50 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 92 



little stones, thorns, etc., and that these foreign bodies were the disease, 

 and these imposters for the purpose of effecting a cure made ready with 

 many ceremonies, putting feathers on them, and other things, blowing 

 in the 4 directions, saying certain words without anybody or anyone 

 understanding them ; and then sucking the place where the pain was 

 they pretended that they were extracting the bodies such as they had 

 mentioned — but in reality after their sucking they extracted from their 

 [own] mouths some of these bodies, such as little stones, sticks, thorns, 

 similar to or the same as those which they had told them previously 

 that they had ; and these bodies they showed to those standing about, 

 and all believed it without having the slightest doubt, and the sick 

 person [being] very well satisfied whether he got well or died. They 

 told some that the disease had been sent to them by their God 

 Chinigchinix as a penalty or punishment for some delinquency which 

 had been committed. 



There are many of these charlatans and deceivers everywhere, who 

 after they have been well paid and have filled their bellies laugh at 

 and make fun of the poor innocents, or better said, of their credulity. 



After the deceit of the wizards, they having used all their diabolic 

 art, if the sick person died they tended to giving him burial, that is, to 

 burning him, (in these regions they burned them). After the sick 

 person died they allowed the interval of 10 or 12 hours to pass, watch- 

 ing if he would come to life again, as they said. In the meantime they 

 prepared the pyre, and having seen that he was really dead, they sum- 

 moned the cremator (it is to be noted that in these regions there were 

 certain ones assigned to this work, and it went according to family 

 succession). Everything being ready, they carried the corpse to the 

 pyre, leaving it there. All the people withdrew to a little distance, the 

 cremator alone remaining. He lighted the pyre, and he could not stir 

 from the place until the dead person was entirely consumed. And 

 when it was over they gave him something to eat, and paid him well, 

 and after that he retired to his lodging place. 



All the things and utensils which the dead person had used, such 

 as bow, arrows, feathers, and the rest, were all burned with him, 

 serving as food for the pyre. They did not have special ceremonies 

 at the time of burning him, but after he was entirely consumed, they 

 retired to a little distance from the rancheria to cry over the death of 

 the deceased. 



