ tsĭtsâtû´ yie´lisû. Nigû[n]´-gwû usû´na [_for_ usûnda´na?] gû´[n]tatĭnayâ´ga nû´[n]watĭ unanû´[n]skă‘la´ĭ. Kane´ska dalâ´nigeunaste´tla tsĭ´gĭ. Se´lu dĭgahû‘nû´hĭ tsuni´yahĭstĭ´nû´‘kĭ tsusû´hita, kanâhe´na-‘nû naskĭ´ iga´ĭ udanû´stĭhi´gĭ nayâ´ga. 

_Translation. _

THIS TELLS ABOUT MOVING PAINS IN THE TEETH (NEURALGIA?). 

Listen! In the Sunland you repose, O Red Spider. Quickly you havebrought and laid down the red path. O great ada´wehi, quickly youhave brought down the red threads from above. The intruder in thetooth has spoken and it is only a worm. The tormentor has wrappeditself around the root of the tooth. Quickly you have dropped down thered threads, for it is just what you eat. Now it is for you to pick itup. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

O Ancient White, you have drawn near to hearken, for you have said, “When I shall hear my grandchildren, I shall hold up their heads. ”Because you have said it, now therefore you have drawn near to listen. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

Listen! In the Frigid Land you repose, O Blue Spider. Quickly you havebrought and laid down the blue path. O great ada´wehi, quickly youhave brought down the blue threads from above. The intruder in thetooth has spoken and it is only a worm. The tormentor has wrappeditself around the root of the tooth. Quickly you have dropped down theblue threads, for it is just what you eat. Now it is for you to pickit up. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

O Ancient White, you have drawn near to hearken, for you have said, “When I shall hear my grandchildren, I shall hold up their heads. ”Because you have said it, now therefore you have drawn near to listen. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

Listen! In the Darkening Land you repose, O Black Spider. Quickly youhave brought and laid down the black path. O great ada´wehi, quicklyyou have brought down the black threads from above. The intruder inthe tooth has spoken and it is only a worm. The tormentor has wrappeditself around the root of the tooth. Quickly you have dropped down theblack threads, for it is just what you eat. Now it is for you to pickit up. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

O Ancient White, you have drawn near to hearken, for you have said, “When I shall hear my grandchildren, I shall hold up their heads. ”Because you have said it, now therefore you have drawn near to listen. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

Listen! You repose on high, O White Spider. Quickly you have broughtand laid down the white path. O great ada´wehi, quickly you havebrought down the white threads from above. The intruder in the toothhas spoken and it is only a worm. The tormentor has wrapped itselfaround the root of the tooth. Quickly you have dropped down the whitethreads, for it is just what you eat. Now it is for you to pick it up. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

O Ancient White, you have drawn near to hearken, for you have said, “When I shall hear my grandchildren, I shall hold up their heads. ”Because you have said it, now therefore you have drawn near to listen. The relief has been caused to come. Yû!

(Prescription)--This is to treat them if there are pains moving aboutin the teeth. It is only (necessary) to lay on the hands, or to blow, if one should prefer. One may use any kind of a tube, but usually theyhave the medicine in the mouth. It is the Yellow-rooted Grass (kane´ska dalâ´nige unaste´tla; not identified. ) One must abstain fournights from cooked corn (hominy), and kanâhe´na (fermented corngruel) is especially forbidden during the same period. 

_Explanation. _

This formula is taken from the manuscript book of Gatigwanasti, now dead, and must therefore be explained from general analogy. Theailment is described as “pains moving about in the teeth”--that is, affecting several teeth simultaneously--and appears to be neuralgia. The disease spirit is called “the intruder” and “the tormentor” andis declared to be a mere worm (tsgâ´ya), which has wrapped itselfaround the base of the tooth. This is the regular toothache theory. The doctor then calls upon the Red Spider of the Sunland to let downthe red threads from above, along the red path, and to take up theintruder, which is just what the spider eats. The same prayer isaddressed in turn to the Blue Spider in the north, the Black Spider inthe west and the White Spider above (galû[n]´lati). It may be statedhere that all these spirits are supposed to dwell above, but when nopoint of the compass is assigned, galû[n]´lati is understood to meandirectly overhead, but far above everything of earth. The dweller inthis overhead galû[n]´lati may be red, white, or brown in color. Inthis formula it is white, the ordinary color assigned spirits dwellingin the south. In another toothache formula the Squirrel is imploredto take the worm and put it between the forking limbs of a tree on thenorth side of the mountain. 

Following each supplication to the spider is another addressed to theAncient White, the formulistic name for fire. The name refers to itsantiquity and light-giving properties and perhaps also to the factthat when dead it is covered with a coat of white ashes. In thoseformulas in which the hunter draws omens from the live coals it isfrequently addressed as the Ancient Red. 

The directions are not explicit and must be interpreted from analogy. “Laying on the hands” refers to pressing the thumb against the jawover the aching tooth, the hand having been previously warmed overthe fire, this being a common method of treating toothache. The othermethod suggested is to blow upon the spot (tooth or outside of jaw?) adecoction of an herb described rather vaguely as “yellow-rooted grass”either through a tube or from the mouth of the operator. Igawĭ´, atoothache specialist, treats this ailment either by pressure with thewarm thumb, or by blowing tobacco smoke from a pipe placed directlyagainst the tooth. Hominy and fermented corn gruel (kanâhe´na)are prohibited for the regular term of four nights, or, as we areaccustomed to say, four days, and special emphasis is laid upon thegruel tabu. 

The prayer to the Spider is probably repeated while the doctor iswarming his hands over the fire, and the following paragraph to theAncient White (the Fire) while holding the warm thumb upon the achingspot. This reverses the usual order, which is to address the firewhile warming the hands. In this connection it must be noted that thefire used by the doctor is never the ordinary fire on the hearth, butcomes from four burning chips taken from the hearth fire and generallyplaced in an earthen vessel by the side of the patient. In some casesthe decoction is heated by putting into it seven live coals taken fromthe fire on the hearth. 

UNAWA STÎ EGWA (ADANÛ[n]WÂTÏ). 

 (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)Sgĕ! Galû´[n]latĭ´ hinehi´ hinehi´yû hinida´we, utsinâ´wa adû[n]niga 12 12 22 34 33 566--Hayĭ´!

 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)Sgĕ! U[n]wadâ´hi hinehi´, hinehi´yû hinida´we, utsinâ´wa adû[n]ni´ga 12 12 22 34 33 566--Hayĭ´!

 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)Sgĕ! Nâtsihi´ hinehi´ hinehi´yû hinida´we utsinâ´wa adû[n]ni´ga 12 12 22 34 33 566--Hayĭ´!

 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)Sgĕ! Amâyi´ hinehi´, hinehi´yû hinida´we utsinâ´wa adû[n]ni´ga 12 12 22 33 33 566--Hayĭ´!

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]ngani´ga, Agalu´ga Tsûsdi´ga, hida´wĕhĭ, â´tali tsusdiga´hĭ duda´w‘satû´[n]ditsûldâ´histĭ. (Hida´wĕhĭ, gahu´stĭtsanu´lû[n]hû[n]sgĭ´ nige´sû[n]na. ) Ha-nâ´gwada´tûlehû[n]gû´. Usdi´gi(yu) utiya´stanû[n]´(hĭ)(higese´i). (Hû[n])hiyala´gistani´ga igâ´tĭusdigâ´hĭ usa´hĭlagĭ´ Igâtu´ltĭ nû[n]nâ´hĭwĭte´tsatănû[n]´û[n]sĭ´. A´ne´tsâge´ta _getsatûnĕhĭ_nû[n]gûlstani´ga igû[n]´wûlstanita´sti-gwû. Ati´gale´yatatsûtû´neli´ga. Utsĭnâ´wa [11] nigû[n]tisge´stĭ. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hû[n]hatû´[n]gani´ga, Agalu´ga Hegwahigwû´. ´talĭ tsegwâ´hĭ duda´w‘satû[n] iyû[n]ta ditsûldâ´histĭ. Agalu´ga He´gwa, hausĭnu´lĭ da´tûlehû[n]gû. Usdi´giyu utiya´stanû´[n]hĭ. Hiyala´gistani´ga ulsge´taigâ´t-egwâ´hĭ) usa´hĭlagĭ´. (Igat-(egwâ´hĭ iyû[n]´tanû[n]nâ´hĭ wĭtetsatanû´[n]û[n]sĭ´. A´ne´tsâge´ta_getsatûne´litise´sti_ igû[n]´wûlstanita´sti-gwû. Utsĭnâ´wa-gwû nutatanû[n]ta. Nigagĭ´ Yû!

(Degâsi´sisgû´[n]ĭ)--Unawa´stĭ e´gwa u´nitlû[n]gâ´ĭ. Ta´ya gû´[n]tatĭ, ditsa´tista´‘ti. Tsâ´l-agayû´[n]lĭyă´hă ulû´[n]kwati-gwû nasgwû´. 

[Footnote 11: So written and pronounced by A‘yû[n]´ini instead ofutsĭnă´wa. ]

_Translation. _

TO TREAT THE GREAT CHILL. 

Listen! On high you dwell, On high you dwell--you dwell, you dwell. Forever you dwell, you anida´we, forever you dwell, forever youdwell. Relief has come--has come. Hayĭ!

Listen! On Û[n]wadâ´hĭ you dwell, On Û[n]wadâhĭ you dwell--youdwell, you dwell. Forever you dwell, you anida´we, forever you dwell, forever you dwell. Relief has come--has come. Hayĭ!

Listen! In the pines you dwell, In the pines you dwell--you dwell, youdwell. Forever you dwell, you anida´we, forever you dwell, foreveryou dwell. Relief has come--has come. Hayĭ!

Listen! In the water you dwell, In the water you dwell, you dwell, youdwell. Forever you dwell, you anida´we, forever you dwell, foreveryou dwell. Relief has come--has come. Hayiĭ!

Listen! O now you have drawn near to hearken, O Little Whirlwind, O ada´wehi, in the leafy shelter of the lower mountain, there yourepose. O ada´wehi, you can never fail in anything. Ha! Now rise up. A very small portion [of the disease] remains. You have come to sweepit away into the small swamp on the upland. You have laid down yourpaths near the swamp. It is ordained that you shall scatter it as inplay, so that it shall utterly disappear. By you it must be scattered. So shall there be relief. 

Listen! O now again you have drawn near to hearken, O Whirlwind, surpassingly great. In the leafy shelter of the great mountain thereyou repose. O Great Whirlwind, arise quickly. A very small part [ofthe disease] remains. You have come to sweep the intruder into thegreat swamp on the upland. You have laid down your paths toward thegreat swamp. You shall scatter it as in play so that it shall utterlydisappear. And now relief has come. All is done. Yû!

(Prescription. )--(This is to use) when they are sick with the greatchill. Take a decoction of wild cherry to blow upon them. If you haveTsâ´l-agayû´[n]lĭ (“old tobacco”--_Nicotiana rustica_) it also isvery effective. 

_Explanation. _

Unawa´stĭ, “that which chills one, ” is a generic name forintermittent fever, otherwise known as fever and ague. It is muchdreaded by the Indian doctors, who recognize several varieties ofthe disease, and have various theories to account for them. The aboveformula was obtained from A‘yû´[n]ni (Swimmer), who described thesymptoms of this variety, the “Great Chill, ” as blackness in the face, with alternate high fever and shaking chills. The disease generallyappeared in spring or summer, and might return year after year. In thefirst stages the chill usually came on early in the morning, but cameon later in the day as the disease progressed. There might be morethan one chill during the day. There was no rule as to appetite, butthe fever always produced an excessive thirst. In one instance thepatient fainted from the heat and would even lie down in a stream tocool himself. The doctor believed the disease was caused by malicioustsgâ´ya, a general name for all small insects and worms, exceptingintestinal worms. These tsgâ´ya--that is, the disease tsgâ´ya, notthe real insects and worms--are held responsible for a large numberof diseases, and in fact the tsgâ´ya doctrine is to the Cherokeepractitioner what the microbe theory is to some modern scientists. Thetsgâ´ya live in the earth, in the water, in the air, in the foliageof trees, in decaying wood, or wherever else insects lodge, and asthey are constantly being crushed, burned or otherwise destroyedthrough the unthinking carelessness of the human race, they arecontinually actuated by a spirit of revenge. To accomplish theirvengeance, according to the doctors, they “establish towns” under theskin of their victims, thus producing an irritation which results infevers, boils, scrofula and other diseases. 

The formula begins with a song of four verses, in which the doctorinvokes in succession the spirits of the air, of the mountain, ofthe forest, and of the water. Galû[n]latĭ, the word used in thefirst verse, signifies, as has been already explained, “on high” or“above everything, ” and has been used by translators to mean heaven. Û[n]wadâ´hĭ in the second verse is the name of a bald mountaineast of Webster, North Carolina, and is used figuratively to denoteany mountains of bold outline. The Cherokees have a traditionto account for the name, which is derived from Û[n]wadâ´lĭ, “provision house. ” Nâ´tsihĭ´ in the third verse signifies“pinery, ” from nâ´‘tsĭ, “pine, ” but is figuratively used to denotea forest of any kind. 

In the recitation which follows the song, but is used only in seriouscases, the doctor prays to the whirlwind, which is considered todwell among the trees on the mountain side, where the trembling of theleaves always gives the first intimation of its presence. He declaresthat a small portion of the disease still remains, the spiritsinvoked in the song having already taken the rest, and calls upon thewhirlwind to lay down a path for it and sweep it away into the swampon the upland, referring to grassy marshes common in the small covesof the higher mountains, which, being remote from the settlements, areconvenient places to which to banish the disease. Not satisfied withthis, he goes on to direct the whirlwind to scatter the disease as itscatters the leaves of the forest, so that it shall utterly disappear. In the Cherokee formula the verb a‘ne´tsâge´ta means literally“to play, ” and is generally understood to refer to the ball play, a´ne´tsâ, so that to a Cherokee the expression conveys the idea ofcatching up the disease and driving it onward as a player seizesthe ball and sends it spinning through the air from between his ballsticks. Niga´gĭ is a solemn expression about equivalent to the Latinconsummatum est. 

The doctor beats up some bark from the trunk of the wild cherry andputs it into water together with seven coals of fire, the latterbeing intended to warm the decoction. The leaves of Tsâl-agayû´[n]li(Indian tobacco--Nicotiana rustica) are sometimes used in place of thewild cherry bark. The patient is placed facing the sunrise, and thedoctor, taking the medicine in his mouth, blows it over the body ofthe sick man. First, standing between the patient and the sunrise andholding the medicine cup in his hand, he sings the first verse in alow tone. Then, taking some of the liquid in his mouth, he advancesand blows it successively upon the top of the head, the rightshoulder, left shoulder, and breast or back of the patient, makingfour blowings in all. He repeats the same ceremony with the second, third, and fourth verse, returning each time to his original position. The ceremony takes place in the morning, and if necessary is repeatedin the evening. It is sometimes necessary also to repeat the treatmentfor several--generally four--consecutive days. 

