554 



MEDICINE-MEN OF THE APACHE. 



of nil the notes upon the subject can not fail to convince the reader that 

 the use of just such medicine cords prevailed all over the world, under 

 one form or another, and has survived to our own times. 



First, let me say a word about rosaries, the invention of which has 

 been attributed to St. Dominick, in Spain, and to St. Bridget, in Ireland. 

 Neither of these saints had anything to do with the invention or intro 

 duction of the rosary, although each in his or her own province may 

 have adapted to new and better uses a cord already in general service 

 among all the peoples of Europe. The rosary, as such, was in general 

 use in parts of the world long before the time of Christ. Again, the 



Flo. 439. Four-strand medicine cord (Apahe). 



cords of the various religious orders were looked upon as medicine 

 cords and employed in that manner by the ignorant peasantry. 



In this chapter 1 will insert notes showing the use of such cords by 

 other tribes, and follow with descriptions of the uses to which the cords 

 of St. Francis and others were put, and with references to the rosaries 

 of different races or different creeds; finally, I will remark upon the 

 superstitions connected with cords, belts, and strings, knotted or un- 

 knotted,madeof serpent skin, human skin, or human hair. The strangest 

 thing about it all is that observers have, with scarcely an exception, 

 contented themselves with noting the existence of such cords without 

 making the slightest effort to determine why they were used. 



