﻿310 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEKOKEES. 
  

  

  first 
  thought, 
  when 
  once 
  the 
  Learner 
  understood 
  the 
  theory 
  involved, 
  

   as 
  the 
  formulas 
  are 
  all 
  constructed 
  on 
  regular 
  principles, 
  with 
  con- 
  

   stant 
  repetition 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  set 
  of 
  words. 
  The 
  obvious 
  effect 
  of 
  

   such 
  a 
  regulation 
  was 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  respect 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  sacred 
  

   knowledge 
  was 
  held 
  by 
  restricting 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  chosen 
  

   few. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  written 
  formulas 
  can 
  be 
  read 
  without 
  difficulty 
  by 
  

   any 
  Cherokee 
  educated 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  language, 
  the 
  shamans 
  take 
  good 
  

   care 
  that 
  their 
  sacred 
  writings 
  shall 
  not 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  

   laity 
  or 
  of 
  their 
  rivals 
  in 
  occult 
  practices, 
  and 
  in 
  performing 
  the 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  the 
  words 
  used 
  are 
  uttered 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  low 
  tone 
  of 
  voice 
  as 
  to 
  

   be 
  unintelligible 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  for 
  whose 
  benefit 
  the 
  formula 
  is 
  

   repeated. 
  Such 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  explain 
  how 
  the 
  

   formulas 
  collected 
  were 
  obtained. 
  

  

  HOW 
  THE 
  FORMULAS 
  WERE 
  OBTAINED. 
  

  

  On 
  first 
  visiting 
  the 
  reservation 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1887, 
  I 
  devoted 
  

   considerable 
  time 
  to 
  collecting 
  plants 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  for 
  

   food 
  or 
  medicinal 
  purposes, 
  learning 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  their 
  Indian 
  

   names 
  and 
  the 
  particular 
  uses 
  to 
  which 
  each 
  was 
  applied 
  and 
  the 
  

   mode 
  of 
  preparation. 
  It 
  soon 
  became 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  application 
  

   of 
  the 
  medicine 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  whole, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  was 
  rather 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   ordinate, 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  treatment, 
  which 
  was 
  always 
  accompanied 
  by 
  

   certain 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  "'words." 
  From 
  the 
  workers 
  employed 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  no 
  definite 
  idea 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  these 
  

   words. 
  One 
  young 
  woman, 
  indeed, 
  who 
  had 
  some 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  

   subject, 
  volunteered 
  to 
  write 
  the 
  words 
  which 
  she 
  used 
  in 
  her 
  pre- 
  

   scriptions, 
  but 
  failed 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  owing 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  opposition 
  of 
  the 
  

   half-breed 
  shamans, 
  from 
  whom 
  she 
  had 
  obtained 
  her 
  information. 
  

  

  THE 
  SWIMMER 
  MANUSCRIPT. 
  

  

  Some 
  time 
  afterward 
  an 
  acquaintance 
  was 
  formed 
  with 
  a 
  man 
  

   named 
  A'yu 
  n 
  'iiii 
  or 
  " 
  Swimmer," 
  who 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  intelligent 
  that 
  

   I 
  spent 
  several 
  days 
  with 
  him, 
  procuring 
  information 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   myths 
  and 
  old 
  customs. 
  He 
  told 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  stories 
  in 
  very 
  good 
  

   style, 
  and 
  finally 
  related 
  the 
  Origin 
  of 
  the 
  Bear'. 
  The 
  bears 
  were 
  

   formerly 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  tribe 
  who 
  decided 
  to 
  leave 
  their 
  

   kindred 
  and 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  forest. 
  Their 
  friends 
  followed 
  them 
  and 
  

   endeavored 
  to 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  return, 
  but 
  the 
  Ani-Tsa'kahi, 
  as 
  they 
  

   were 
  called, 
  were 
  determined 
  to 
  go. 
  Just 
  bef< 
  ire 
  parting 
  from 
  their 
  

   relatives 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  forest, 
  they 
  turned 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  said, 
  "It 
  

   is 
  better 
  for 
  you 
  that 
  we 
  should 
  go; 
  but 
  we 
  will 
  teach 
  you 
  songs, 
  

   and 
  some 
  day 
  when 
  you 
  are 
  in 
  want 
  of 
  food 
  come 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  woods 
  

   ami 
  sing 
  these 
  songs 
  and 
  we 
  shall 
  appear 
  and 
  give 
  you 
  meat." 
  Their 
  

  

  'To 
  appear 
  later 
  with 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  Cherokee 
  myths. 
  

  

  