﻿BIOOKK7.] 
  

  

  ILLUSTRATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  TABU. 
  331 
  

  

  resides, 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  neutralize 
  all 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  doctor's 
  treat- 
  

   ment. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  all 
  women, 
  excepting 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  household, 
  

   are 
  excluded. 
  A 
  man 
  is 
  forbidden 
  to 
  enter, 
  because 
  he 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  

   intercourse 
  with 
  a 
  tabued 
  woman, 
  or 
  may 
  have 
  come 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  

   her 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  way; 
  and 
  children 
  also 
  are 
  shut 
  out, 
  because 
  they 
  

   may 
  have 
  come 
  from 
  a 
  cabin 
  where 
  dwells 
  a 
  woman 
  subject 
  to 
  exclu- 
  

   sion. 
  What 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  menstrual 
  

   woman 
  in 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  the 
  patient 
  is 
  not 
  clear; 
  but 
  judging 
  from 
  

   analogous 
  customs 
  in 
  other 
  tribes 
  and 
  from 
  rules 
  still 
  enforced 
  among 
  

   the 
  Cherokees, 
  notwithstanding 
  their 
  long 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  whites, 
  

   it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  in 
  former 
  times 
  the 
  patient 
  was 
  removed 
  to 
  a 
  

   smaller 
  house 
  or 
  temporary 
  bark 
  lodge 
  built 
  for 
  his 
  accommodation 
  

   whenever 
  the 
  tabu 
  as 
  to 
  women 
  was 
  prescribed 
  by 
  the 
  doctor. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  assert 
  that 
  in 
  former 
  times 
  sick 
  persons 
  were 
  removed 
  

   to 
  the 
  public 
  townhouse, 
  where 
  they 
  remained 
  under 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  

   doctors 
  until 
  they 
  either 
  recovered 
  or 
  died. 
  A 
  curious 
  instance 
  of 
  

   this 
  prohibition 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  Didu 
  n 
  lP'ski 
  (rheumatism) 
  for- 
  

   mula 
  from 
  the 
  Gahuni 
  manuscript 
  (see 
  page 
  350), 
  where 
  the 
  patient 
  

   is 
  required 
  to 
  abstain 
  from 
  touching 
  a 
  squirrel, 
  a 
  dog, 
  a 
  cat, 
  a 
  moun- 
  

   tain 
  trout, 
  or 
  a 
  woman, 
  and 
  must 
  also 
  have 
  a 
  chair 
  appropriated 
  to 
  

   his 
  use 
  alone 
  during 
  the 
  four 
  days 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  under 
  treatment. 
  

  

  In 
  cases 
  of 
  the 
  children's 
  disease 
  known 
  as 
  Gu"wani'gista'i 
  (see 
  

   formulas) 
  it 
  is 
  forbidden 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  child 
  outdoors, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  

   to 
  procure 
  rest 
  for 
  the 
  little 
  one, 
  or 
  to 
  guard 
  against 
  exposure 
  to 
  cold 
  

   air, 
  but 
  because 
  the 
  birds 
  send 
  this 
  disease, 
  and 
  should 
  a 
  bird 
  chance 
  

   to 
  be 
  flying 
  by 
  overhead 
  at 
  the 
  moment 
  the 
  flapping 
  of 
  its 
  wings 
  

   would 
  fan 
  the 
  disease 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  patient. 
  

  

  ILLUSTRATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  TABU. 
  

  

  On 
  a 
  second 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  reservation 
  the 
  writer 
  once 
  had 
  a 
  practi- 
  

   cal 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  gaktu"ta 
  or 
  tabu, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  as 
  

   showing 
  how 
  little 
  sanitary 
  ideas 
  have 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  these 
  precautions. 
  

   Having 
  received 
  several 
  urgent 
  invitations 
  from 
  Tsiskwa 
  (Bird), 
  an 
  

   old 
  shaman 
  of 
  considerable 
  repute, 
  who 
  was 
  anxious 
  to 
  talk, 
  but 
  

   confined 
  to 
  his 
  bed 
  by 
  sickness, 
  it 
  was 
  determined 
  to 
  visit 
  him 
  at 
  his 
  

   house, 
  several 
  miles 
  distant. 
  On 
  arriving 
  we 
  found 
  another 
  doctor 
  

   named 
  Su"ki 
  (The 
  Mink) 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  patient 
  and 
  were 
  told 
  

   that 
  he 
  had 
  just 
  that 
  morning 
  begun 
  a 
  four 
  days' 
  gaktuHa. 
  which, 
  

   among 
  other 
  provisions, 
  excluded 
  all 
  visitors. 
  It 
  was 
  of 
  no 
  use 
  to 
  

   argue 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  come 
  by 
  the 
  express 
  request 
  of 
  Tsiskwa. 
  The 
  

   laws 
  of 
  the 
  gaktu'Ha 
  were 
  as 
  immutable 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Medes 
  and 
  

   Persians, 
  and 
  neither 
  doctor 
  nor 
  patient 
  could 
  hope 
  for 
  favorable 
  

   results 
  from 
  the 
  treatment 
  unless 
  the 
  regulations 
  were 
  enforced 
  to 
  

   the 
  letter. 
  But 
  although 
  we 
  might 
  not 
  enter 
  the 
  house, 
  there 
  was 
  

   no 
  reason 
  why 
  we 
  should 
  not 
  talk 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  man, 
  so 
  seats 
  were 
  

   placed 
  for 
  us 
  outside 
  the 
  door, 
  while 
  Tsiskwa 
  lay 
  stretched 
  out 
  on 
  

  

  