The recitation is not used excepting in the most serious cases, when, according to the formula, “a very small portion” of the diseasestill lingers. It is accompanied by blowing _of the breath alone_, without medicine, probably in this case typical of the action of thewhirlwind. After repeating the whole ceremony accompanying the song, as above described, the doctor returns to his position in front ofthe patient and recites in a whisper the first paragraph to the LittleWhirlwind, after which he advances and blows his breath upon thepatient four times as he has already blown the medicine upon him. Thengoing around to the north he recites the second paragraph to the GreatWhirlwind, and at its conclusion blows in the same manner. Then movingaround to the west--behind the patient--he again prays to the LittleWhirlwind with the same ceremonies, and finally moving around to thesouth side he closes with the prayer to the Great Whirlwind, blowingfour times at its conclusion. The medicine must be prepared anew bythe doctor at the house of the patient at each application morningor evening. Only as much as will be needed is made at a time, and thepatient always drinks what remains after the blowing. Connected withthe preparation and care of the medicine are a number of ceremonieswhich need not be detailed here. The wild cherry bark must always beprocured fresh; but the Tsâl-agayû´[n]lĭ (“Old Tobacco”) leavesmay be dry. When the latter plant is used four leaves are taken andsteeped in warm water with the fire coals, as above described. 

HIĂ´ TSUNSDI´GA DIL‘TADI´NATANTI´YǏ. I. 

Sgĕ! Hĭsga´ya Ts‘sdi´ga ha-nâ´gwa da´tûlehû[n]gû´kĭlû-gwû´. Iyû´[n]ta agayû´[n]linasĭ´ taya´ĭ. Eska´niyŭunayĕ´histĭ´ nû[n]ta-yu´tanatĭ´. Sgĕ´! tinû´lĭtgĭ´!Tleki´yu tsûtsestâ´gĭ hwĭnagĭ´. Yû!

Sgĕ! Hige´cya ts‘sdi´ga ha-nâ´gwa da´tûlehû[n]gû´kĭlû-gwû´. Iyû[n]´ta tsûtu´tunasĭ´ tăya´ĭ. Eska´niyŭunayĕ´histĭ nû[n]tayu´tanatĭ´. Sgĕ! tinû´lĭtgĭ´!Tleki´yu tsûtsestâ´ hwĭnagĭ´. Yû!

_Translation. _

THIS IS TO MAKE CHILDREN JUMP DOWN. 

Listen! You little man, get up now at once. There comes an old woman. The horrible [old thing] is coming, only a little way off. Listen!Quick! Get your bed and let us run away. Yû!

Listen! You little woman, get up now at once. There comes yourgrandfather. The horrible old fellow is coming only a little way off. Listen! Quick! Get your bed and let us run away. Yû!

_Explanation. _

In this formula for childbirth the idea is to frighten the child andcoax it to come, by telling it, if a boy, that an ugly old woman iscoming, or if a girl, that her grandfather is coming only a shortdistance away. The reason of this lies in the fact that an old womanis the terror of all the little boys of the neighborhood, constantlyteasing and frightening them by declaring that she means to liveuntil they grow up and then compel one of them to marry her, old andshriveled as she is. For the same reason the maternal grandfather, whois always a privileged character in the family, is especially dreadedby the little girls, and nothing will send a group of childrenrunning into the house more quickly than the announcement that an old“granny, ” of either sex is in sight. 

As the sex is an uncertain quantity, the possible boy is always firstaddressed in the formulas, and if no result seems to follow, thedoctor then concludes that the child is a girl and addresses her insimilar tones. In some cases an additional formula with the beadsis used to determine whether the child will be born alive or dead. In most instances the formulas were formerly repeated with theappropriate ceremonies by some old female relative of the mother, but they are now the property of the ordinary doctors, men as well aswomen. 

This formula was obtained from the manuscript book of A‘yû´[n]inĭ, who stated that the medicine used was a warm decoction of a plantcalled Dalâ´nige Unaste´tsĭ (“yellow root”--not identified), whichwas blown successively upon the top of the mother’s head, upon thebreast, and upon the palm of each hand. The doctor stands beside thewoman, who is propped up in a sitting position, while repeating thefirst paragraph and then blows. If this produces no result he thenrecites the paragraph addressed to the girl and again blows. A part ofthe liquid is also given to the woman to drink. A‘yû´[n]inĭ claimedthis was always effectual. 

(HIĂ´ TSUNSDI´GA DIL‘TADI´NATANTI´YI. II. )

Hitsutsa, hitsu´tsa, tleki´yu, tleki´yu, ĕ´hinugâ´ĭ, ĕ´hinugâ´ĭ! Hi´tsu´tsa, tleki´yu, gûltsû´tĭ, gûltsû´tĭ, tinagâ´na, tinagâ´na!

Higĕ‘yu´tsa, higĕ‘yu´tsa, tleki´yu, tleki´yu, ĕ´hinugâ´ĭ, ĕ´hinugâ´ĭ! Higĕ‘yu´tsa, tleki´yu, gû[n]gu´stĭ, gû[n]gu´stĭ, tinagâ´na, tinagâ´na!

_Translation. _

THIS IS TO MAKE CHILDREN JUMP DOWN. 

Little boy, little boy, hurry, hurry, come out, come out! Little boy, hurry; a bow, a bow; let’s see who’ll get it, let’s see who’ll get it!

Little girl, little girl, hurry, hurry, come out, come out. Littlegirl, hurry; a sifter, a sifter; let’s see who’ll get it, let’s seewho’ll get it!

_Explanation. _

This formula was obtained from Takwati´hĭ, as given to him bya specialist in this line. Takwatihi himself knew nothing of thetreatment involved, but a decoction is probably blown upon the patientas described in the preceding formula. In many cases the medicine usedis simply cold water, the idea being to cause a sudden muscular actionby the chilling contact. In this formula the possible boy or girl iscoaxed out by the promise of a bow or a meal-sifter to the one who canget it first. Among the Cherokees it is common, in asking about thesex of a new arrival, to inquire, “Is it a bow or a sifter?” or “Is itball sticks or bread?”

DAL´NI Û[n]NĂGE´Ǐ ADANÛ´[n]WÂTǏ. 

 Yuha´ahi´, (yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´, ) Yuha´ahi´, (yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´), Yû!

Sgĕ! Û[n]tal-e´gwâhĭ´ didultâ´hĭstĭ ulsge´ta. Usĭnu´lĭdâtitu´lene´ĭ. Usĭnu´lĭ dunu´y‘tani´leĭ´. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa statû´[n]gani´ga, nû[n]dâ´yĭdistul‘tâ´histĭ, Stisga´ya Dĭst‘sdi´ga, stida´wehi-gâgû. Û[n]tal-e´gwa dâtitulene´(ĭ) ulsge´ta. Usĭnu´lĭdetĭstû´l‘tani´ga ulsge´ta. Ditu´talenû´[n]itsa nû[n]na´hĭ[w]i´de´tutanû´[n]tasĭ´, nû[n]tadu´ktahû´[n]stĭnige´sû[n]na. Nû´‘gĭ iyayû´[n]latăgĭ´ ayâwe´sâlû´[n]tade´dudûneli´sestĭ´, Gû´[n]tsatâtagi´yûtistadi´gûlahi´sestĭ. Tiduda´le‘nû´(ĭ) û´[n]tale´gwâ[w][i]tĭ´stûl‘tati´nû[n]tani´ga. Na´‘năwitûl‘tâ´hĭstani´ga, tadu´ktahû´[n]stĭ nige´sû[n]na. Ha-na´‘nă [w][i]d´ultâhiste´stĭ. (Yû!)

(Degasisisgû´[n]ĭ)--Hiă´ anine´tsĭ ga´‘tiskĭadanû´[n]wâtĭ. Ŭ´[n]tla atsi´la tĭ´‘tĭ yĭ´gĭ. 

_Translation. _

TO TREAT THE BLACK YELLOWNESS. 

 Yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´, Yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´, yuha´ahi´ Yû!

Listen! In the great lake the intruder reposes. Quickly he has risenup there. Swiftly he has come and stealthily put himself (under thesick man). 

Listen! Ha! Now you two have drawn near to hearken, there in the SunLand you repose, O Little Men, O great anida´wehi! The intruder hasrisen up there in the great lake. Quickly you two have lifted up theintruder. His paths have laid themselves down toward the directionwhence he came. Let him never look back (toward us). When he stopsto rest at the four gaps you will drive him roughly along. Now he hasplunged into the great lake from which he came. There he is compelledto remain, never to look back. Ha! there let him rest. (Yû!)

(Directions. )--This is to treat them when their breast swells. Fire(coals) is not put down. 

_Explanation. _

This formula, from A‘yû[n]inĭ’s manuscript, is used in treatinga disease known as Dalâni, literally, “yellow. ” From the vaguedescription of symptoms given by the doctors, it appears to be anaggravated form of biliousness, probably induced by late suppers andbad food. According to the Indian theory it is caused by revengefulanimals, especially by the terrapin and its cousin, the turtle. 

The doctors recognize several forms of the disease, this varietybeing distinguished as the “black dalâni” (Dalâni Û[n]nage´ĭ) andconsidered the most dangerous. In this form of dalânĭ, according totheir account, the navel and abdomen of the patient swell, the ends ofhis fingers become black, dark circles appear about his eyes, and thethroat contracts spasmodically and causes him to fall down suddenlyinsensible. A‘yû[n]inĭ’s method of treatment is to rub the breastand abdomen of the patient with the hands, which have been previouslyrubbed together in the warm infusion of wild cherry (ta´ya) bark. Thesong is sung while rubbing the hands together in the liquid, and theprayer is repeated while rubbing the swollen abdomen of the patient. The operation may be repeated several times on successive days. 

The song at the beginning has no meaning and is sung in a lowplaintive lullaby tone, ending with a sharp _Yu!_ The prayer possessesa special interest, as it brings out several new points in theCherokee mythologic theory of medicine. The “intruder, ” which is heldto be some amphibious animal--as a terrapin, turtle, or snake--isdeclared to have risen up from his dwelling place in the great lake, situated toward the sunset, and to have come by stealth under thesick man. The verb implies that the disease spirit _creeps under_ as asnake might crawl under the coverlet of a bed. 

The two Little Men in the Sun Land are now invoked to drive out thedisease. Who these Little Men are is not clear, although they areregarded as most powerful spirits and are frequently invoked in theformulas. They are probably the two Thunder Boys, sons of Kanati. 

The Little Men come instantly when summoned by the shaman, pull outthe intruder from the body of the patient, turn his face toward thesunset, and begin to drive him on by threats and blows (expressed inthe word gû´[n]tsatatagi´yû) to the great lake from which he came. On the road there are four gaps in the mountains, at each of whichthe disease spirit halts to rest, but is continually forced onward byhis two pursuers, who finally drive him into the lake, where he iscompelled to remain, without being permitted even to look back again. The four gaps are mentioned also in other formulas for medicine andthe ball play and sometimes correspond with the four stages of thetreatment. The direction “No fire (coals) is put down” indicates thatno live coals are put into the decoction, the doctor probably usingwater warmed in the ordinary manner. 

Takwati´hĭ uses for this disease a decoction of four herbs appliedin the same manner. He agrees with A‘yû[n]inĭ in regard to thegeneral theory and says also that the disease may be contracted byneglecting to wash the hands after handling terrapin shells, as, forinstance, the shell rattles used by women in the dance. The turtle orwater tortoise (seligu´gĭ) is considered as an inferior being, withbut little capacity for mischief, and is feared chiefly on account ofits relationship to the dreaded terrapin or land tortoise (tûksĭ´). In Takwatihĭ’s formula he prays to the Ancient White (the fire), ofwhich these cold-blooded animals are supposed to be afraid, to put thefish into the water, the turtle into the mud, and to send the terrapinand snake to the hillside. 

TSUNDAYE´LIGAKTANÛ´HǏ ADANÛ´[n]WÂTǏ. 

Sgĕ! Hanâ´gwa hatû´[n]ganiga, galû´[n]latĭ hetsadâ´histĭ, Kâ´lanû Û´[n]nage, gahu´stĭ tsanu´lahû´[n]sgĭnige´sû[n]na. Ha-nâ´gwa (hetsatsa´û[n]tani´ga. Hanigû´[n]watû[n]nigwălâe´stigwû tsalâsû´[n]ĭ. Asgin-u´danû higes´eĭ. Sanigala´gĭ gesû´[n]ĭhastigû´‘lani´ga, duwâlu´wa´tû´tĭ nige´sû[n]na, nitû´neli´ga. Ha-Usûhi´yĭ wititâ´hĭstani´ga. Dadu´satahû´[n]stĭ nige´sû[n]na nitû´neli´ga. Utsĭnă´wanu´tatanû´[n]ta. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga, Kâ´lanû Gĭgage´ĭ, hidawĕhi´yu. Ha-gahu´stĭ tsanu´lahû´[n]sgĭ nige´sû[n]na, etsanetse´lûhĭ, Ha-galû[n]lati´tsa hetsatâ´histĭ. Nâ´gwahetsatsâ´û[n]tani´ga. Nigû´[n]watû´[n]nigwalâe´sti-gwûtsalâsû´[n]ĭ. Asgin-udanû´hi-gwû higese´ĭ. Ha-Sanigalâgĭgesû´[n] hâstigû´‘lani´ga ulsge´ta, ha-utsĭnă´wa-gwû´nigû´[n]tisge´stĭ. Usûhi´yĭ wĭntûnĕ´dû. Usûhi´yĭwĭtitâ´hĭstani´ga. Utsĭnă´wa adû[n]ni´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga, Kâ´lanû Sa´ka´ni;galû´latĭ hetsadâ´histĭ, hida´wĕhĭ. Gahu´stĭtsanu´lahû´[n]sgĭ nige´sû[n]na, etsanetse´lûhĭ. Ha-nâ´gwahetsatsâ´û[n]tani´ga. Nigû´[n]watû´[n]nigwalâe´sti-gwûtsalâsû´[n]ĭ. Sanigalâ´gĭ gesu´[n] hastigû´‘lani´gaulsge´ta. Duwâlu´watû´tĭ nige´sû[n]na, nitû´neli´ga. Usûhi´yĭ wĭtitâ´hĭstani´ga, dadu´satahû´[n]stĭnige´sû[n]na nitû´neli´ga. Utsĭnă´wa adû[n]ni´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga, Wa´hĭlĭ galû[n]lti´tsahetsadâ´histĭ, Kâ´lanû Tsûne´ga, hida´wĕhĭ. Gahu´stĭtsanu´l‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Hanâ´gwa hetsatsâ´û[n]tani´ga. Nigû´[n]watû´[n]nigwalâe´sti-gwû tsalâsû´[n]ĭ. Ha-nâ´gwadetal‘tani´ga. Sanigalâ´gĭ gesû´[n] hastig´û‘lani´gaulsge´ta, duwâlu´watû´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na nitû´neli´ga. Usûhi´yĭ wĭtitâ´hĭstani´ga. Dadu´satahû´[n]stĭnige´sû[n]na nitû´neli´ga. Utsĭnă´wa adû[n]ni´ga. 

(Dega´sisisgû´[n]ĭ)--Hiă´agi‘li´ya unitlû[n]gû´[n]ĭadanû´wâtĭ. Askwanu´tsastĭ´. Tsâ´l(a)Agayû´[n]lĭunitsi´lû[n]nû´hĭgû´[n]tatĭ, anû´[n]sga‘lâ´-gwû; Kanasâ´la-‘nû unali´gâhû, ade´la´-‘nû nû´‘gi-gwû ani´gage´ĭ dahâ´ĭ, Tsâliyu´stĭ-‘nû Usdi´ga. Gahu´sti-´‘nu yuta´suyû´[n]nasâwatu´hi-gwû atĭ´ dawâ´hila-gwû iyû´[n]ta. 

