﻿336 
  SACKED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  finger, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  Although 
  the 
  old 
  customs 
  are 
  

  

  last 
  dying 
  out 
  this 
  ceremony 
  is 
  never 
  in 
  ■fleeted 
  at 
  the 
  ball 
  play, 
  

   and 
  is 
  also 
  strictly 
  observed 
  by 
  many 
  families 
  on 
  occasion 
  of 
  eating 
  

   the 
  new 
  corn, 
  at 
  each 
  new 
  moon, 
  and 
  on 
  other 
  special 
  occasions, 
  

   even 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  break 
  the 
  ice 
  in 
  the 
  stream 
  for 
  the 
  

   pui] 
  lose, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  neglect 
  of 
  this 
  rite 
  the 
  older 
  people 
  attribute 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  evils 
  which 
  have 
  come 
  upon 
  the 
  tribe 
  in 
  later 
  days. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  autumn 
  is 
  deemed 
  the 
  most 
  suitable 
  season 
  of 
  

   the 
  year 
  for 
  this 
  ceremony, 
  as 
  the 
  leaves 
  which 
  then 
  cover 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  impart 
  their 
  medicinal 
  vir- 
  

   tues 
  to 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  SHAMANS 
  AND 
  WHITE 
  PHYSICIANS. 
  

  

  Of 
  late 
  years, 
  especially 
  since 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  schools 
  among 
  

   them, 
  the 
  Cherokees 
  are 
  gradually 
  beginning 
  to 
  lose 
  confidence 
  in 
  

   the 
  abilities 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  doctors 
  and 
  are 
  becoming 
  more 
  disposed 
  

   to 
  accept 
  treatment 
  from 
  white 
  physicians. 
  The 
  shamans 
  are 
  

   natmally 
  jealous 
  of 
  this 
  infringement 
  upon 
  their 
  authority 
  and 
  

   endeavor 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  heresy 
  by 
  asserting 
  the 
  con- 
  

   venient 
  doctrine 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  man's 
  medicine 
  is 
  inevitably 
  fatal 
  to 
  

   an 
  Indian 
  unless 
  eradicated 
  from 
  the 
  system 
  by 
  a 
  continuous 
  course 
  

   of 
  treatment 
  for 
  four 
  years 
  under 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  a 
  skillful 
  shaman. 
  

   The 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  training 
  school 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  a 
  

   few 
  years 
  ago 
  met 
  with 
  considerable 
  difficulty 
  on 
  this 
  account 
  for 
  

   some 
  time, 
  as 
  the 
  parents 
  insisted 
  on 
  removing 
  the 
  children 
  at 
  the 
  

   first 
  appearance 
  of 
  illness 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  treated 
  by 
  the 
  

   shamans, 
  until 
  convinced 
  by 
  experience 
  that 
  the 
  children 
  received 
  

   better 
  attention 
  at 
  the 
  school 
  than 
  could 
  possibly 
  be 
  had 
  in 
  their 
  

   own 
  homes. 
  In 
  one 
  instance, 
  where 
  a 
  woman 
  was 
  attacked 
  by 
  a 
  

   pulmonary 
  complaint 
  akin 
  to 
  consumption, 
  her 
  husband, 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  

   rather 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  usual 
  amount 
  of 
  intelligence, 
  was 
  persuaded 
  to 
  

   call 
  in 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  a 
  competent 
  white 
  physician, 
  who 
  diagnosed 
  

   the 
  case 
  and 
  left 
  a 
  prescription. 
  On 
  a 
  second 
  visit, 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later, 
  

   he 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  family, 
  dreading 
  the 
  consequences 
  of 
  this 
  de- 
  

   parture 
  from 
  old 
  customs, 
  had 
  employed 
  a 
  shaman, 
  who 
  asserted 
  that 
  

   the 
  trouble 
  was 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  sharpened 
  stick 
  which 
  some 
  enemy 
  had 
  

   caused 
  to 
  be 
  imbedded 
  in 
  the 
  woman's 
  side. 
  He 
  accordingly 
  began 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  conjurations 
  for 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  stick, 
  while 
  the 
  white 
  

   physician 
  and 
  his 
  medicine 
  were 
  disregarded, 
  and 
  in 
  due 
  time 
  the 
  

   woman 
  died. 
  Two 
  children 
  soon 
  followedher 
  to 
  the 
  grave, 
  from 
  the 
  

   contagion 
  or 
  the 
  inherited 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  disease, 
  but 
  here 
  also 
  

   the 
  sharpened 
  sticks 
  were 
  held 
  responsible, 
  and, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  

   three 
  deaths 
  under 
  such 
  treatment, 
  the 
  husband 
  and 
  father, 
  who 
  was 
  

   at 
  one 
  time 
  a, 
  preacher, 
  still 
  has 
  faith 
  in 
  the 
  assertions 
  of 
  the 
  shaman. 
  

   The 
  appointment 
  of 
  a 
  competent 
  physician 
  to 
  look 
  after 
  the 
  health 
  

   of 
  the 
  Indians 
  would 
  go 
  far 
  to 
  eradicate 
  these 
  false 
  ideas 
  and 
  prevent 
  

  

  