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  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CIIEROKEKS. 
  

  

  the 
  bed 
  just 
  inside 
  and 
  The 
  Mink 
  perched 
  himself 
  on 
  the 
  fence 
  a 
  few 
  

   yards 
  distant 
  to 
  keep 
  an 
  eye 
  on 
  the 
  proceedings. 
  As 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   possibility 
  that 
  a 
  white 
  man 
  might 
  unconsciously 
  affect 
  the 
  opera- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  medicine, 
  the 
  writer 
  deemed 
  it 
  advisable 
  to 
  keep 
  

   out 
  of 
  sight 
  altogether, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  took 
  up 
  a 
  position 
  just 
  

   around 
  the 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  but 
  within 
  easy 
  hearing 
  distance, 
  

   while 
  the 
  interpreter 
  sat 
  facing 
  the 
  doorway 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  

   sick 
  man 
  inside. 
  Then 
  began 
  an 
  animated 
  conversation, 
  Tsiskwa 
  

   inquiring, 
  through 
  the 
  interpreter, 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  gathering 
  such 
  information, 
  wanting 
  to 
  know 
  how 
  we 
  had 
  

   succeeded 
  with 
  other 
  shamans 
  and 
  asking 
  various 
  questions 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  other 
  tribes 
  and 
  their 
  customs. 
  The 
  replies 
  were 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  manner, 
  an 
  attempt 
  being 
  also 
  made 
  to 
  draw 
  him 
  out 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  knowledge. 
  Thus 
  we 
  talked 
  until 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  grew 
  

   weary, 
  but 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  singular 
  interview 
  neither 
  

   party 
  saw 
  the 
  other, 
  nor 
  was 
  the 
  gaktu' 
  n 
  ta 
  violated 
  by 
  entering 
  the 
  

   house. 
  From 
  this 
  example 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  

   tabu 
  as 
  to 
  visitors 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  hygienic 
  precaution 
  for 
  securing 
  greater 
  

   quiet 
  to 
  the 
  patient, 
  or 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  contagion, 
  but 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  simply 
  a 
  religious 
  observance 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  exactly 
  parallel 
  to 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  regulations 
  among 
  the 
  ancient 
  Jews, 
  as 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  

   the 
  book 
  of 
  Leviticus. 
  

  

  NEGLECT 
  OF 
  SANITARY 
  REGULATIONS. 
  

  

  No 
  rules 
  are 
  ever 
  formulated 
  as 
  to 
  fresh 
  air 
  or 
  exercise, 
  for 
  the 
  

   sufficient 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  log 
  cabin 
  is 
  always 
  

   open, 
  excepting 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  coldest 
  days 
  in 
  winter, 
  while 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  is 
  seldom 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  during 
  his 
  waking 
  hours 
  unless 
  when 
  

   necessity 
  compels 
  him. 
  As 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  cabins 
  are 
  still 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  

   old 
  Indian 
  style, 
  without 
  windows, 
  the 
  open 
  door 
  furnishes 
  the 
  only 
  

   means 
  by 
  which 
  light 
  is 
  admitted 
  to 
  the 
  interior, 
  although 
  when 
  

   closed 
  the 
  fire 
  on 
  the 
  hearth 
  helps 
  to 
  make 
  amends 
  for 
  the 
  deficiency. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  no 
  precautions 
  are 
  taken 
  to 
  guard 
  against 
  cold, 
  

   dampness, 
  or 
  sudden 
  drafts. 
  During 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   whole 
  families 
  sleep 
  outside 
  upon 
  the 
  ground, 
  rolled 
  up 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  

   blanket. 
  The 
  Cherokee 
  is 
  careless 
  of 
  exposure 
  and 
  utterly 
  indiffer- 
  

   ent 
  to 
  the 
  simplest 
  rules 
  of 
  hygiene. 
  He 
  will 
  walk 
  all 
  day 
  in 
  a 
  pour- 
  

   ing 
  rain 
  clad 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  thin 
  shirt 
  and 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  pants. 
  He 
  goes 
  bare- 
  

   foot 
  and 
  frequently 
  bareheaded 
  nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  year, 
  and 
  even 
  on 
  

   a 
  frosty 
  morning 
  in 
  late 
  November, 
  when 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  of 
  almost 
  

   icy 
  coldness, 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  will 
  deliberately 
  ford 
  the 
  river 
  where 
  

   the 
  water 
  is 
  waist 
  deep 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  going 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  

   yards 
  to 
  a 
  foot-log. 
  At 
  their 
  dances 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air 
  men, 
  women, 
  

   and 
  children, 
  with 
  bare 
  feet 
  and 
  thinly 
  clad, 
  dance 
  upon 
  the 
  damp 
  

   ground 
  from 
  darkness 
  until 
  daylight, 
  sometimes 
  enveloped 
  in 
  a 
  thick 
  

   mountain 
  fog 
  which 
  makes 
  even 
  the 
  neighboring 
  treetops 
  invisible, 
  

  

  