_Translation. _

TO TREAT FOR ORDEAL DISEASES. 

Listen! Ha! Now you have drawn near to hearken and are restingdirectly overhead. O Black Raven, you never fail in anything. Ha! Nowyou are brought down. Ha! There shall be left no more than a traceupon the ground where you have been. It is an evolute ghost. You havenow put it into a crevice in Sanigalagi, that it may never find theway back. You have put it to rest in the Darkening Land, so that itmay never return. Let relief come. 

Listen! Ha! Now you have drawn near to hearken, O Red Raven, mostpowerful ada´wehi. Ha! You never fail in anything, for so it wasordained of you. Ha! You are resting directly overhead. Ha! Now youare brought down. There shall remain but a trace upon the ground whereyou have been. It is an evolute ghost. Ha! You have put the Intruderinto a crevice of Sanigalagi and now the relief shall come. It (theIntruder) is sent to the Darkening Land. You have put it to rest inthe Darkening Land. Let the relief come. 

Listen! Ha! Now you have drawn near to hearken, O Blue Raven; you areresting directly overhead, ada´wehi. You never fail in anything, forso it was ordained of you. Ha! Now you are brought down. There shallbe left but a trace upon the ground where you have been. You have putthe Intruder into a crevice in Sanigalagi, that it may never find theway back. You have put it to rest in the Darkening Land, so that itmay never return. Let the relief come. 

Listen! Ha! Now you have drawn near to hearken; you repose on high onWa´hĭlĭ, O White Raven, ada´wehi. You never fail in anything. Ha!Now you are brought down. There shall be left but a trace upon theground where you have been. Ha! Now you have taken it up. You have putthe Intruder into a crevice in Sanigalagi, that it may never findthe way back. You have put it to rest in the Darkening Land, never toreturn. Let the relief come. 

(Directions)--This is to treat them for a painful sickness. One mustsuck. Use Tsâ´lagayû[n]´-li (“Old Tobacco”--Nicotiana rustica), blossoms, and just have them in the mouth, and Kanasâ´la (WildParsnip), goes with it, and four red beads also must lie there, and Tsâliyu´sti Usdi´ga (“Little (plant) Like Tobacco”--IndianTobacco--Lobelia inflata. ) And if there should be anything mixed withit (i. E. , after sucking the place), just put it about a hand’s-lengthinto the mud. 

_Explanation. _

The Cherokee name for this disease gives no idea whatever of itsserious nature. The technical term, Tsundaye´liga´ktanû´hĭ, really refers to the enthusiastic outburst of sociability that ensueswhen two old friends meet. In this instance it might be rendered“an ordeal. ” The application of such a name to what is considered aserious illness is in accordance with the regular formulistic practiceof making light of a dangerous malady in order to convey to thedisease spirit the impression that the shaman is not afraid of him. A‘yû[n]inĭ, from whom the formula was obtained, states also that thedisease is sometimes sent to a man by a friend or even by his parents, in order to test his endurance and knowledge of counter spells. 

As with most diseases, the name simply indicates the shaman’s theoryof the occult cause of the trouble, and is no clue to the symptoms, which may be those usually attendant upon fevers, indigestion, oralmost any other ailment. 

In some cases the disease is caused by the conjurations of an enemy, through which the patient becomes subject to an inordinate appetite, causing him to eat until his abdomen is unnaturally distended. By thesame magic spells tobacco may be conveyed into the man’s body, causinghim to be affected by faintness and languor. The enemy, if bitterlyrevengeful, may even put into the body of his victim a worm or insect(tsgâya), or a sharpened stick of black locust or “fat” pine, whichwill result in death if not removed by a good doctor. Sometimes a weedstalk is in some occult manner conveyed into the patient’s stomach, where it is transformed into a worm. As this disease is very common, owing to constant quarrels and rival jealousies, there are a number ofspecialists who devote their attention to it. 

The prayer is addressed to the Black, Red, Blue, and White Ravens, their location at the four cardinal points not being specified, excepting in the case of the white raven of Wa´hilĭ, which, asalready stated, is said to be a mountain in the south, and henceis used figuratively to mean the south. The ravens are each in turndeclared to have put the disease into a crevice in Sanigala´gi--theCherokee name of Whiteside Mountain, at the head of Tuckasegee River, in North Carolina, and used figuratively for any high precipitousmountain--and to have left no more than a trace upon the ground whereit has been. The adjective translated “evolute” (udanûhĭ) is offrequent occurrence in the formulas, but has no exact equivalent inEnglish. It signifies springing into being or life from an embryoniccondition. In this instance it would imply that whatever object theenemy has put into the body of the sick man has there developed into aghost to trouble him. 

The directions are expressed in a rather vague manner, as is thecase with most of A‘yû[n]ini’s attempts at original composition. Thedisease is here called by another name, agi‘li´ya unitlû[n]gû´[n]ĭ, signifying “when they are painfully sick. ” The treatment consists insucking the part most affected, the doctor having in his mouth duringthe operation the blossoms of Tsâ´l-agayû´[n]lĭ (Nicotiana rustica), Kanasâ´la (wild parsnip, ) and Tsâliyusti Usdiga (Lobelia inflata. ) Thefirst and last of these names signify “tobacco” and “tobacco-like, ”while the other seems to contain the same word, tsâ´la, and theoriginal idea may have been to counteract the witchcraft by the use ofthe various species of “tobacco, ” the herb commonly used to drive awaya witch or wizard. During the sucking process four red beads lie nearupon a piece of (white) cloth, which afterward becomes the perquisiteof the doctor. Though not explicitly stated, it is probable that thedoctor holds in his mouth a decoction of the blossoms named, ratherthan the blossoms themselves. On withdrawing his mouth from the spotand ejecting the liquid into a bowl, it is expected that there will befound “mixed” with it a small stick, a pebble, an insect, or somethingof the kind, and this the shaman then holds up to view as thecause of the disease. It is afterward buried a “hand’s length”(awâ´hilû)[12] deep in the mud. No directions were given as to dietor tabu. 

[Footnote 12: This word, like the expression “seven days, ” frequentlyhas a figurative meaning. Thus the sun is said to be seven awâ´hilûabove the earth. ]

HUNTING. 

GÛN´HILÛ´[n]TA UGÛ´[n]WA‘LǏ. 

Una´lelŭ´ eskiska´l‘tasĭ´. Iskwa´lelŭ eskiska´l‘tasĭ´. Yû! Ela-Kana´tĭ tsûlda´hĭstû´[n], tsûwatsi´la astû´[n]detsatasi´ga. Ts’skwâ´lĭ uda´nisă´‘testĭ, ugwala´gaudu´yaheti´dege´stĭ. Sunûsi´ya-gwû udanisă´‘testĭ, ts’su´lti-gwû nige´sû[n]na. 

Hĭkayû´[n]lĭ Gi´gage-gâgû´, tsine´tsĭ gesû´[n]aw’stitege´stĭ. _Tsăstû´ utatiyĭ_, nâ´gwa _tsăs‘tûgasû‘hisă‘tĭ atisge´stĭ_. Ha-nâ´gwa nû[n]nâ tsusdi´tutana´wa-tegû´ _digana´watû´[n]ta_ atisge´stĭ. Utalĭ´ udanû´hĭ ugwala´ga gû[n]watuy´ahĭti´tege´stĭ, hĭlahiyû´[n]ta-gwû [w]ustû´‘stĭ nige´sû[n]na. D’stiskwâ´lĭdeudû´nisă‘te´stĭ. Yû!

_Translation. _

CONCERNING HUNTING. 

Give me the wind. Give me the breeze. Yû! O Great Terrestrial Hunter, I come to the edge of your spittle where you repose. Let your stomachcover itself; let it be covered with leaves. Let it cover itself at asingle bend, and may you never be satisfied. 

And you, O Ancient Red, may you hover above my breast while I sleep. Now let good (dreams?) develop; let my experiences be propitious. Ha! Now let my little trails be directed, as they lie down in variousdirections(?). Let the leaves be covered with the clotted blood, andmay it never cease to be so. You two (the Water and the Fire) shallbury it in your stomachs. Yû!

_Explanation. _

This is a hunting formula, addressed to the two great gods of thehunter, Fire and Water. The evening before starting the hunter “goesto water, ” as already explained, and recites the appropriate formula. In the morning he sets out, while still fasting, and travels withouteating or drinking until nightfall. At sunset he again goes to water, reciting this formula during the ceremony, after which he builds hiscamp fire, eats his supper and lies down for the night, first rubbinghis breast with ashes from the fire. In the morning he starts out tolook for game. 

“Give me the wind, ” is a prayer that the wind may be in his favor, so that the game may not scent him. The word rendered here “GreatTerrestrial Hunter, ” is in the original “Ela-Kana´tĭ. ” In this_e´la_ is the earth and _kana´tĭ_ is a term applied to a successfulhunter. The great Kanatĭ, who, according to the myth, formerly keptall the game shut up in his underground caverns, now dwells abovethe sky, and is frequently invoked by hunters. The raven also isoften addressed as Kanatĭ in these hunting formulas. Ela-Kana´tĭ, the Great Terrestrial Hunter--as distinguished from the othertwo--signifies the river, the name referring to the way in which thetiny streams and rivulets search out and bring down to the greatriver the leaves and débris of the mountain forests. In formulas formedicine, love, the ball play, etc. , the river is always addressedas the Long Person (Yû´[n]wĭ Gûnahi´ta). The “spittle” referred tois the foam at the edge of the water. “Let your stomach be coveredwith leaves” means, let the blood-stained leaves where the strickengame shall fall be so numerous as to cover the surface of the water. The hunter prays also that sufficient game may be found in a singlebend of the river to accomplish this result without the necessity ofsearching through the whole forest, and to that end he further praysthat the river may never be satisfied, but continually longing formore. The same idea is repeated in the second paragraph. The hunteris supposed to feed the river with blood washed from the game. In likemanner he feeds the fire, addressed in the second paragraph as the“Ancient Red, ” with a piece of meat cut from the tongue of the deer. The prayer that the fire may hover above his breast while he sleepsand brings him favorable dreams, refers to his rubbing his breast withashes from his camp fire before lying down to sleep, in order that thefire may bring him dream omens of success for the morrow. The Fire isaddressed either as the Ancient White or the Ancient Red, the allusionin the first case being to the light or the ashes of the fire; in theother case, to the color of the burning coals. “You two shall bury itin your stomachs” refers to the blood-stained leaves and the pieceof meat which are cast respectively into the river and the fire. Theformula was obtained from A‘yû[n]inĭ, who explained it in detail. 

HIĂ´ TSI´SKWA GANÂHILIDASTI YǏ. 

Tsĭgĕ´! Hĭkayû´[n]l-Une´ga, tsûltâ´histû´[n]gûlitâ´hĭstani´ga. Nâ´gwa tsûda´ntâ talehĭ´sani´ga. Sâ´gwa igûnsi´ya ts’skwâlĭ´ udû´nisate´stĭ, ts’su´ltĭnige´sû[n]na. Wane´(ĭ) tigi´gage(ĭ) tali´kanĕli´ga. [U]´[n]talĭ udanû´hĭ tsăgista´‘tĭ. 

Hĭkayû´[n]l-Une´ga, _anu´ya uwâtatâ´gĭ agi´stĭtătsiskâ´ltane´lûhĭ_. [U]´[n]talĭ u´danû´_te´tûlskew´si´ga_. 

Hĭkayû´[n]l-Une´ga, nû[n]na´(hĭ) kana´tĭskwatetâ´stani´ga. Unigwalû´[n]gĭ te´gatû[n]tsi´ga. Nû[n]â´(hĭ) kana´tĭ tati´kiyû´[n]gwita´watise´stĭ. Unigwalû´[n]gĭ tigû´[n]watû´tsanû´hĭ. 

Hĭkayû´[n]l-Une´ga, Kana´tĭ, sk´salatâ´titege´stĭ, sa‘ka´ni ginu´t’tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Sgĕ!

_Translation. _

THIS IS FOR HUNTING BIRDS. 

Listen! O Ancient White, where you dwell in peace I have come to rest. Now let your spirit arise. Let it (the game brought down) be buriedin your stomach, and may your appetite never be satisfied. The redhickories have tied themselves together. The clotted blood is yourrecompense. 

O Ancient White, * * * Accept the clotted blood (?)

O Ancient White, put me in the successful hunting trail. Hang themangled things upon me. Let me come along the successful trail withthem doubled up (under my belt). It (the road) is clothed with themangled things. 

O Ancient White, O Kanati, support me continually, that I may neverbecome blue. Listen!

_Explanation. _

This formula, from A‘yû[n]inĭ’s manuscript, is recited by thebird-hunter in the morning while standing over the fire at his huntingcamp before starting out for the day’s hunt. A‘yû[n]inĭ stated thatseven blowgun arrows are first prepared, including a small one only a“hand-length” (awâ´hilû) long. On rising in the morning the hunter, standing over the fire, addresses it as the “Ancient White. ” rubbinghis hands together while repeating the prayer. He then sets out forthe hunting ground, where he expects to spend the day, and on reachingit he shoots away the short arrow at random, without attempting totrace its flight. There is of course some significance attachedto this action and perhaps an accompanying prayer, but no furtherinformation upon this point was obtainable. Having shot away the magicarrow, the hunter utters a peculiar hissing sound, intended to callup the birds, and then goes to work with his remaining arrows. On allhunting expeditions it is the regular practice, religiously enforced, to abstain from food until sunset. 

A favorite method with the bird-hunter during the summer season isto climb a gum tree, which is much frequented by the smaller birds onaccount of its berries, where, taking up a convenient position amidthe branches with his noiseless blowgun and arrows, he deliberatelyshoots down one bird after another until his shafts are exhausted, when he climbs down, draws out the arrows from the bodies of the birdskilled, and climbs up again to repeat the operation. As the lightdarts used make no sound, the birds seldom take the alarm, and are toobusily engaged with the berries to notice their comrades dropping tothe ground from time to time, and pay but slight attention even to themovements of the hunter. 

The prayer is addressed to the Ancient White (the Fire), the spiritmost frequently invoked by the hunter, who, as before stated, rubshis hands together over the fire while repeating the words. Theexpressions used are obscure when taken alone, but are full of meaningwhen explained in the light of the hunting customs. The “clottedblood” refers to the bloodstained leaves upon which the fallen gamehas lain. The expression occurs constantly in the hunting formulas. The hunter gathers up these bloody leaves and casts them upon thefire, in order to draw omens for the morrow from the manner in whichthey burn. A part of the tongue, or some other portion of the animal, is usually cast upon the coals also for the same purpose. Thissubject will be treated at length in a future account of the huntingceremonies. 

“Let it be buried in your stomach” refers also to the offering madethe fire. By the red hickories are meant the strings of hickorybark which the bird hunter twists about his waist for a belt. Thedead birds are carried by inserting their heads under this belt. Red is, of course, symbolic of his success. “The mangled things”(unigwalû´[n]gĭ) are the wounded birds. Kana´tĭ is here usedto designate the fire, on account of its connection with the huntingceremonies. 

