84 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 175 



Hivsu: Tiipo : ma's statement. — Shamans, especially those who specialize in the 

 cure of so-called venereal diseases (hikurpk and hiwey lak) are able to fasci- 

 nate the objects of their sexual desires, regardless of whether these persons are 

 heterosexual or homosexual (Devereux, 1937 b) love objects."* The shaman 

 uses this power solely for the purpose of winning someone's affection and never 

 for the purpose of keeping his wife, even when he knows that some other shaman, 

 who seeks to seduce his wife, uses this form of love magic. If another shaman 

 pursues his wife, he just keeps his peace, the way other men do. In fact, the 

 shaman does not even use his status or power to become a domestic tyrant. The 

 older shaman, especially, is sometimes inclined to use his powers, which he 

 received from Avikwame, to win the love of a girl or of a woman. He can send 

 out his power to steal a woman's love. Even though she might be a good woman, 

 who has had no affairs, he can spoil her disposition and make her dislike everyone 

 except himself. She might do for him things which she might never have done 

 otherwise. Through his power he seems transformed in her eyes ; he seems more 

 handsome to her than he really is. Whenever she sees him, she is unable to turn 

 her eyes from him, and wishes to be with him. No matter where she is, or who 

 sees her actions, she turns her head toward him, and watches him almost against 

 her will. Eventually he visits her and tells her that he heard of her strange 

 behavior. She will then make all sorts of excuses and will never admit that he 

 affects her in any way. Nonetheless, she will dream of him, and have fainting 

 spells in the morning (Case 49). The shaman will continue to visit her in 

 person imtil, in the end, she runs away with him. Then he will take his power 

 back again and she will once more be the good woman she used to be. It is, 

 however, not always safe to try this magic, because some shamans, who do not 

 have full control over their power, might, later on, be unable to break the spell 

 by taking back their power. If this happens, the woman goes insane, because his 

 power just remains in her heart. [At this point interpreter Hama : Utce : inter- 

 rupted Hivsu : Tupo : ma's account and related Case 18. Hivsu : Tupo : ma then 

 resumed his story.] The relatives of the woman will, of course, seek to cure her, 

 especially if she hasn't, as yet, gone to live with the shaman who bewitched her. 

 They will ask a qualified shaman to cure her, by extracting the spellbinder's 

 power and throwing it away. They might ask, e. g., (Hispan Himith) Tcilyetcilye 

 (a sham.an living in Needles, Calif., who claims to be able to cure this ailment) 

 to treat her. The spellbinder will not seek to oppose the cure by magical means ; 

 i. e., the woman will not become a kind of battleground between the witch and 

 the therapist. Furthermore, should the woman recover, the witch will not seek 

 to fascinate her a second time. Also, regardless of whether the treatment is 

 successful or not, once treatment is begun the woman can no longe hope to 

 become the wife of the witch, because he would refuse to marry her. 



If the shamanistic treatment is unsuccessful, the woman's relatives may call 

 upon the spellbinder, and urge him to release the woman from his spell. The 

 witch may, or may not, comply with this request. If he refuses to release her 

 from the spell, or to cure liere, her family will have her treated by still another 

 shaman. A shaman usually practices love magic only on his own behalf, although 

 he may use his powers also on behalf of a friend, either free of charge, or else 

 for an honorarium, which usually consists of either a horse or a certain quantity 

 of beads. 



*" Shamans do not have special sexual privileges. Apart from curins; diseases related 

 to sex, their only special duty in connection with sexual life is the distribution of sexually 

 eligible prisoners to marriageable members of the tribe. 



