﻿33-4 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  until 
  he 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  profuse 
  perspiration 
  and 
  nearly 
  choked 
  by 
  the 
  

   pungent 
  fumes 
  of 
  the 
  decoction. 
  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  general 
  Indian 
  

   practice 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  he 
  plunged 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  before 
  resuming 
  

   his 
  clothing; 
  but 
  in 
  modern 
  times 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  operation 
  is 
  omit- 
  

   ted 
  and 
  the 
  patient 
  is 
  drenched 
  with 
  cold 
  water 
  instead. 
  Since 
  the 
  

   as! 
  has 
  gone 
  out 
  of 
  general 
  use 
  the 
  sweating 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  dwelling, 
  the 
  steam 
  being 
  confined 
  under 
  a 
  blanket 
  wrapped 
  

   around 
  the 
  patient. 
  During 
  the 
  prevalence 
  of 
  the 
  smallpox 
  epi- 
  

   demic 
  among 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  war 
  the 
  sweat 
  

   bath 
  was 
  universally 
  called 
  into 
  requisition 
  to 
  stay 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  

   the 
  disease, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  about 
  three 
  hundred 
  of 
  the 
  band 
  died, 
  

   while 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  survivors 
  will 
  carry 
  the 
  marks 
  of 
  the 
  visitation 
  

   to 
  the 
  grave. 
  The 
  sweat 
  bath, 
  with 
  the 
  accompanying 
  cold 
  water 
  

   application, 
  being 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  panacea, 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   resorted 
  to 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  whenever 
  vis- 
  

   ited 
  by 
  smallpox 
  — 
  originally 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  whites 
  — 
  and 
  in 
  con- 
  

   sequence 
  of 
  this 
  mistaken 
  treatment 
  they 
  have 
  died, 
  in 
  the 
  language 
  

   of 
  an 
  old 
  writer, 
  " 
  like 
  rotten 
  sheep 
  '" 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  whole 
  tribes 
  have 
  

   been 
  almost 
  swept 
  away. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  tried 
  to 
  ward 
  

   off 
  the 
  disease 
  by 
  eating 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  buzzard, 
  which 
  they 
  believe 
  

   to 
  enjoy 
  entire 
  immunity 
  from 
  sickness, 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  foul 
  smell, 
  

   which 
  keeps 
  the 
  disease 
  spirits 
  at 
  a 
  distance. 
  

  

  Bleeding 
  is 
  resorted 
  to 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  cases, 
  especially 
  in 
  rheuma- 
  

   tism 
  and 
  in 
  preparing 
  for 
  the 
  ball 
  play. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  methods 
  of 
  

   performing 
  the 
  operation, 
  bleeding 
  proper 
  and 
  scratching, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   being 
  preparatory 
  to 
  rubbing 
  on 
  the 
  medicine, 
  which 
  is 
  thus 
  brought 
  

   into 
  more 
  direct 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  blood. 
  The 
  bleeding 
  is 
  performed 
  

   with 
  a 
  small 
  cupping 
  horn, 
  to 
  which 
  suction 
  is 
  applied 
  in 
  the 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  manner, 
  after 
  scarification 
  with 
  a 
  flint 
  or 
  piece 
  of 
  broken 
  

   glass. 
  In 
  the 
  blood 
  thus 
  drawn 
  out 
  the 
  shaman 
  claims 
  sometimes 
  

   to 
  find 
  a 
  minute 
  pebble, 
  a 
  sharpened 
  stick 
  or 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  kind, 
  

   which 
  he 
  asserts 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  trouble 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   veyed 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  patient 
  through 
  the 
  evil 
  spells 
  of 
  an 
  

   enemy. 
  He 
  frequently 
  pretends 
  to 
  suck 
  out 
  such 
  an 
  object 
  by 
  the 
  

   application 
  of 
  the 
  lips 
  alone, 
  without 
  any 
  scarification 
  whatever. 
  

   Scratching 
  is 
  a 
  painful 
  process 
  and 
  is 
  performed 
  with 
  a 
  brier, 
  a 
  flint 
  

   arrowhead, 
  a 
  rattlesnake's 
  tooth, 
  or 
  even 
  with 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  glass, 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  ailment, 
  while 
  in 
  preparing 
  the 
  young 
  

   men 
  for 
  the 
  ball 
  play 
  the 
  shaman 
  uses 
  an 
  instrument 
  somewhat 
  

   resembling 
  a 
  comb, 
  having 
  seven 
  teeth 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  sharpened 
  

   splinters 
  of 
  the 
  leg 
  bone 
  of 
  a 
  turkey. 
  The 
  scratching 
  is 
  usually 
  

   done 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  particular 
  pattern, 
  the 
  regular 
  method 
  for 
  the 
  

   ball 
  play 
  being 
  to 
  draw 
  the 
  scratcher 
  four 
  times 
  down 
  the 
  upper 
  

   part 
  of 
  each 
  arm, 
  thus 
  making 
  twenty-eight 
  scratches 
  each 
  about 
  t> 
  

   inches 
  in 
  length, 
  repeating 
  the 
  operation 
  on 
  each 
  arm 
  below 
  the 
  

   elbow 
  and 
  on 
  each 
  leg 
  above 
  and 
  below 
  the 
  knee. 
  Finally, 
  the 
  

  

  