INAGĚ´HǏ AYÂSTI[n]YǏ. 

Usĭnuli´yu Selagwû´tsĭ Gigage´ĭ getsû´[n]neligatsûdandâgi´hĭ aye‘li´yu, usĭnuli´yu. Yû!

_Translation. _

TO SHOOT DWELLERS IN THE WILDERNESS. 

Instantly the Red Selagwû´tsĭ strike you in the very center of yoursoul--instantly. Yû!

_Explanation. _

This short formula, obtained from ‘wani´ta, is recited by thehunter while taking aim. The bowstring is let go--or, rather, thetrigger is pulled--at the final _Yû!_ He was unable to explain themeaning of the word selagwû´tsĭ further than that it referred tothe bullet. Later investigation, however, revealed the fact thatthis is the Cherokee name of a reed of the genus Erianthus, and theinference follows that the stalk of the plant was formerly used forarrow shafts. Red implies that the arrow is always successful inreaching the mark aimed at, and in this instance may refer also to itsbeing bloody when withdrawn from the body of the animal. Inagĕ´hĭ, “dwellers in the wilderness, ” is the generic term for game, includingbirds, but A‘wani´ta has another formula intended especially fordeer. 

(Y´NA TǏ´KANÂGI´TA. )

 He+! Hayuya´haniwă´. Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. Tsistuyi´ nehandu´yanû, Tsistuyi´ nehandu´yanû--Yoho´+! He+! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. Kuwâhi´ nehandu´yanû´, Kuwâhi´ nehandu´yanû--Yoho´+! He+! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. Uyâ‘ye´ nehandu´yanû´, Uya´ye´ nehahdu´yanû´--Yoho´+! He+! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. Gâtekwâ´(hĭ) nehandu´yanû´, Gâtekwâ´(hĭ) nehandu´yanû´--Yoho´+! Ûlĕ-‘nû´ asĕhĭ´ tadeya´statakûhĭ´ gû´[n]nage astû´tsĭkĭ´. 

_Translation. _

BEAR SONG. 

 He! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. In Rabbit Place you were conceived (repeat)--Yoho´+! He! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. In Mulberry Place you were conceived (repeat)--Yoho´+! He! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. In Uyâ´‘yĕ you were conceived (repeat)--Yoho´+! He! Hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´, hayuya´haniwă´. In the Great Swamp (?) you were conceived (repeat)--Yoho´+! And now surely we and the good black things, the best of all, shall see each other. 

_Explanation. _

This song, obtained from A‘yû´[n]inĭ in connection with the storyof the Origin of the Bear, as already mentioned, is sung by the bearhunter, in order to attract the bears, while on his way from the campto the place where he expects to hunt during the day. It is one ofthose taught the Cherokees by the Ani-Tsâ´kahĭ before they losttheir human shape and were transformed into bears. The melody issimple and plaintive. 

The song consists of four verses followed by a short recitation. Eachverse begins with a loud prolonged _He+!_ and ends with _Yoho´+!_uttered in the same manner. Hayuya´haniwă´ has no meaning. Tsistu´yĭ, Kuwâ´hĭ, Uyâ´‘yĕ, and Gâte´kwâhĭ are four mountains, ineach of which the bears have a townhouse and hold a dance beforegoing into their dens for the winter. The first three named are highpeaks in the Smoky Mountains, on the Tennessee line, in theneighborhood of Clingman’s Dome and Mount Guyot. The fourth issoutheast of Franklin, North Carolina, toward the South Carolina line, and may be identical with Fodderstack Mountain. In Kuwahi dwells thegreat bear chief and doctor, in whose magic bath the wounded bears arerestored to health. They are said to originate or be conceived in themountains named, because these are their headquarters. The “good blackthings” referred to in the recitation are the bears. 

HIĂ´ ATSÛ‘TI´YǏ TSUN´TANÛ. 

Sgĕ! Nâ´gwa hitsatû´[n]gani´ga hitsiga´tugĭ´. Titsila´wisû´[n]hĭ [u]wâgi´‘lĭ tege´tsûts‘gû´‘lawĭstĭ´. Tsuli´stana´lû ûlĕ´ waktûĭ, agi´stĭ une´kaitsû´[n]yatanilû´ĭstani´ga. Gû[n]watu´hwĭtû´ nû[n]nâ´hĭdegûndâltsi´dâhe´stĭ. [u]Wâ´hisâ´nahĭ tigiwatsi´la. Tutsegû´‘lawistĭ´tege´stĭ. Û[n]talĭ´ degû´[n]watanûhĭ, uhisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Tsuwatsi´la dadâl‘tsi´ga. A‘yûA‘yû´[n]inĭ tigwadâ´ita. Yû!

_Translation. _

THIS IS FOR CATCHING LARGE FISH. 

Listen! Now you settlements have drawn near to hearken. Where you havegathered in the foam you are moving about as one. You Blue Cat and theothers, I have come to offer you freely the white food. Let the pathsfrom every direction recognize each other. Our spittle shall be inagreement. Let them (your and my spittle) be together as we go about. They (the fish) have become a prey and there shall be no loneliness. Your spittle has become agreeable. I am called Swimmer. Yû!

_Explanation. _

This formula, from A‘yû[n]inĭ´s’ book, is for the purpose ofcatching large fish. According to his instructions, the fishermanmust first chew a small piece of Yugwilû´ (Venus’ Flytrap--Dionæamuscipula) and spit it upon the bait and also upon the hook. Then, standing facing the stream, he recites the formula and puts the baitupon the hook. He will be able to pull out a fish at once, or if thefish are not about at the moment they will come in a very short time. 

The Yugwilû´ is put upon the bait from the idea that it will enablethe hook to attract and hold the fish as the plant itself seizes andholds insects in its cup. The root is much prized by the Cherokeesfor this purpose, and those in the West, where the plant is not found, frequently send requests for it to their friends in Carolina. 

The prayer is addressed directly to the fish, who are representedas living in settlements. The same expression as has already beenmentioned is sometimes used by the doctors in speaking of the_tsgâ´ya_ or worms which are supposed to cause sickness by gettingunder the skin of the patient. The Blue Cat (_Amiurus, genus_) isaddressed as the principal fish and the bait is spoken of as the“white food, ” an expression used also of the viands prepared at thefeast of the green corn dance, to indicate their wholesome character. “Let the paths from every direction recognize each other, ” means letthe fishes, which are supposed to have regular trails through thewater, assemble together at the place where the speaker takes hisstation, as friends recognizing each other at a distance approachto greet each other, [u]Wâhisâ´nahĭ tigiwatsi´la, rendered “ourspittle shall be in agreement, ” is a peculiar archaic expression thatcan not be literally translated. It implies that there shall be suchclose sympathy between the fisher and the fish that their spittleshall be as the spittle of one individual. As before stated, thespittle is believed to exert an important influence upon the wholephysical and mental being. The expression “your spittle has becomeagreeable” is explained by A‘yû[n]inĭ as an assertion or wish thatthe fish may prove palatable, while the words rendered “there shall beno loneliness” imply that there shall be an abundant catch. 

LOVE. 

(YÛ[n]WĚ´HǏ UGÛ´[n]WA‘LǏ I. )

Ku! Sgĕ! _Alahi´yĭ_ tsûl‘dâ´histĭ, Higĕ´‘ya tsûl‘di´yĭ, hatû´[n]gani´ga. _Elahi´yĭ_ iyû´[n]ta ditsûl‘da´histĭ, Higĕ´‘ya Tsûne´ga. Tsisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Tsâduhi´yĭ. Nâ´gwa-skĭn´ĭ usĭnuli´yu hû[n]skwane´‘lû[n]gû´ tsisga´yaagine´ga. Agisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Nâ´gwa nû´[n]nâ, une´gahû[n]skwanû[n]neli´ga. Uhisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Nâ´gwaskwade´tastani´ga. Sa‘ka´ni u´tatĭ nige´sû[n]na. Nû[n]nâune´ga skiksa´‘û[n]taneli´ga. Elaye´‘lĭ iyû´[n]taskwalewistă´‘tani´ga E´latĭ gesû´[n] tsĭtage´stĭ. Agisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Agwâ´duhi´yu. Kûltsâ´teune´ga skiga´‘tani´ga. Uhisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na, gû[n]kwatsâti´tege´stĭ. Tsi-sa‘ka´ni agwă´tatĭnige´sû[n]na. Usĭnuli´yu hû[n]skwane´‘lû[n]gû´. 

Ha-nâ´gwûlĕ _Elahi´yĭ_ iyû´[n]tă dûhiyane´‘lû[n]gû´a‘gĕ´‘ya sa‘ka´ni. Nâ´gwa nû[n]nâ´hĭ sa‘ka´nihû[n]tane´‘laneli´ga. Uhisa´‘tĭ-gwû u´danû dudusa´gĭtanela´sĭ. Nû[n]nâ´hĭ sa‘ka´ni tade´tâstani´ga. Nâgwûlĕ´hû[n]hiyatsâ´û[n]taniga. E´latĭ gesû´[n] tû´l‘taniga. Dedu´laskû´[n]-gwû igû´[n]wa‘lawĭ´stĭ uhi´sa‘ti´yĭwidaye´la‘ni´ga. Dedulaskû´[n]-gwû igû´[n]wa‘lawĭ´stĭuhi´sa‘ti´yĭ nitû´[n]neli´ga. 

Ha-sâgwahi´yu itsilasta´lagĭ + + uwă´sahi´yu, etsane´‘laneli´ga. Agisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Agwâ´duhĭ. A´yû agwadantâ´gĭ aye‘li´yu d’ka´‘lani´lĭ duda´ntâ, uktahû´[n]stĭ nige´sû[n]na. Yû´[n]wĭ tsu´tsatû[n]widudante´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na, nitû´[n]neli´ga. Sâ´gwahĭitsilasta´lagĭ, etsane´‘laneli´ga kûlkwâ´gi-nasĭ´igûlstû´‘lĭ gegane´‘lanû´[n]. 

Anisga´ya anewadi´sû[n] unihisa‘ti´yĭ. Tsu´nada´neilti´yĭ. Dĭ´la-gwû degû´[n]wănatsegû´‘lawi´sdidegû´. Ayâ´ise´ta-gwû u´danû. Tsunada´neilti´yĭ. Utse´tsti-gwûdegû´[n]wănatsegû´‘lawis´didegû´. Tsunada´neilti´yĭ. Ka´ga-gwû degû´[n]wănatsegû´‘awisdidegû´. Tsunada´neilti´yĭ. Da´l‘ka-gwûdegû´[n]wănatsegû´‘lawisdidegû´. 

Kûlkwâ´gĭ igûlsta´lagĭ unihisa‘ti´yu. Ige´ski-gwû nige´sû[n]na. Ayâ´ise´ta-gwûu´danû degû´[n]wănatsûn‘ti-degû´. K’si-gwûdegû´[n]wănatsûn‘ti-degû´. A´yagâgû´ tsisga´yaagine´ga û[n]gwane´‘lanû´hĭ + + Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭiti´tsa ditsidâ´ga. Agisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Agwâduhi´yu. Tsi-sa‘ka´nĭ agwă´tatĭ nige´sû[n]na. Kûltsâ´te une´gaû[n]ni´tagâgû´ gûkwatsâ´nti-degû´. Agisă´‘tĭnige´sû[n]na. A´yû agwadantâ´gĭ aye‘li´yu gûlasi´gatsûda´ntâ, uktahû´[n]stĭ nige´sû[n]na. A´yû tsĭ´gĭtsûda´nta 0 0. Sgĕ!

_Translation. _

CONCERNING LIVING HUMANITY (LOVE). 

Kû! Listen! In Alahi´yĭ you repose, O Terrible Woman, O you havedrawn near to hearken. There in Elahiyĭ you are at rest, O WhiteWoman. No one is ever lonely when with you. You are most beautiful. Instantly and at once you have rendered me a white man. No one is everlonely when with me. Now you have made the path white for me. It shallnever be dreary. Now you have put me into it. It shall never becomeblue. You have brought down to me from above the white road. There inmid-earth (mid-surface) you have placed me. I shall stand erect uponthe earth. No one is ever lonely when with me. I am very handsome. Youhave put me into the white house. I shall be in it as it moves aboutand no one with me shall ever be lonely. Verily, I shall never becomeblue. Instantly you have caused it to be so with me. 

And now there in Elahiyĭ you have rendered the woman blue. Now youhave made the path blue for her. Let her be completely veiled inloneliness. Put her into the blue road. And now bring her down. Placeher standing upon the earth. Where her feet are now and wherever shemay go, let loneliness leave its mark upon her. Let her be marked outfor loneliness where she stands. 

Ha! I belong to the (Wolf) ( + + ) clan, that one alone which wasallotted into for you. No one is ever lonely with me. I am handsome. Let her put her soul the very center of my soul, never to turn away. Grant that in the midst of men she shall never think of them. I belongto the one clan alone which was allotted for you when the seven clanswere established. 

Where (other) men live it is lonely. They are very loathsome. Thecommon polecat has made them so like himself that they are fitonly for his company. They have became mere refuse. They are veryloathsome. The common opossum has made them so like himself that theyare fit only to be with him. They are very loathsome. Even the crowhas made them so like himself that they are fit only for his company. They are very loathsome. The miserable rain-crow has made them so likehimself that they are fit only to be with him. 

The seven clans all alike make one feel very lonely in their company. They are not even good looking. They go about clothed with mererefuse. They even go about covered with dung. But I--I was ordainedto be a white man. I stand with my face toward the Sun Land. No oneis ever lonely with me. I am very handsome. I shall certainly neverbecome blue. I am covered by the everlasting white house wherever Igo. No one is ever lonely with me. Your soul has come into the verycenter of my soul, never to turn away. I--(Gatigwanasti, ) (0 0)--Itake your soul. Sgĕ!

_Explanation. _

This unique formula is from one of the loose manuscript sheetsof Gatigwanasti, now dead, and belongs to the class known asYû[n]wĕ´hĭ or love charms (literally, concerning “livinghumanity”), including all those referring in any way to the maritalor sexual relation. No explanation accompanies the formula, which musttherefore be interpreted from analogy. It appears to be recited bythe lover himself--not by a hired shaman--perhaps while painting andadorning himself for the dance. (_See next two formulas. _)

The formula contains several obscure expressions which require furtherinvestigation. Elahiyĭ or Alahiyĭ, for it is written both ways inthe manuscript, does not occur in any other formula met with thusfar, and could not be explained by any of the shamans to whom it wassubmitted. The nominative form may be Elahĭ, perhaps from _ela_, “theearth, ” and it may be connected with Wa´hĭlĭ, the formulistic namefor the south. The spirit invoked is the White Woman, white being thecolor denoting the south. 

Uhisa´‘tĭ, rendered here “lonely, ” is a very expressive word to aCherokee and is of constant recurrence in the love formulas. It refersto that intangible something characteristic of certain persons whichinevitably chills and depresses the spirits of all who may beso unfortunate as to come within its influence. Agisa´‘tĭnige´sû[n]na, “I never render any one lonely, ” is an intensifiedequivalent for, “I am the best company in the world, ” and to tell agirl that a rival lover is uhisa´‘tĭ is to hold out to her the sumof all dreary prospects should she cast in her lot with him. 

