INDIANS OF THE QUINAIELT AGENCY. 275 



compauioi), to take tliem away. Lookiug down upon the caitli from his 

 house on a high mouutain, and seeing a great many Indians phiying 

 ball, he covets the ball and sends the man to steal it for him ! Sneh is 

 the childishness of their religious ideas! ' 



The me satch-ies, or evil si)irits, who take possession of sick people, 

 and whom the doctors are employed to drive out, seem to occupy their 

 thoughts to the exclusion of the great bird. With loud beating of the 

 Indian drum and of sticks, accompanied by their own voices and the con- 

 tortions and guttural howls and wails of their doctors, they seek to drive 

 out the unwelcome guest. The lips of the medicine man are often a])- 

 plied to the body to draw out the evil spirit. An Indian school girl 

 was lately dangerously sick; her friends wishe 1 to have her removed 

 to ^'the ranch" for treatment by Indian doctors. As she expressed no 

 wisli in the matter, she was kept in the school and received treatment 

 from the reservation doctor. She recovered, but the credit of her re- 

 covery was not given to the white physician. One of her shoes and 

 some of her clothing had been taken to the ranch and had been doctored 

 by the medicine men ; hence her recovery ! 



The Quinaielts have no large figures of idols. The little tamanautas 

 sticks, with faces rudely carved upon them, are the only objects at all 

 resembling idols. The doctors place these sticks in an upright [)osi- 

 tion around the patient, to assist in conquering the disease. The In- 

 dians stand in great fear of the medicine man. They believe if they 

 disobey him that he has the power of casting an evil spell upon them ; 

 that he will cause them to sicken and die. It seems to be impossible to 

 eradicate this feeling from their minds. Little can be expected from 

 theolderand middle-aged people with regard tolaying aside tlieir ancient 

 superstitions. Some of the latter, who profess to do so, practically re- 

 tain their old faith in the medicine man. 



While in school and listening to the advice and explanations of white 

 people, the Indian children, as a rule, are not unwilling to take medi- 

 cine as prescribed; but if their friends visit and talk to them their old 

 ])rejudices seem to be revived. In one case an Indian girl resisted all 

 efforts to give her suitable remedies, declaring she would rather die 

 than take the white doctor's medicine. She died in a day or two after. 

 Although sick with an incurable disease, her life might have been 

 greatly prolonged if she had consented to receive the medicine required. 



Many of the adult Indians seem not oidy willing but anxious to use 

 the medicines of the white man, but prefer to use them in combination 

 with the efforts of their own doctors, any good resulting from taking 

 the medicines being always attributed to the power of the medicine 

 man. 



Kecent circumstances have developed the fact that poison is used by 

 these Indian doctors to hasten the death of patients considered incurable. 

 1 have been told that a poison made from toadstools v/as formerly used. 

 At present strong poisons are obtained from unprincipled white men, 



