78 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 175 



latter disorders are practically identical with those mentioned in con- 

 nection with the ya tcahaetk syndrome. 



Etiology. — This disease is caused by too much masturbation. Con- 

 versely, excessive masturbation is also a symptom and result of this 

 disease. "These are the worst kinds of persons. They cannot get 

 married, because no one wants them.^^ They cannot appease their 

 sexual desires. Their excessive masturbation causes them to have 

 'fits.' " (Informant : Tcatc.) 



Symptomatology. — Since such people are unable to discharge their 

 sexual tensions, they create quite a problem for society. "If a woman 

 or a girl is out by herself (i. e., alone) , they take her without giving it 

 any thought, and cohabit with her. They are crazy, even though they 

 know what they are doing. I heard of such a person. I was afraid 

 (of him). I do not remember his name. He was ya tcahaetk.'' 

 (Informant: Tcatc. However, she later on supplied a series of case 

 histories pertaining to this illness.) 



CASE 13 (Informants: Tcatc, E. S., and Hivsu: Tuporma) : 



Nyoltc "Hukthar" (hukthar meaning primarily "coyote" ; secondarily "crazy"), 

 i. e. "crazy" Nyoltc, whose English name was not recalled, was the daughter of 

 Ahwe: Ha:m (enemy traveling). At the time I (Tcatc) knew her, she was 

 living near Ehrenberg, at a place called Hao : r (fine gravel), i. e., at Blythe, 

 Calif. However, I did not know her very well and did not witness her "death" 

 (meaning probably her cremation). At the time of her death, which occurred 

 around 1913, she was about 25 or 30 years of age. 



According to Hivsu : Tupo : ma : , Nyoltc Hukthar was, in her childhood, in- 

 volved in a sexual experience with an oldish man. Once he masturbated her and 

 she ended up by urinating on his hand, from sheer mischievousness. (This inci- 

 dent was not known to Tcatc. ) ( See Case 79. ) 



Tcatc: I heard that this woman, though sane in every way, was extremely 

 nervous and unable to keep still already in her childhood.^* When one spoke 

 to her, she could not keep her head still, but kept on looking around." These 

 symptoms of nervousness (hukthar hit'i:k) persisted throughout her life, and 

 were among the reasons which caused people to nickname her "hukthar" 

 ("coyote," i. e., "crazy"). The other reason was that she had been married 

 many time.s, "chasing around with one husband after anotlier." (Since her 

 case history was given in response to a question concerning nymphomania, it 

 may be assumed that her numerous marriages were attributed to her 

 nymphomania.) 



She died of illness at a young age. It happened during an epidemic caused by 

 a shaman who was a relative of hers, and whose name I do not recall. Thus, 

 her death was due partly to witchcraft and partly to suma : tc itcem, meaning 

 "dream, or power, does not have" (lack of power obtained in dream). (Further 

 data on this woman will be found in Case 79.) 



'^'■'Tlio case histories show that they do marry, but are soon divorced. 

 *" The Mohave attribute nervousness to premature sexual experiences (Devereux, 1950 a). 

 "5^ A desirable and eligible young woman always gives her undivided attention to anyone 

 speaking to her. 