The speaker, who evidently has an exalted opinion of himself, invokesthe aid of the White Woman, who is most beautiful and is neveruhisa´‘tĭ. She at once responds by making him a white--that is, a happy--man, and placing him in the white road of happiness, whichshall never become blue with grief or despondency. She then places himstanding in the middle of the earth, that he may be seen and admiredby the whole world, especially by the female portion. She finally putshim into the white house, where happiness abides forever. The verbimplies that the house shelters him like a cloak and goes about withhim wherever he may go. 

There is something comical in the extreme self-complacency with whichhe asserts that he is very handsome and will never become blue and noone with him is ever lonely. As before stated, white signifies peaceand happiness, while blue is the emblem of sorrow and disappointment. 

Having thus rendered himself attractive to womankind, he turns hisattention to the girl whom he particularly desires to win. He beginsby filling her soul with a sense of desolation and loneliness. In thebeautiful language of the formula, her path becomes blue and she isveiled in loneliness. He then asserts, and reiterates, that he is ofthe one only clan which was allotted for her when the seven clans wereestablished. 

He next pays his respects to his rivals and advances some veryforcible arguments to show that she could never be happy with any ofthem. He says that they are all “lonesome” and utterly loathsome--theword implies that they are mutually loathsome--and that they arethe veriest trash and refuse. He compares them to so many polecats, opossums, and crows, and finally likens them to the rain-crow (cuckoo;_Coccygus_), which is regarded with disfavor on account of itsdisagreeable note. He grows more bitter in his denunciations as heproceeds and finally disposes of the matter by saying that all theseven clans alike are uhisa´‘tĭ and are covered with filth. Thenfollows another glowing panegyric of himself, closing with thebeautiful expression, “your soul has come into the very center ofmine, never to turn away, ” which reminds one forcibly of the sentimentin the German love song, “Du liegst mir im Herzen. ” The finalexpression, “I take your soul, ” implies that the formula has nowaccomplished its purpose in fixing her thoughts upon himself. 

When successful, a ceremony of this kind has the effect of renderingthe victim so “blue” or lovesick that her life is in danger untilanother formula is repeated to make her soul “white” or happy again. Where the name of the individual or clan is mentioned in theseformulas the blank is indicated in the manuscript by crosses + + orciphers 0 0 or by the word iyu´stĭ, “like. ”

HǏ´Ă ĂMA´YǏ Ă´TAWASTI´YǏ KAN´HEHÛ. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa usĭnuli´yu hatû´[n]gani´ga _Higĕ´‘yagu´ga_, tsûwatsi´la gi´gage tsiye´la skĭna´dû‘lani´ga. 0 0digwadâ´ita. Sa‘ka´nĭ tûgwadûne´lûhĭ. Atsanû´[n]gĭgi´gage skwâsû´hisa‘tani´ga. + + kûlstă´lagĭ + sa‘ka´nĭnu´tatanû´[n]ta. Ditu´nû[n]nâ´gĭ dagwû´laskû´[n]-gwûdeganu´y’tasi´ga. Galâ´nû[n]tse´ta-gwûdagwadûne´lidise´stĭ. Sgĕ!

_Translation. _

THIS TELLS ABOUT GOING INTO THE WATER. 

Listen! O, now instantly, you have drawn near to hearken, OAgĕ´‘yagu´ga. You have come to put your red spittle upon my body. My name is (Gatigwanasti. ) The blue had affected me. You have come andclothed me with a red dress. She is of the (Deer) clan. She has becomeblue. You have directed her paths straight to where I have my feet, and I shall feel exultant. Listen!

_Explanation. _

This formula, from Gatigwanasti’s book, is also of the Yû[n]wĕ´hĭclass, and is repeated by the lover when about to bathe in the streampreparatory to painting himself for the dance. The services of ashaman are not required, neither is any special ceremony observed. The technical word used in the heading, ă´tawasti´yĭ, signifiesplunging or going entirely into a liquid. The expression used for theordinary “going to water, ” where the water is simply dipped up withthe hand, is ămâ´yĭ dita‘ti´yĭ, “taking them to water. ”

The prayer is addressed to Agĕ´‘yaguga, a formulistic name for themoon, which is supposed to exert a great influence in love affairs, because the dances, which give such opportunities for love making, always take place at night. The shamans can not explain the meaningof the term, which plainly contains the word agĕ´‘ya, “woman, ” andmay refer to the moon’s supposed influence over women. In Cherokeemythology the moon is a man. The ordinary name is nû´[n]dâ, or morefully, nû´[n]dâ sû[n]nâyĕ´hĭ, “the sun living in the night, ”while the sun itself is designated as nû´[n]dâ igĕ´hĭ, “the sunliving in the day. ”

By the red spittle of Agĕ´‘yagu´ga and the red dress with which thelover is clothed are meant the red paint which he puts upon himself. This in former days was procured from a deep red clay known asela-wâ´tĭ, or “reddish brown clay. ” The word red as used in theformula is emblematic of success in attaining his object, besidesbeing the actual color of the paint. Red, in connection with dressor ornamentation, has always been a favorite color with Indiansthroughout America, and there is some evidence that among theCherokees it was regarded also as having a mysterious protectivepower. In all these formulas the lover renders the woman blue ordisconsolate and uneasy in mind as a preliminary to fixing herthoughts upon himself. (_See next formula. _)

(YÛ´[n]WĚ´HǏ UGÛ´[n]WA‘LǏ II. )

 Yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ. Galû´[n]latĭ, datsila´ĭ--Yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ. Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭ gatla´ahĭ--Yû´[n]wĕhĭ. Ge‘yagu´ga Gi´gage, tsûwatsi´la gi´gage tsiye´la skĭna´dû‘lani´ga-- Yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ. Hiă-‘nû´ atawe´ladi´yĭ kanâ´hĕhû galû[n]lti´tla. 

_Translation. _

SONG FOR PAINTING. 

 _Yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ. _ I am come from above--_Yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ. _ I am come down from the Sun Land--_Yû´[n]wĕhĭ. _ O Red Agĕ‘yagu´ga, you have come and put your red spittle upon my body--Yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, yû´[n]wĕhĭ. 

And this above is to recite while one is painting himself. 

_Explanation. _

This formula, from Gatigwanasti, immediately follows the one lastgiven, in the manuscript book, and evidently comes immediately afterit also in practical use. The expressions used have been alreadyexplained. The one using the formula first bathes in the runningstream, reciting at the same time the previous formula “Amâ´yĭĂ´tawasti´yĭ. ” He then repairs to some convenient spot with hispaint, beads, and other paraphernalia and proceeds to adorn himselffor the dance, which usually begins about an hour after dark, butis not fairly under way until nearly midnight. The refrain, yû´[n]wĕhĭ, is probably _sung_ while mixing the paint, and theother portion is recited while applying the pigment, or vice versa. Although these formula are still in use, the painting is now obsolete, beyond an occasional daubing of the face, without any plan or pattern, on the occasion of a dance or ball play. 

ADALANI´STA‘TI´YǏ. Ǐ. 

 Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga nihĭ´-- --Tsa´watsi´lû tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´ ayû´. --Hiyelû´ tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´ ayû´. --Tsăwiyû´ tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´ ayû´. --Tsûnahu´ tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´ ayû´. 

Sgĕ! Nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga, Hĭkayû´[n]lige. Hiă´ asga´yauda´ntâ tsa‘ta´hisi´ga [Hĭkayû´[n]lige] hiye´lastû[n]. Tsaskûlâ´hĭsti-gwû´ nige´sû[n]na. Dĭkana´watû´[n]ta-gwûtsûtû´neli´ga. Hĭlû dudantĕ´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Duda´ntâ dûskalû[n]´tseli´ga. Astĭ´ digû´[n]nagetagu´talû[n]tani´ga. 

_Translation. _

TO ATTRACT AND FIX THE AFFECTIONS. 

 Listen! O, now you have drawn near to hearken-- --Your spittle, I take it, I eat it. } --Your body, I take it, I eat it, } --Your flesh, I take it, I eat it, } Each sung four times. --Your heart, I take it, I eat it. }

Listen! O, now you have drawn near to hearken, O, Ancient One. Thisman’s (woman’s) soul has come to rest at the edge of your body. Youare never to let go your hold upon it. It is ordained that you shalldo just as you are requested to do. Let her never think upon anyother place. Her soul has faded within her. She is bound by the blackthreads. 

_Explanation. _

This formula is said by the young husband, who has just married anespecially engaging wife, who is liable to be attracted by other men. The same formula may also be used by the woman to fix her husband’saffections. On the first night that they are together the husbandwatches until his wife is asleep, when, sitting up by her side, herecites the first words: Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga nihĭ´, and then sings the next four words: Tsawatsi´lû tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´ayû´, “Your spittle, I take it, I eat it, ” repeating the words fourtimes. While singing he moistens his fingers with spittle, whichhe rubs upon the breast of the woman. The next night he repeats theoperation, this time singing the words, “I take your body. ” The thirdnight, in the same way, he sings, “I take your flesh, ” and the fourthand last night, he sings “I take your heart, ” after which he repeatsthe prayer addressed to the Ancient One, by which is probably meantthe Fire (the Ancient White). A‘yû´[n]inĭ states that the finalsentences should be masculine, i. E. , His soul has faded, etc. , andrefer to any would-be seducer. There is no gender distinction inthe third person in Cherokee. He claimed that this ceremony was soeffective that no husband need have any fears for his wife afterperforming it. 

ADAYE´LIGA´GTA‘TǏ´. 

Yû! Galû´[n]latĭ tsûl‘da´histĭ, Giya´giya´ Sa‘ka´ni, nâ´gwa nû[n]talû[n] i´yû´[n]ta. Tsâ´la Sa‘ka´nitsûgistâ´‘tĭ adû[n]ni´ga. Nâ´gwa nidâtsu´l‘tanû´[n]ta, nû´[n]tātagû´ hisa´hasi´ga. Tani´dâgû[n]´aye´‘lĭ dehidâ´siga. Unada´ndâ dehiyâ´staneli´ga. Nidugale´ntanû´[n]ta nidûhû[n]neli´ga. 

Tsisga´ya agine´ga, nû[n]dâgû´[n]yĭ ditsidâ´‘stĭ. Gû´nĭâstû´ uhisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Agĕ´‘ya une´ga hi´ăiyu´stĭ gûlstû´‘lĭ, iyu´stĭ tsûdâ´ita. Uda´ndâusĭnu´lĭ dâdatinilû´gû[n]elĭ´. Nû[n]dâgû´[n]yitsû´dâdatinilugûstanelĭ. Tsisga´ya agine´ga, ditsidâstû´[n]ĭnû‘nû´ kana´tlani´ga. Tsûnkta´ tegă‘la´watege´stĭ. Tsiye´lû[n] gesû´[n]ĭ uhisa´‘tĭ nige´sû[n]na. 

_Translation. _

FOR SEPARATION (OF LOVERS). 

Yû! On high you repose, O Blue Hawk, there at the far distant lake. The blue tobacco has come to be your recompense. Now you have arisenat once and come down. You have alighted midway between them wherethey two are standing. You have spoiled their souls immediately. Theyhave at once become separated. 

I am a white man; I stand at the sunrise. The good sperm shall neverallow any feeling of loneliness. This white woman is of the Paint(iyustĭ) clan; she is called (iyustĭ) Wâyĭ´. We shall instantlyturn her soul over. We shall turn it over as we go toward the SunLand. I am a white man. Here where I stand it (her soul) has attacheditself to (literally, “come against”) mine. Let her eyes in theirsockets be forever watching (for me). There is no loneliness where mybody is. 

_Explanation. _

This formula, from A‘yû[n]inĭ’s book, is used to separate two loversor even a husband and wife, if the jealous rival so desires. In thelatter case the preceding formula, from the same source, would be usedto forestall this spell. No explanation of the ceremony is given, butthe reference to tobacco may indicate that tobacco is smoked or throwninto the fire during the recitation. The particular hawk invoked(giya´giya´) is a large species found in the coast region but seldommet with in the mountains. Blue indicates that it brings trouble withit, while white in the second paragraph indicates that the man ishappy and attractive in manner. 

In the first part of the formula the speaker calls upon the BlueHawk to separate the lovers and spoil their souls, i. E. , change theirfeeling toward each other. In the second paragraph he endeavorsto attract the attention of the woman by eulogizing himself. Theexpression, “we shall turn her soul over, ” seems here to refer toturning her affections, but as generally used, to turn one’s soul isequivalent to killing him. 

(ADALANǏ´STĂ‘TI´YǏ II. )

Yû! Ha-nâ´gwa ada´ntĭ dătsâsi´ga, [*][*] hĭlû(stû´‘lĭ), ([*][*]) ditsa(dâ´ita). A´yû 0 0 tsila(stû´‘lĭ). Hiye´latsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´. (Yû!)

Yû! Ha-nâ´gwa ada´ntĭ dătsâsi´ga. [*][*] hĭlû(stû´‘lĭ), [*][*] ditsa(dâ´íta). A´yû 0 0 tsûwi´ya tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´. Yû!

Yû! Ha-nâ´gwa ada´ntĭ dătsâsi´ga. [*][*] hĭlû(stû´‘lĭ)[*][*] ditsa(dâ´íta). A´yû 0 0 tsûwatsi´la tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´a´yû. Yû!

Yû! Ha-nâ´gwa ada´ntĭ dătsâsi´ga. [*][*] hĭlû(stû´‘lĭ), [*][*] ditsadâ´(ita). A´yû 0 0 tsûnahŭ´ tsĭkĭ´ tsĭkû´. Yû!

Sgĕ! “Ha-nâ´gwa ada´ntĭ dutsase´, tsugale´ntĭ nige´sû[n]na, ”tsûdûneĭ, Hĭkayû´[n]lige galû´[n]latĭ. Kananĕ´skĭÛ´[n]nage galû´[n]latĭ (h)etsatsâ´û[n]tănile´ĭ. Tsănilta´gĭ tsûksâ´û[n]tanile´ĭ. [*][*] gûla(stû´‘lĭ), [*][*] ditsadâ´(ita). Dudantâ´gĭ uhani´latâtĭkwenû´[n]tani´ga. Kûlkwâ´gĭ igûlsta´lagĭ iyû´[n]tayû´[n]wĭ adayû´[n]latawă´ dudûne´lida´lû[n] uhisa´‘tĭnige´sû[n]na. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwatĭ uhisa´‘tĭ dutlû´[n]tani´ga. Tsû´nktadaskâ´lû[n]tsi´ga. Sâ´gwahĭ di´kta de´gayelû[n]tsi´ga. Ga´tsa igûnû´nugâ´ĭstû uda´ntâ? Usû´hita nudanû´[n]naûltû[n]ge´ta gû[n]wadûneli´dege´stĭ. Igû[n]wûlsta´‘ti-gwûduwâlu´wa‘tû[n]tĭ nige´sû[n]na. Kananĕ´skĭ Û[n]nage´ĭtsanildew’se´stĭ ada´ntâ uktû[n]lesi´dastĭ nige´sûna. Gadâyu´stĭ tsûdâ´ita ada´ntĭ tside´atsasi´ga. A´yaa´kwatseli´ga. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwûlĕ´ hû[n]hatû[n]ga´ga, Hĭkayû´[n]lĭGi´gage. Tsetsûli´sĭ hiye´lastû[n] a‘ta´hisi´ga. Ada´ntâhasû‘gû´‘lawĭ´stani´ga, tsa´skaláhĭstĭ nige´sû[n]na. Hĭkayû´[n]lige denătsegû‘la´wĭstani´ga. Agĕ´‘yagĭ´nsû[n]gû‘lawĭs´tani´ga uda´ntâ _uwahisĭ´sata_. Dĭgĭnaskûlâ´hĭstĭ nige´sû[n]na. Yû!

