﻿ijooney.] 
  THE 
  ORIGIN 
  OF 
  DISEASE 
  AND 
  MEDICINE. 
  319 
  

  

  and 
  it 
  might 
  almost 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  every 
  act 
  of 
  his 
  life 
  is 
  regulated 
  

   and 
  determined 
  by 
  las 
  religious 
  belief. 
  It 
  matters 
  uot 
  that 
  some 
  

   may 
  call 
  this 
  superstition. 
  The 
  difference 
  is 
  only 
  relative. 
  The 
  

   religion 
  of 
  to-day 
  has 
  developed 
  from 
  the 
  cruder 
  superstitions 
  of 
  

   yesterday, 
  and 
  Christianity 
  itself 
  is 
  but 
  an 
  outgrowth 
  and 
  enlarge- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  beliefs 
  and 
  ceremonies 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  preserved 
  by 
  

   the 
  Indian 
  in 
  their 
  more 
  ancient 
  form. 
  When 
  we 
  are 
  willing 
  to 
  ad- 
  

   mit 
  that 
  the 
  Indian 
  has 
  a 
  religion 
  which 
  he 
  holds 
  sacred, 
  even 
  though 
  

   it 
  be 
  different 
  from 
  our 
  own, 
  we 
  can 
  then 
  admire 
  the 
  consistency 
  of 
  

   the 
  theory, 
  the 
  particularity 
  of 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  and 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  

   expression. 
  So 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  a 
  jumble 
  of 
  crudities, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  won- 
  

   derful 
  completeness 
  about 
  the 
  whole 
  system 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  surpassed 
  

   even 
  by 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  religions 
  of 
  the 
  East. 
  It 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  these 
  formulas 
  that 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  Indian 
  was 
  a 
  polytheist 
  

   and 
  that 
  the 
  spirit 
  world 
  was 
  to 
  him 
  only 
  a 
  shadowy 
  counterpart 
  of 
  

   this. 
  AH 
  his 
  prayers 
  were 
  for 
  temporal 
  and 
  tangible 
  blessings 
  — 
  for 
  

   health, 
  for 
  long 
  life, 
  for 
  success 
  in 
  the 
  chase, 
  in 
  fishing, 
  in 
  war 
  and 
  

   in 
  love, 
  for 
  good 
  crops, 
  for 
  protection 
  and 
  for 
  revenge. 
  He 
  had 
  no 
  

   Great 
  Spirit, 
  no 
  happy 
  hunting 
  ground, 
  no 
  heaven, 
  no 
  hell, 
  and 
  

   consequently 
  death 
  had 
  for 
  him 
  no 
  terrors 
  and 
  he 
  awaited 
  the 
  in- 
  

   evitable 
  end 
  with 
  no 
  anxiety 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  future. 
  He 
  was 
  careful 
  not 
  

   to 
  violate 
  the 
  rights 
  of 
  his 
  tribesman 
  or 
  to 
  do 
  injury 
  to 
  his 
  feelings, 
  

   but 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  any 
  idea 
  whatever 
  of 
  what 
  

   is 
  called 
  morality 
  in 
  the 
  abstract. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  medical 
  formulas 
  are 
  first 
  in 
  number 
  and 
  importance 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  well, 
  for 
  the 
  better 
  understanding 
  of 
  the 
  theory 
  involved, 
  to 
  

   give 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  account 
  of 
  

  

  THE 
  ORIGIN 
  OF 
  DISEASE 
  AND 
  MEDICINE. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  old 
  days 
  quadrupeds, 
  birds, 
  fishes, 
  and 
  insects 
  could 
  all 
  

   talk, 
  and 
  they 
  and 
  the 
  human 
  race 
  lived 
  together 
  in 
  peace 
  and 
  friend- 
  

   ship. 
  But 
  as 
  time 
  went 
  on 
  the 
  people 
  increased 
  so 
  rapidly 
  that 
  

   their 
  settlements 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  poor 
  animals 
  

   found 
  themselves 
  beginning 
  to 
  be 
  cramped 
  for 
  room. 
  This 
  was 
  bad 
  

   enough, 
  but 
  to 
  add 
  to 
  their 
  misfortunes 
  man 
  invented 
  bows, 
  knives, 
  

   blowguns, 
  spears, 
  and 
  hooks, 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  slaughter 
  the 
  larger 
  ani- 
  

   mals, 
  birds 
  and 
  fishes 
  for 
  the 
  sake 
  of 
  their 
  flesh 
  or 
  their 
  skins, 
  while 
  

   the 
  smaller 
  creatures, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  frogs 
  and 
  worms, 
  were 
  crushed 
  

   and 
  trodden 
  upon 
  without 
  mercy, 
  out 
  of 
  pure 
  carelessness 
  or 
  con- 
  

   tempt. 
  In 
  this 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  the 
  animals 
  resolved 
  to 
  consult 
  upon 
  

   measures 
  for 
  their 
  common 
  safety. 
  

  

  The 
  bears 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  meet 
  in 
  council 
  in 
  their 
  townhouse 
  in 
  

   Kuwa'h!,the 
  "Mulberry 
  Place," 
  1 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  White 
  Bear 
  chief 
  pre- 
  

  

  1 
  One 
  of 
  tiie 
  high 
  peaks 
  of 
  the 
  Smoky 
  Mountains, 
  on 
  the 
  Tennessee 
  line, 
  near 
  

   Clingman's 
  Dome. 
  

  

  