Devereux] MOHAVE ETHNOPSYCHIATRY AND SUICIDE 215 



how to care for one another, what to do in times of sickness, and how to do 

 good within the tribe. Of course, these ideas bring worry to the young people, 

 so that they think a great deal about them. And so their good times became 

 more mature (i.e., they outgrew their "good times"), and (after a while) it 

 seemed to them that they (i.e., the past and the present) were not good times 

 at all. The solution of these mature ideas (problems) sometimes came to them 

 in dreams (Devereux, 1956 c). This (i.e., the general problem of living) may 

 be the cause of worry. They may still have good times, but it just does not 

 seem like good times to them. A pi-ipa : taha :na (i.e., "person real"=usually a 

 tribal officer), who is interested in the welfare of Indians (Devereux, 1951 b) 

 would sometimes be thinking of the advice he could give to the people. (Then) 

 he does not seem to be happy in the so-called good times. At times he would 

 sit and think out loud.** When you are young, you have fewer worries. "When 

 you grow older, you have more mature ideas and, therefore, that which you do 

 for fun may not seem to be fun at all. But, for a short time, it will seem to 

 be fun. [What about people who are always looking for a general meaning in 

 everything that happens? Or who can never "cut their losses," but have to 

 throw good money after bad?] [Interpreter stated that he was unable to ex- 

 plain this in Mohave: "It is too complicated for us and for the Mohave lan- 

 guage."] [How about compulsive thinking?] The Mohave, when they are in- 

 telligent and have a full knowledge of something, keep thinking about it, until it 

 becomes a constant preoccupation with them. This condition is called 

 lyelyedhu : tck hi : wa hakwi :Iyk (comprehension or knowledge, heart, to exceed). 

 Let me give you an example of this : Chiefs are thinking day and night of the 

 welfare of the tribe.** [That is not the kind of thing I meant. I was wondering 

 whether you knew people who constantly worry about something silly, like a 

 Dickens character about King Charles' head, or the loss of a handkerchief, or 

 the shape of the minister's nose, and suchlike.] I don't think I understand this. 

 There are some people who at times sit in silence and think intently." 



Other informants also mentioned the chiefs, and their constant preoccupation 

 with matters affecting tribal welfare, as "examples" of "compulsive rumination" 

 and "obsessive thinking." 



Hilyera Anyay's statement (1938). — [Do you know of obsessive acts or 

 thoughts?] Some people who think of doing something (i.e., are making real- 

 istic plans), think about it all the time. Eventually they get so that they talk 

 to themselves wherever they are. They call such persons ipa: matum ku:na:va 

 (person, to himself, talk, or prophesy, or institute, or ordain). Sometimes such 

 a person, if he happens to be (have) suma :tc itcem (dreams bad) may go insane. 

 On the other hand, if such a person has suma :tc ahot (dreams good=power 

 dreams), he can become an ipa: taha :na (person real=tribal official). Such 

 pi-ipa : taha : na advise people about the right way of living, and tell them what 

 things are not right. 



It is quite obvious that Tcatc's statement, and especially that of 

 Hilyera Anyay, clearly indicate that we are dealing here with an 

 intelligible "Realangst," or "Angst der Kreatur," i.e., with the 

 anguish of man confronted with the great problems and responsibili- 



*^ Informants, who are trying to figure out an answer, sometimes also resort to a sort of 

 soft monologue, as thougli they were "testing" their utterances (Devereux, 1949 b, 1949 e). 



"If one may judge by L6vl-Strauss' (1944) description of the duties of Nambikuara 

 chiefs, the primitive leader carries a heavy psychological load indeed. (Cf. also Devereux, 

 1951b.) 