Hi´ănasgwû´ u‘tlâ´yi-gwû dĭgalû´[n]wistan´tĭsnû[n]â´yĭ hani´‘lihû[n] gûnasgi´stĭ. Gane´tsĭaye´‘lĭ asi´tadis´tĭ watsi´la, ganû[n]li´yetĭ aguwaye´nĭandisgâ´ĭ. Sâi´yĭ tsika´nâhe itsu´laha´gwû. 

_Translation. _

TO FIX THE AFFECTIONS. 

Yû! Ha! Now the souls have come together. You are of the Deer (x x)clan. Your name is (x x) Ayâsta, I am of the Wolf (o-o) clan. Yourbody, I take it, I eat it. Yû! Ha! Now the souls have come together. You are of the Deer clan. Your name is Ayâsta. I am of the Wolf clan. Your flesh I take, I eat. Yû!

Yû! Ha! Now the souls have come together. You are of the Deer clan. Your name is Ayâsta. I am of the Wolf clan. Your spittle I take, Ieat. I! Yû!

Yû! Ha! Now the souls have come together. You are of the Deer clan. Your name is Ayâsta. I am of the Wolf clan. Your heart I take, I eat. Yû!

Listen! “Ha! Now the souls have met, never to part, ” you have said, OAncient One above. O Black Spider, you have been brought down from onhigh. You have let down your web. She is of the Deer clan; her name isAyâsta. Her soul you have wrapped up in (your) web. There where thepeople of the seven clans are continually coming in sight and againdisappearing (i. E. Moving about, coming and going), there was neverany feeling of loneliness. 

Listen! Ha! But now you have covered her over with loneliness. Hereyes have faded. Her eyes have come to fasten themselves on one alone. Whither can her soul escape? Let her be sorrowing as she goes along, and not for one night alone. Let her become an aimless wanderer, whosetrail may never be followed. O Black Spider, may you hold her soul inyour web so that it shall never get through the meshes. What is thename of the soul? They two have come together. It is mine!

Listen! Ha! And now you have hearkened, O Ancient Red. Yourgrandchildren have come to the edge of your body. You hold them yetmore firmly in your grasp, never to let go your hold. O Ancient One, we have become as one. The woman has put her (x x x) soul into ourhands. We shall never let it go! Yû!

(Directions. )--And this also is for just the same purpose (thepreceding formula in the manuscript book is also a love charm). Itmust be done by stealth at night when they are asleep. One must putthe hand on the middle of the breast and rub on spittle with the hand, they say. The other formula is equally good. 

_Explanation. _

This formula to fix the affections of a young wife is taken from themanuscript sheets of the late Gatigwanasti. It very much resembles theother formula for the same purpose, obtained from. A‘yû´[n]inĭ, and the brief directions show that the ceremony is alike in both. Thefirst four paragraphs are probably sung, as in the other formula, onfour successive nights, and, as explained in the directions and asstated verbally by A‘yû´[n]inĭ, this must be done stealthily atnight while the woman is asleep, the husband rubbing his spittle onher breast with his hand while chanting the song in a low tone, hardlyabove a whisper. The prayer to the Ancient One, or Ancient Red (Fire), in both formulas, and the expression, “I come to the edge of yourbody, ” indicate that the hands are first warmed over the fire, inaccordance with the general practice when laying on the hands. Theprayer to the Black Spider is a beautiful specimen of poetic imagery, and hardly requires an explanation. The final paragraph indicatesthe successful accomplishment of his purpose. “Your grandchildren”(tsetsûli´sĭ) is an expression frequently used in addressing themore important deities. 

MISCELLANEOUS FORMULAS. 

SÛ[n]N´YǏ ED´HǏ E´SGA ASTÛ[n]TI´YǏ. 

Sgĕ! Uhyû[n]tsâ´yĭ galû[n]lti´tla tsûltâ´histĭ, HĭsgayaGigage´ĭ, usĭnu´lĭ di´tsakûnĭ´ denatlû[n]hi´sani´gaUy-igawa´stĭ duda´ntĭ. Nû[n]nâ´hĭ tatuna´watĭ. Usĭnu´lĭduda´ntâ dani´yû[n]stanilĭ´. 

Sgĕ! Uhyû[n]tlâ´yĭ galû[n]lti´tla tsûltâ´histĭ, Hĭsga´yaTĕ´halu, _hinaw’sŭ´’ki_. Ha-usĭnu´lĭ nâ´gwa di´tsakûnĭ´denatlû[n]hisani´ga uy-igawa´stĭ duda´ntĭ. Nû[n]nâ´hĭtătuna´wătĭ. Usĭnu´lĭ duda´ntâ dani´galĭstanĭ´. 

_Translation. _

TO SHORTEN A NIGHT-GOER ON THIS SIDE. 

Listen! In the Frigid Land above you repose, O Red Man, quickly we twohave prepared your arrows for the soul of the Imprecator. He hasthem lying along the path. Quickly we two will take his soul as we goalong. 

Listen! In the Frigid Land above you repose, O Purple Man, * * * *. Ha! Quickly now we two have prepared your arrows for the soul of theImprecator. He has them lying along the path. Quickly we two will cuthis soul in two. 

_Explanation. _

This formula, from A‘yû´[n]inĭs’ book, is for the purpose ofdriving away a witch from the house of a sick person, and opens up amost interesting chapter of Cherokee beliefs. The witch is supposedto go about chiefly under cover of darkness, and hence is calledsû[n]nâ´yĭ edâ´hĭ, “the night goer. ” This is the term in commonuse; but there are a number of formulistic expressions to designatea witch, one of which, u´ya igawa´stĭ, occurs in the body of theformula and may be rendered “the imprecator, ” i. E. , the sayer ofevil things or curses. As the counteracting of a deadly spell alwaysresults in the death of its author, the formula is stated to be notmerely to drive away the wizard, but to kill him, or, according to theformulistic expression, “to shorten him (his life) on this side. ”

When it becomes known that a man is dangerously sick the witches fromfar and near gather invisibly about his house after nightfall to worryhim and even force their way in to his bedside unless prevented by thepresence of a more powerful shaman within the house. They annoy thesick man and thus hasten his death by stamping upon the roof andbeating upon the sides of the house; and if they can manage to getinside they raise up the dying sufferer from the bed and let him fallagain or even drag him out upon the floor. The object of the witch indoing this is to prolong his term of years by adding to his own lifeas much as he can take from that of the sick man. Thus it is thata witch who is successful in these practices lives to be very old. Without going into extended details, it may be sufficient to statethat the one most dreaded, alike by the friends of the sick man and bythe lesser witches, is the Kâ´lana-ayeli´skĭ or Raven Mocker, socalled because he flies through the air at night in a shape of fire, uttering sounds like the harsh croak of a raven. 

The formula here given is short and simple as compared with someothers. There is evidently a mistake in regard to the Red Man, who ishere placed in the north, instead of in the east, as it should be. The reference to the arrows will be explained further on. Purple, mentioned in the second paragraph, has nearly the same symbolicmeaning as blue, viz: Trouble, vexation and defeat; hence the PurpleMan is called upon to frustrate the designs of the witch. 

To drive away the witch the shaman first prepares four sharpenedsticks, which he drives down into the ground outside the house at eachof the four corners, leaving the pointed ends projecting upward andoutward. Then, about noontime he gets ready the Tsâlagayû´[n]lĭor “Old Tobacco” (_Nicotiana rustica_), with which he fills his pipe, repeating this formula during the operation, after which he wraps thepipe thus filled in a black cloth. This sacred tobacco is smoked onlyfor this purpose. He then goes out into the forest, and returns justbefore dark, about which time the witch may be expected to put inan appearance. Lighting his pipe, he goes slowly around the house, puffing the smoke in the direction of every trail by which the witchmight be able to approach, and probably repeating the same or anotherformula the while. He then goes into the house and awaits results. When the witch approaches under cover of the darkness, whether in hisown proper shape or in the form of some animal, the sharpened stick onthat side of the house shoots up into the air and comes down like anarrow upon his head, inflicting such a wound as proves fatal withinseven days. This explains the words of the formula, “We have preparedyour arrows for the soul of the Imprecator. He has them lying alongthe path”. A‘yû´[n]inĭ said nothing about the use of the sharpenedsticks in this connection, mentioning only the tobacco, but theceremony, as here described, is the one ordinarily used. When woundedthe witch utters a groan which is heard by those listening inside thehouse, even at the distance of half a mile. No one knows certainly whothe witch is until a day or two afterward, when some old man or woman, perhaps in a remote settlement, is suddenly seized with a mysteriousillness and before seven days elapse is dead. 

GAHU´STǏ A´GIYAHU´SA. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hatû´[n]gani´ga Nû´[n]ya Wâtige´ĭ, gahu´stĭ tsûtska´dĭ nige´sû[n]na. Ha-nâ´gwadû´[n]gihya´lĭ. Agiyahu´sa sĭ´kwa, haga´ tsû[n]-nû´iyû´[n]ta dătsi´waktû´hĭ. Tla-‘ke´ a´ya a´kwatseli´ga. 0 0digwadâi´ta. 

_Translation. _

I HAVE LOST SOMETHING. 

Listen! Ha! Now you have drawn near to hearken, O Brown Rock; younever lie about anything. Ha! Now I am about to seek for it. I havelost a hog and now tell me about where I shall find it. For is it notmine? My name is ----. 

_Explanation. _

This formula, for finding anything lost, is so simple as to need butlittle explanation. Brown in this instance has probably no mythologicsignificance, but refers to the color of the stone used in theceremony. This is a small rounded water-worn pebble, in substanceresembling quartz and of a reddish-brown color. It is suspended by astring held between the thumb and finger of the shaman, who is guidedin his search by the swinging of the pebble, which, according to theirtheory, will swing farther in the direction of the lost article thanin the contrary direction! The shaman, who is always fasting, repeatsthe formula, while closely watching the motions of the swingingpebble. He usually begins early in the morning, making the firsttrial at the house of the owner of the lost article. After noting thegeneral direction toward which it seems to lean he goes a considerabledistance in that direction, perhaps half a mile or more, and makesa second trial. This time the pebble may swing off at an angle inanother direction. He follows up in the direction indicated forperhaps another half mile, when on a third trial the stone may veeraround toward the starting point, and a fourth attempt may completethe circuit. Having thus arrived at the conclusion that the missingarticle is somewhere within a certain circumscribed area, he advancesto the center of this space and marks out upon the ground a smallcircle inclosing a cross with arms pointing toward the four cardinalpoints. Holding the stone over the center of the cross he againrepeats the formula and notes the direction in which the pebbleswings. This is the final trial and he now goes slowly and carefullyover the whole surface in that direction, between the center of thecircle and the limit of the circumscribed area until in theory, atleast, the article is found. Should he fail, he is never at a loss forexcuses, but the specialists in this line are generally very shrewdguessers well versed in the doctrine of probabilities. 

There are many formulas for this purpose, some of them being long andelaborate. When there is reason to believe that the missing articlehas been stolen, the specialist first determines the clan orsettlement to which the thief belongs and afterward the name of theindividual. Straws, bread balls, and stones of various kinds are usedin the different formulas, the ceremony differing according to themedium employed. The stones are generally pointed crystals or antiquearrowheads, and are suspended as already described, the point beingsupposed to turn finally in the direction of the missing object. Several of these stones have been obtained on the reservation and arenow deposited in the National Museum. It need excite no surpriseto find the hog mentioned in the formula, as this animal has beendomesticated among the Cherokees for more than a century, althoughmost of them are strongly prejudiced against it. 

HIA´ UNÁLE (ATESTI´YǏ). 

 Yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, Yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´--Yû!

Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hĭnahû[n]´ski tayĭ´. Ha-tâ´sti-gwûgû[n]ska´ihû. Tsûtali´i-gwati´na halu´‘nĭ. Kû´nigwati´nadula´ska galû´[n]lati-gwû witu´ktĭ. Wigû[n]yasĕ´hĭsĭ. ´talĭ tsugû´[n]yĭ wite´tsatanû´[n]û[n]sĭ´ nû[n]nâhĭtsane´lagĭ de´gatsana´wadise´stĭ. Kûnstû´ dutsasû´[n]ĭatû´[n]wasûtĕ´hahĭ´ tsûtûneli´sestĭ. Sgĕ!

_Translation. _

THIS IS TO FRIGHTEN A STORM. 

 Yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, Yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´, yuhahi´--Yû!

Listen! O now you are coming in rut. Ha! I am exceedingly afraid ofyou. But yet you are only tracking your wife. Her footprints can beseen there directed upward toward the heavens. I have pointed themout for you. Let your paths stretch out along the tree tops (?) onthe lofty mountains (and) you shall have them (the paths) lying downwithout being disturbed, Let (your path) as you go along be where thewaving branches meet. Listen!

_Explanation. _

This formula, from A‘yû´[n]inĭ’s book, is for driving away, or“frightening” a storm, which threatens to injure the growing corn. Thefirst part is a meaningless song, which is sung in a low tone in thepeculiar style of most of the sacred songs. The storm, which is notdirectly named, is then addressed and declared to be coming on in afearful manner on the track of his wife, like an animal in the ruttingseason. The shaman points out her tracks directed toward the upperregions and begs the storm spirit to follow her along the waving treetops of the lofty mountains, where he shall be undisturbed. 

The shaman stands facing the approaching storm with one hand stretchedout toward it. After repeating the song and prayer he gently blows inthe direction toward which he wishes it to go, waving his hand in thesame direction as though pushing away the storm. A part of the stormis usually sent into the upper regions of the atmosphere. If standingat the edge of the field, he holds a blade of corn in one hand whilerepeating the ceremony. 

DANAWÛ´ TSUNEDÂLÛ´HǏ NUNATÛ´NELI´TALÛ´[n]HǏU´NALSTELTA´‘TANÛ´HǏ. 

Hayĭ! Yû! Sgĕ! Nâ´gwa usĭnuli´yu A´tasu Gi´gage´ĭhinisa´latani´ga. Usĭnu´lĭ duda´ntâ u´nanugâ´tsidastĭ´nige´sû[n]na. Duda´ntâ e‘lawi´nĭ iyû´[n]ta ă´tasûdigû[n]nage´ĭ degû[n]lskwĭ´tahise´stĭ, anetsâge´taunanugâ´istĭ nige´sû[n]na, nitinû´[n]neli´ga. Ă´tasûdusa´ladanû´[n]stĭ nige´sû[n]na, nitinû´[n]neli´ga. E‘lawi´nĭ iyû´[n]ta ă´tasû û[n]nage´ ugû[n]´hatûû[n]nage´ sâ´gwa da‘liyĕ´kû‘lani´ga _unadutlâ´gĭ_. Unanugâ´tsida´stĭ nige´sû[n]na, nû[n]eli´ga. 

