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land tribes, or in other ways. Among MacKenzie tribes such as the Kutchin, 

 shamanistic power is acquired through animal association which may begin 

 before the birth of a person. Animals direct a future shaman from youth on. 

 Such a youth will later announce that he has a certain animal as a com- 

 panion and has become a shaman. The head of an animal is used in his super- 

 natural functions. Among the Apache there exists the idea of contaminating 

 animals as causative of disease. Disease can arise from unclean or evil 

 animals in a variety of ways. "One" (Opler, p. 224) "is by getting scared. 

 This is typical of owl disease. It is the thrill of terror, the moment of cold 

 fright, that is really the entrance of the evil influence into your body. . . . 

 Another way is by smell, odor. Bear and lightning sickness may be spread 

 in this way. Another is touch. Contact with hides of the evil animals such 

 as the bear, wolf, and coyote will give you the disease." The animals which 

 have the most dangerous supernatural power are the bear, coyote, owl, and 

 snake. The association of specific diseases with specific animals perhaps 

 reached its apogee in the Southeast. Swanton (pp. 639-49) lists twenty- 

 four animals causing disease among the Creek. There is a deer disease 

 (rheumatism), dog disease (stomach cramps), buzzard disease (vomiting), 

 rabbit disease (stomach disorder), and so on. Even the doctors were spe- 

 cialized, one curing deer diseases, another, snake. The Papago had a similar 

 close association between disease and animals, while the Pawnee had animal 

 lodges from which the shaman received power to cure disease. Many other 

 examples of this widespread belief in the power of animals to cause or cure 

 disease could be cited. Our purpose in pointing it out has been in an 

 effort to determine whether or not it was essentially limited to hunting 

 peoples. If such could be demonstrated we would have another reason for 

 the considerable attention paid by hunting tribes to health and curing. Such 

 a correlation, however, does not exist. The belief seems every bit as strong 

 among agriculturists, particularly in the Southeast, as among hunters. Judg- 

 ing from its widespread distribution and counterparts in Asia, this is an 

 old belief. It is also a field of inquiry which would be an interesting one 

 for further exploration. 



Finally, whatever the cause of the psychological attitude toward disease, 

 be it rooted in economic reasons or not, it is apparent that the attitude of a 

 primitive people toward disease influences and conditions human behavior 

 to a greater extent than does the actual disease itself. This fact has been 

 implicit in this report thus far, but it seems time to bring it forth as a gener- 

 alization of some significance to those who attempt the study of man and his 