Usĭnuli´yu tsunada´ntâ kul‘kwâ´gine tigalû´[n]ltiyû´[n]ĭiyû´[n]ta ada´ntâ tega´yĕ‘ti´tege´stĭ. Tsunada´ntâtsuligalĭ´stĭ nige´sû[n]na dudûni´tege´stĭ. Usĭnu´lĭ deniû´[n]eli´ga galû´[n]latĭ iyû´[n]tawidu´l‘tâhĭsti´tege´stĭ. Ă´tasû gigage´ĭdĕhatagû´[n]yastani´ga. Tsunada´ntâ tsudastû´nilida´stĭnige´sû[n]na nû[n]eli´ga. Tsunada´ntâ galû´[n]latĭiyû´[n]ta witĕ´‘titege´stĭ. Tsunada´ntâ anigwalu´gĭune´ga gû[n]wa´nadagû´[n]yastitege´stĭ. Sa‘ka´nĭ udûnu´hĭnige´sû[n]na usĭnuli´yu. Yû!

_Translation. _

WHAT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TO WAR DID TO HELP THEMSELVES. 

Hayĭ! Yû! Listen! Now instantly we have lifted up the red war club. Quickly his soul shall be without motion. There under the earth, wherethe black war clubs shall be moving about like ball sticks in thegame, there his soul shall be, never to reappear. We cause it to beso. He shall never go and lift up the war club. We cause it to be so. There under the earth the black war club (and) the black fog have cometogether as one for their covering. It shall never move about (i. E. , the black fog shall never be lifted from them). We cause it to be so. 

Instantly shall their souls be moving about there in the seventhheaven. Their souls shall never break in two. So shall it be. Quicklywe have moved them (their souls) on high for them, where they shallbe going about in peace. You (?) have shielded yourselves (?) with thered war club. Their souls shall never be knocked about. Cause it tobe so. There on high their souls shall be going about. Let them shieldthemselves with the white war whoop. Instantly (grant that) they shallnever become blue. Yû!

_Explanation. _

This formula, obtained from A‘wani´ta, may be repeated by the doctorfor as many as eight men at once when about to go to war. It isrecited for four consecutive nights, immediately before setting out. There is no tabu enjoined and no beads are used, but the warriors “goto water” in the regular way, that is, they stand at the edge of thestream, facing the east and looking down upon the water, while theshaman, standing behind them, repeats the formula. On the fourth nightthe shaman gives to each man a small charmed root which has the powerto confer invulnerability. On the eve of battle the warrior afterbathing in the running stream chews a portion of this and spits thejuice upon his body in order that the bullets of the enemy may passhim by or slide off from his skin like drops of water. Almost everyman of the three hundred East Cherokees who served in the rebellionhad this or a similar ceremony performed before setting out--many ofthem also consulting the oracular ulû[n]sû´tĭ stone at the sametime--and it is but fair to state that not more than two or three ofthe entire number were wounded in actual battle. 

In the formula the shaman identifies himself with the warriors, asserting that “_we_” have lifted up the red war club, red being thecolor symbolic of success and having no reference to blood, as mightbe supposed from the connection. In the first paragraph he invokescurses upon the enemy, the future tense verb _It shall be_, etc. , having throughout the force of _let it be_. He puts the souls ofthe doomed enemy in the lower regions, where the black war clubs areconstantly waving about, and envelops them in a black fog, which shallnever be lifted and out of which they shall never reappear. Fromthe expression in the second paragraph, “their souls shall never beknocked about, ” the reference to the black war clubs moving about likeball sticks in the game would seem to imply that they are continuallybuffeting the doomed souls under the earth. The spirit land of theCherokees is in the west, but in these formulas of malediction orblessing the soul of the doomed man is generally consigned to theunderground region, while that of the victor is raised by antithesisto the seventh heaven. 

Having disposed of the enemy, the shaman in the second paragraph turnshis attention to his friends and at once raises their souls to theseventh heaven, where they shall go about in peace, shielded by(literally, “covered with”) the red war club of success, and never tobe knocked about by the blows of the enemy. “Breaking the soul in two”is equivalent to snapping the thread of life, the soul being regardedas an intangible something having length, like a rod or a string. Thisformula, like others written down by the same shaman, contains severalevident inconsistencies both as to grammar and mythology, due to thefact that A‘wanita is extremely careless with regard to details andthat this particular formula has probably not been used for the lastquarter of a century. The warriors are also made to shield themselveswith the white war whoop, which should undoubtedly be the red warwhoop, consistent with the red war club, white being the coloremblematic of peace, which is evidently an incongruity. The war whoopis believed to have a positive magic power for the protection of thewarrior, as well as for terrifying the foe. 

The mythologic significance of the different colors is well shown inthis formula. Red, symbolic of success, is the color of the war clubwith which the warrior is to strike the enemy and also of the otherone with which he is to shield or “cover” himself. There is no doubtthat the war whoop also should be represented as red. In conjuringwith the beads for long life, for recovery from sickness, or forsuccess in love, the ball play, or any other undertaking, the redbeads represent the party for whose benefit the magic spell iswrought, and he is figuratively clothed in red and made to stand upona red cloth or placed upon a red seat. The red spirits invoked alwayslive in the east and everything pertaining to them is of the samecolor. 

Black is always typical of death, and in this formula the soul of theenemy is continually beaten about by black war clubs and enveloped ina black fog. In conjuring to destroy an enemy the shaman usesblack beads and invokes the black spirits--which always live in thewest--bidding them tear out the man’s soul, carry it to the west, and put it into the black coffin deep in the black mud, with a blackserpent coiled above it. 

Blue is emblematic of failure, disappointment, or unsatisfied desire. “They shall never become blue” means that they shall never fail inanything they undertake. In love charms the lover figuratively covershimself with red and prays that his rival shall become entirely blueand walk in a blue path. The formulistic expression, “He is entirelyblue, ” closely approximates in meaning the common English phrase, “Hefeels blue. ” The blue spirits live in the north. 

White--which occurs in this formula only by an evident error--denotespeace and happiness. In ceremonial addresses, as at the green corndance and ball play, the people figuratively partake of white foodand after the dance or the game return along the white trail to theirwhite houses. In love charms the man, in order to induce the woman tocast her lot with his, boasts “I am a white man, ” implying that all ishappiness where he is. White beads have the same meaning in the beadconjuring and white was the color of the stone pipe anciently usedin ratifying peace treaties. The white spirits live in the south(Wa´hală). 

Two other colors, brown and yellow, are also mentioned in theformulas. Wâtige´ĭ, “brown, ” is the term used to include brown, bay, dun, and similar colors, especially as applied to animals. Itseldom occurs in the formulas and its mythologic significance is asyet undetermined. Yellow is of more frequent occurrence and is typicalof trouble and all manner of vexation, the yellow spirits beinggenerally invoked when the shaman wishes to bring down calamities uponthe head of his victim, without actually destroying him. So far aspresent knowledge goes, neither brown nor yellow can be assigned toany particular point of the compass. 

Usĭnuli´yu, rendered “instantly, ” is the intensive form ofusĭnu´lĭ “quickly, ” both of which words recur constantly in theformulas, in some entering into almost every sentence. This frequentlygives the translation an awkward appearance. Thus the final sentenceabove, which means literally “they shall never become blue instantly, ”signifies “Grant that they shall never become blue”, i. E. , shall neverfail in their purpose, _and grant our petition instantly_. 

DIDA´LATLI´‘TǏ. 

Sgĕ! Nâ´gwa tsûdantâ´gĭ tegû´[n]yatawâ´ilateli´ga. Iyustĭ(0 0) tsilastû´‘lĭ Iyu´stĭ (0 0) ditsadâ´ita. Tsûwatsi´laelawi´nĭ tsidâ´hĭstani´ga. Tsûdantâgĭelawi´nĭ tsidâ´hĭstani´ga. Nû´[n]ya gû´[n]nagegû[n]yu´tlû[n]tani´ga. Ă‘nûwa´gĭ gû´[n]nage´gû[n]yu´tlû[n]tani´ga. Sû[n]talu´ga gû´[n]nagedegû´[n]yanu´galû´[n]tani´ga, tsû´nanugâ´istĭnige´sû[n]na. Usûhi´yĭ nû[n]nâ´hĭ wite´tsatanû´[n]û[n]sĭgûne´sâ gû´[n]nage asahalagĭ´. Tsûtû´neli´ga. Elawâ´tĭasa´halagĭ´a´dû[n]ni´ga. Usĭnuli´yu Usûhi´yĭ gûltsâ´tĕdigû´[n]nagesta´yĭ, elawâ´ti gû´[n]nage tidâ´hĭstĭwa‘yanu´galû[n]tsi´ga. Gûne´sa gû´[n]age sû[n]talu´gagû´[n]nage gayu´tlû[n]tani´ga. Tsûdantâ´gĭûska´lû[n]tsi´ga. Sa‘ka´nĭ adû[n]ni´ga. Usû´hitaatanis´se´tĭ, ayâ´lâtsi´sestĭ tsûdantâ´gĭ, tsû´nanugâ´istĭ nige´sû[n]na. Sgĕ!

_Translation. _

TO DESTROY LIFE. 

Listen! Now I have come to step over your soul. You are of the (wolf)clan. Your name is (A‘yû´[n]inĭ). Your spittle I have put at restunder the earth. Your soul I have put at rest under the earth. I havecome to cover you over with the black rock. I have come to cover youover with the black cloth. I have come to cover you with the blackslabs, never to reappear. Toward the black coffin of the upland in theDarkening Land your paths shall stretch out. So shall it be for you. The clay of the upland has come (to cover you. (?)) Instantly theblack clay has lodged there where it is at rest at the black houses inthe Darkening Land. With the black coffin and with the black slabs Ihave come to cover you. Now your soul has faded away. It has becomeblue. When darkness comes your spirit shall grow less and dwindleaway, never to reappear. Listen!

_Explanation. _

This formula is from the manuscript book of A‘yû´[n]inĭ, who explained the whole ceremony. The language needs but littleexplanation. A blank is left for the name and clan of the victim, andis filled in by the shaman. As the purpose of the ceremony is to bringabout the death of the victim, everything spoken of is symbolicallycolored black, according to the significance of the colors as alreadyexplained. The declaration near the end, “It has become blue, ”indicates that the victim now begins to feel in himself the effects ofthe incantation, and that as darkness comes on his spirit will shrinkand gradually become less until it dwindles away to nothingness. 

When the shaman wishes to destroy the life of another, either for hisown purposes or for hire, he conceals himself near the trail alongwhich the victim is likely to pass. When the doomed man appears theshaman waits until he has gone by and then follows him secretly untilhe chances to spit upon the ground. On coming up to the spot theshaman collects upon the end of a stick a little of the dust thusmoistened with the victim’s spittle. The possession of the man’sspittle gives him power over the life of the man himself. Manyailments are said by the doctors to be due to the fact that some enemyhas by this means “changed the spittle” of the patient and caused itto breed animals or sprout corn in the sick man’s body. In the lovecharms also the lover always figuratively “takes the spittle” of thegirl in order to fix her affections upon himself. The same idea inregard to spittle is found in European folk medicine. 

The shaman then puts the clay thus moistened into a tube consistingof a joint of the Kanesâ´la or wild parsnip, a poisonous plant ofconsiderable importance in life-conjuring ceremonies. He also putsinto the tube seven earthworms beaten into a paste, and severalsplinters from a tree which has been struck by lightning. The idea inregard to the worms is not quite clear, but it may be that they areexpected to devour the soul of the victim as earthworms are supposedto feed upon dead bodies, or perhaps it is thought that from theirburrowing habits they may serve to hollow out a grave for the soulunder the earth, the quarter to which the shaman consigns it. In othersimilar ceremonies the dirt-dauber wasp or the stinging ant is buriedin the same manner in order that it may kill the soul, as these aresaid to kill other more powerful insects by their poisonous sting orbite. The wood of a tree struck by lightning is also a potent spellfor both good and evil and is used in many formulas of various kinds. 

Having prepared the tube, the shaman goes into the forest to a treewhich has been struck by lightning. At its base he digs a hole, in thebottom of which he puts a large yellow stone slab. He then puts inthe tube, together with seven yellow pebbles, fills in the earth, andfinally builds a fire over the spot to destroy all traces of his work. The yellow stones are probably chosen as the next best substitute forblack stones, which are not always easy to find. The formula mentions“black rock, ” black being the emblem of death, while yellow typifiestrouble. The shaman and his employer fast until after the ceremony. 

If the ceremony has been properly carried out, the victim becomesblue, that is, he feels the effects in himself at once, and, unlesshe employs the countercharms of some more powerful shaman, his soulbegins to shrivel up and dwindle, and within seven days he is dead. When it is found that the spell has no effect upon the intended victimit is believed that he has discovered the plot and has taken measuresfor his own protection, or that, having suspected a design againsthim--as, for instance, after having won a girl’s affections froma rival or overcoming him in the ball play--he has already securedhimself from all attempts by counterspells. It then becomes a seriousmatter, as, should he succeed in turning the curse aside from himself, it will return upon the heads of his enemies. 

The shaman and his employer then retire to a lonely spot in themountains, in the vicinity of a small stream, and begin a new seriesof conjurations with the beads. After constructing a temporary shelterof bark laid over poles, the two go down to the water, the shamantaking with him two pieces of cloth, a yard or two yards in length, one white, the other black, together with seven red and sevenblack beads. The cloth is the shaman’s pay for his services, and isfurnished by his employer, who sometimes also supplies the beads. There are many formulas for conjuring with the beads, which are usedon almost all important occasions, and differences also in the detailsof the ceremony, but the general practice is the same in all cases. The shaman selects a bend in the river where his client can looktoward the east while facing up stream. The man then takes up hisposition on the bank or wades into the stream a short distance, where--in the ceremonial language--the water is a “hand length”(_awâ´hilû_) in depth and stands silently with his eyes fixed uponthe water and his back to the shaman on the bank. The shaman then laysupon the ground the two pieces of cloth, folded into convenient size, and places the red beads--typical of success and his client uponthe white cloth, while the black beads--emblematic of death and theintended victim--are laid upon the black cloth. It is probable thatthe first cloth should properly be red instead of white, but as it isdifficult to get red cloth, except in the shape of handkerchiefs, asubstitution has been made, the two colors having a close mythologicrelation. In former days a piece of buckskin and the small glossy, seeds of the Viper’s Bugloss (_Echium vulgare_) were used insteadof the cloth and beads. The formulistic name for the bead is_sû´nĭkta_, which the priests are unable to analyze, the ordinaryword for beads or coin being _adélâ_. 

The shaman now takes a red bead, representing his client, betweenthe thumb and index finger of his right hand, and a black bead, representing the victim, in like manner, in his left hand. Standinga few feet behind his client he turns toward the east, fixes his eyesupon the bead between the thumb and finger of his right hand, andaddresses it as the Sû´nĭkta Gigăge´ĭ, the Red Bead, invokingblessings upon his client and clothing him with the red garments ofsuccess. The formula is repeated in a low chant or intonation, thevoice rising at intervals, after the manner of a revival speaker. Thenturning to the black bead in his left hand he addresses it in similarmanner, calling down the most withering curses upon the head of thevictim. Finally looking up he addresses the stream, under the name ofYû´[n]wĭ Gûnahi´ta, the “Long Person, ” imploring it to protecthis client and raise him to the seventh heaven, where he will besecure from all his enemies. The other, then stooping down, dips upwater in his hand seven times and pours it upon his head, rubbing itupon his shoulders and breast at the same time. In some cases he dipscompletely under seven times, being stripped, of course, even when thewater is of almost icy coldness. The shaman, then stooping down, makesa small hole in the ground with his finger, drops into it the fatalblack bead, and buries it out of sight with a stamp of his foot. Thisends the ceremony, which is called “taking to water. ”

While addressing the beads the shaman attentively observes them asthey are held between the thumb and finger of his outstretched hands. In a short time they begin to move, slowly and but a short distance atfirst, then faster and farther, often coming down as far as the firstjoint of the finger or even below, with an irregular serpentine motionfrom side to side, returning in the same manner. Should the red beadbe more lively in its movements and come down lower on the fingerthan the black bead, he confidently predicts for the client the speedyaccomplishment of his desire. On the other hand, should the black beadsurpass the red in activity, the spells of the shaman employed by theintended victim are too strong, and the whole ceremony must be goneover again with an additional and larger quantity of cloth. This mustbe kept up until the movements of the red beads give token of successor until they show by their sluggish motions or their failure to movedown along the finger that the opposing shaman can not be overcome. Inthe latter case the discouraged plotter gives up all hope, consideringhimself as cursed by every imprecation which he has unsuccessfullyinvoked upon his enemy, goes home and--theoretically--lies down anddies. As a matter of fact, however, the shaman is always ready withother formulas by means of which he can ward off such fatal results, in consideration, of a sufficient quantity of cloth. 

Should the first trial, which takes place at daybreak, proveunsuccessful, the shaman and his client fast until just before sunset. They then eat and remain awake until midnight, when the ceremony isrepeated, and if still unsuccessful it may be repeated four timesbefore daybreak (or the following noon?), both men remaining awake andfasting throughout the night. If still unsuccessful, they continue tofast all day until just before sundown. Then they eat again and againremain awake until midnight, when the previous night’s programmeis repeated. It has now become a trial of endurance between therevengeful client and his shaman on the one side and the intendedvictim and his shaman on the other, the latter being supposed to beindustriously working countercharms all the while, as each party mustsubsist upon one meal per day and abstain entirely from sleep untilthe result has been decided one way or the other. Failure to endurethis severe strain, even so much as closing the eyes in sleep fora few moments or partaking of the least nourishment excepting justbefore sunset, neutralizes all the previous work and places theunfortunate offender at the mercy of his more watchful enemy. Ifthe shaman be still unsuccessful on the fourth day, he acknowledgeshimself defeated and gives up the contest. Should his spells prove thestronger, his victim will die within seven days, or, as the Cherokeessay, seven nights. These “seven nights, ” however, are frequentlyinterpreted, figuratively, to mean _seven years_, a rendering whichoften serves to relieve the shaman from a very embarrassing position. 

With regard to the oracle of the whole proceeding, the beads do move;but the explanation is simple, although the Indians account for itby saying that the beads become alive by the recitation of the sacredformula. The shaman is laboring under strong, though suppressed, emotion. He stands with his hands stretched out in a constrainedposition, every muscle tense, his breast heaving and voice tremblingfrom the effort, and the natural result is that before he is donepraying his fingers begin to twitch involuntarily and thus cause thebeads to move. As before stated, their motion is irregular; but thepeculiar delicacy of touch acquired by long practice probably impartsmore directness to their movements than would at first seem possible. 

HIĂ´ A´NE´TS UGÛ´[n]WA´LǏ AM´YǏ DITSÛ´[n]STA´TǏ. 

Sgĕ! Ha-nâgwa ă´stĭ une´ga aksâ´û[n]tanû´[n] usĭnu´lĭa‘ne´tsâ unatsâ´nû[n]tse´lahĭ akta´‘tĭ adû[n]ni´ga. 

Iyu´stĭ utadâ´ta, iyu´stĭ tsunadâ´ita. Nû[n]nâ´hĭanite´lahĕhû´ ige´skĭ nige´sû[n]na. Dû´ksi-gwu´dedu´natsgû‘la´wate´gû. Da´‘sû[n] unilâtsi´satû. Sa‘ka´niunati´satû´. 

Nû[n]nâ´hĭ dâ´tadu´nina´watĭ´ a´yû-‘nû´ digwatseli´gaa‘ne´tsâ unatsâ´nû[n]tse´lahĭ. Tla´mehû Gigage´ĭ sâ´gwadanûtsgû´‘lani´ga. Igû´[n]yĭ galû´[n]lâ ge´sû[n] i´yû[n]kanû´[n]lagĭ [u]wâhâ´hĭstâ´gĭ. Ta´line galû´[n]lâge´su[n] i´yû[n] kanû´[n]lagĭ [u]wâhâ´hĭstâ´gĭ. He´nilû danûtsgû´‘lani´ga. Tla´ma û[n]ni´ta a´nigwalu´gĭgû[n]tla´‘tisge´stĭ, ase´gwû nige´sû[n]na. 

Du´talĕ a‘ne´tsâ unatsâ´nû[n]tse´lahĭ saligu´gi-gwûdedu´natsgû´‘lawĭsti´tegû´. Elawi´nĭ da´‘sû[n]unilâtsi´satû. 

Tsâ´ine digalû´[n]latiyu´[n] Să´niwă Gi´gageĭ sâ´gwadanûtsgû´‘lani´ga, asĕ‘gâ´gĭ nige´sû[n]na. Kanû´[n]lagĭ[u]*wâhâ´hĭstâ´gĭ nû´‘gine digalû´[n]latiyû´[n]. Gulĭ´sgulĭ´ Sa‘ka´ni sâ´gwa danûtsgû´‘lani´ga, asĕ‘gâ´gĭ nige´sû[n]na. Kanû´[n]lagĭ [u]wâhâ´hĭstâgĭhĭ´skine digalû´[n]latiyû´[n]. Tsŭtsŭ´ Sa‘ka´ni sâ´gwadanûtsgû´‘lani´ga, asĕ‘gâ´gĭ nige´sû[n]na. 

Du´talĕ a‘ne´tsâ utsâ´nû[n]tse´lahĭ Tĭne´gwa Sa‘ka´nisâ´gwa danûtsgû´‘lani´ga, ige´skĭ nige´sû[n]na. Da´‘sû[n]unilâtsi´satû. Kanû´[n]lagĭ [u]wâhâ´hĭstâ´gĭsutali´ne digalû´[n]latiyû´[n]. A´nigâsta´ya sâ´gwadanûtsgu´‘lani´ga, asĕ‘gâ´gĭ nige´su[n]na. Kanû´[n]lagĭ[u]wâhâ´hĭstâ´gĭ kûl‘kwâgine digalû´[n]latiyû´[n]. Wâtatû´ga Sa‘ka´ni sâ´gwa danûtsgû´‘lani´ga, asĕ‘gâ´gĭnige´sû[n]na. 

Du´talĕ a‘ne´tsâ unatsâ´nû[n]tse´lahĭ, Yâ´nadedu´natsgû´‘lawĭstani´ga, ige´skĭ nige´sû[n]na. Da‘sû[n]du´nilâtsi´satû. Kanû´[n]lagĭ de´tagaskalâ´û[n]tanû´[n], igû[n]´wûlstanûhi-gwûdi´na tsuye´listi gesû´[n]ĭ. Akta´‘tĭadû[n]ni´ga. 

Sgĕ! Nâ´gwa t’skĭ´nâne´lĭ ta´lădŭ´ iyû´[n]taa´gwatseli´ga, Wătatu´ga Tsûne´ga. Tsuye´listĭ gesû´[n]ĭskĭ´nâhû[n]sĭ´ a´gwatseli´ga--kanû´[n]lagĭ a´gwatseli´ga. Nă´‘nâ utadâ´ta kanû´[n]lagĭ dedu´skalâ´asi´ga. 

Dedû´ndagû´[n]yastani´ga, gû[n]wâ´hisâ´nûhĭ. Yû!

_Translation. _

THIS CONCERNS THE BALL PLAY--TO TAKE THEM TO WATER WITH IT. 

Listen! Ha! Now where the white thread has been let down, quickly weare about to examine into (the fate of) the admirers of the ball play. 

They are of--such a (iyu´stĭ) descent. They are called--so and so(iyu´stĭ). They are shaking the road which shall never be joyful. The miserable Terrapin has come and fastened himself upon them as theygo about. They have lost all strength. They have become entirely blue. 

But now my admirers of the ball play have their roads lying along inthis direction. The Red Bat has come and made himself one of them. There in the first heaven are the pleasing stakes. There in the secondheaven are the pleasing stakes. The Pewee has come and joined them. The immortal ball stick shall place itself upon the whoop, never to bedefeated. 

As for the lovers of the ball play on the other side, the commonTurtle has come and fastened himself upon them as they go about. Underthe earth they have lost all strength. 

The pleasing stakes are in the third heaven. The Red Tlăniwă hascome and made himself one of them, that they may never be defeated. The pleasing stakes are in the fourth heaven. The Blue Fly-catcherhas made himself one of them, that they may never be defeated. Thepleasing stakes are in the fifth heaven. The Blue Martin has madehimself one of them, that they may never be defeated. 

The other lovers of the ball play, the Blue Mole has come and fastenedupon them, that they may never be joyous. They have lost all strength. 

The pleasing stakes are there in the sixth heaven. The Chimney Swifthas made himself one of them, that they may never be defeated. Thepleasing stakes are in the seventh heaven. The Blue Dragon-fly hasmade himself one of them, that they may never be defeated. 

As for the other admirers of the ball play, the Bear has just come andfastened him upon them, that they may never be happy. They have lostall strength. He has let the stakes slip from his grasp and thereshall be nothing left for their share. 

The examination is ended. 

Listen! Now let me know that the twelve are mine, O White Dragon-fly. Tell me that the share is to be mine--that the stakes are mine. As forthe player there on the other side, he has been forced to let go hishold upon the stakes. 

Now they are become exultant and happy. Yû!

_Explanation. _

This formula, from the A‘yû[n]inĭ manuscript is one of those usedby the shaman in taking the ball players to water before the game. The ceremony is performed in connection with red and black beads, as described in the formula just given for destroying life. Theformulistic name given to the ball players signifies literally, “admirers of the ball play. ” The Tlă´niwă (să´niwă in the Middledialect) is the mythic great hawk, as large and powerful as the roc ofArabian tales. The shaman begins by declaring that it is his purposeto examine or inquire into the fate of the ball players, and thengives his attention by turns to his friends and their opponents, fixing his eyes upon the red bead while praying for his clients, andupon the black bead while speaking of their rivals. His friends heraises gradually to the seventh or highest _galû´[n]latĭ_. Thisword literally signifies height, and is the name given to the abodeof the gods dwelling above the earth, and is also used to mean heavenin the Cherokee bible translation. The opposing players, on the otherhand, are put down under the earth, and are made to resemble animalsslow and clumsy of movement, while on behalf of his friends theshaman invokes the aid of swift-flying birds, which, according tothe Indian belief, never by any chance fail to secure their prey. The birds invoked are the He´nilû or wood pewee (_Contopus virens_), the Tlăniwă or mythic hawk, the Gulĭ´sgulĭ´ or great crestedflycatcher (_Myiarchus crinitus_), the Tsûtsû or martin (_Prognesubis_), and the A´nigâsta´ya or chimney swift (_Chæturapelasgia_). In the idiom of the formulas it is said that these “havejust come and are sticking to them” (the players), the same word(_danûtsgû´lani’ga_) being used to express the devoted attention ofa lover to his mistress. The Watatuga, a small species of dragon-fly, is also invoked, together with the bat, which, according to a Cherokeemyth, once took sides with the birds in a great ball contest with thefour-footed animals, and won the victory for the birds by reason ofhis superior skill in dodging. This myth explains also why birds, andno quadrupeds, are invoked by the shaman to the aid of his friends. In accordance with the regular color symbolism the flycatcher, martin, and dragon-fly, like the bat and the tlă´niwă, should be red, thecolor of success, instead of blue, evidently so written by mistake. The white thread is frequently mentioned in the formulas, but in thisinstance the reference is not clear. The twelve refers to the numberof runs made in the game. 

Index. 

 A‘wanita, or Young Deer, Cherokee formulas furnished by 316 Ayasta, Cherokee manuscript obtained from 313 A‘yû[n]´inĭ, or Swimmer, Cherokee manuscripts obtained from 310-312 Bathing in medical practice of Cherokees 333-334, 335-336 Bleeding, practice of among the Cherokees 334-335 Brinton, D. G. , cited on linguistic value of Indian records 318 Catawba Killer, Cherokee formulas furnished by 316 Cherokees, paper on Sacred Formulas of, by James Mooney 301-397 bathing, rubbing, and bleeding in medical practice of 333-336 manuscripts of, containing sacred, medical, and other formulas, character and age of 307-318 medical practice of, list of plants used in 324-327 medicine dance of 337 color symbolism of 342-343 gods of, and their abiding places 340-342 religion of 319 Cherokee Sacred Formulas, language of 343-344 specimens of 344-397 for rheumatism 345-351 for snake bite 351-353 for worms 353-356 for neuralgia 356-359 for fever and ague 359-363 for child birth 363-364 for biliousness 365-366 for ordeal diseases 367-369 for hunting and fishing 369-375 for love 375-384 to kill a witch 384-386 to find something 386-387 to prevent a storm 387-388 for going to war 388-391 for destroying an enemy 391-395 for ball play 395-397 Color symbolism of the Cherokees 342, 343 Disease, Cherokee theory of 322-324 Disease and medicine, Cherokee tradition of origin of 319-322 Gahuni manuscript of Cherokee formulas 313, 314 Gatigwanasti manuscript of Cherokee formulas 312, 313 Gods of the Cherokees and their abiding places 340-342 Haywood, John, cited on witchcraft beliefs among the Cherokees 322 Inali manuscript of Cherokee formulas 314-316 Long, W. W. , collection of Cherokee formulas and songs prepared by 317 Medical practice of Cherokees, plants used 322-331 Medicine dance of Cherokees 337 Mooney, James, paper on sacred formulas of the Cherokees, by 301-397 Names, importance attached to, in Cherokee sacred formulas 343 Plants used by Cherokees for medical purposes 322-331 ceremonies for gathering 339 Religion of the Cherokees, character of 319 Religion of the Cherokees, gods of 340-342 Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees, paper by James Mooney on 301-397 Sanitary regulations among the Cherokee Indians, neglect of 332, 333 Shamans, decline of power of among Cherokees 336 mode of payment of among Cherokees 337-339 Sweat bath, use of, among Cherokees 333-334 Swimmer manuscript of Cherokee formulas 310, 312 Tabu among Cherokees, illustrations of 331-332 Takwatihi, or Catawba-Killer, Cherokee formulas furnished by 316 Will West, collection of Cherokee formulas and songs prepared by 317 Young Deer, Cherokee formulas furnished by 316

 Errors:

 Missing or superfluous quotation marks have been silently corrected. 

 ... While closely watching the motions ... [original has “the / the” at line break] formulas obtained from Tsiskwa, A´wanita, and / Takwtihi [error for Takwati´hĭ ?] Sgĕ! Ha-nâ´gwa hû[n]hatû´[n]gani´ga [all parentheses in this paragraph shown as printed] (hetsatsa´û[n]tani´ga [mismatched parenthesis in original]