﻿mooney.] 
  THE 
  PAY 
  OF 
  THE 
  SHAMAN. 
  337 
  

  

  much 
  sickness 
  and 
  suffering; 
  but, 
  as 
  the 
  Government 
  has 
  made 
  no 
  

   such 
  provision, 
  the 
  Indians, 
  both 
  on 
  and 
  off 
  the 
  reservation, 
  except- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  children 
  in 
  the 
  home 
  school, 
  are 
  entirely 
  without 
  medical 
  

   care. 
  

  

  MEDICINE 
  DANCES. 
  

  

  The 
  Clierokees 
  have 
  a 
  dance 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Medicine 
  Dance, 
  which 
  

   is 
  generally 
  performed 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  other 
  dances 
  when 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  people 
  assemble 
  for 
  a 
  night 
  of 
  enjoyment. 
  It 
  possesses 
  no 
  

   features 
  of 
  special 
  interest 
  and 
  differs 
  in 
  no 
  essential 
  respect 
  from 
  a 
  

   dozen 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  lesser 
  dances. 
  Besides 
  this, 
  however, 
  there 
  was 
  

   another, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Medicine 
  Boiling 
  Dance, 
  which, 
  for 
  importance 
  

   and 
  solemn 
  ceremonial, 
  was 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  Green 
  Corn 
  

   Dance. 
  It 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  discontinued 
  on 
  the 
  reservation 
  for 
  about 
  

   twenty 
  years. 
  It 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  probably 
  preceding 
  the 
  Green 
  

   Corn 
  Dance, 
  and 
  continued 
  four 
  days. 
  The 
  principal 
  ceremony 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  drinking 
  of 
  a 
  strong 
  decoction 
  of 
  various 
  

   herbs, 
  which 
  acted 
  as 
  a 
  violent 
  emetic 
  and 
  purgative. 
  The 
  usual 
  

   fasting 
  and 
  going 
  to 
  water 
  accompanied 
  the 
  dancing 
  and 
  medicine- 
  

   drinking. 
  

  

  DESCRIPTION 
  OF 
  SYMPTOMS. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  from 
  the 
  doctors 
  any 
  accurate 
  

   statement 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  malady, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  their 
  

   description 
  of 
  the 
  symptoms 
  is 
  always 
  of 
  the 
  vaguest 
  character, 
  while 
  

   in 
  general 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  disease 
  by 
  the 
  shaman 
  expresses 
  

   only 
  his 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  occult 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  trouble. 
  Thus 
  they 
  

   have 
  definite 
  names 
  for 
  rheumatism, 
  toothache, 
  boils, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  

   ailments 
  of 
  like 
  positive 
  character, 
  but 
  beyond 
  this 
  their 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  symptoms 
  generally 
  resolves 
  itself 
  into 
  a 
  statement 
  that 
  

   the 
  patient 
  has 
  bad 
  dreams, 
  looks 
  black 
  around 
  the 
  eyes, 
  or 
  feels 
  

   tired, 
  while 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  assigned 
  such 
  names 
  as 
  " 
  when 
  they 
  dream 
  

   of 
  snakes," 
  "when 
  they 
  dream 
  of 
  fish.'* 
  "•when 
  ghosts 
  trouble 
  them," 
  

   " 
  when 
  something 
  is 
  making 
  something 
  else 
  eat 
  them.'* 
  or 
  ••when 
  

   the 
  food 
  is 
  changed," 
  i. 
  e., 
  when 
  a 
  witch 
  causes 
  it 
  to 
  sprout 
  and 
  grow 
  

   in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  patient 
  or 
  transforms 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  lizard, 
  frog, 
  or 
  

   sharpened 
  stick. 
  

  

  THE 
  PAY 
  OF 
  THE 
  SHAMAN. 
  

  

  The 
  consideration 
  which 
  the 
  doctor 
  receives 
  for 
  his 
  services 
  is 
  

   called 
  ugista''ti. 
  a 
  word 
  of 
  doubtful 
  etymology, 
  but 
  probably 
  derived 
  

   from 
  the 
  verb 
  tsi'giu, 
  " 
  I 
  take" 
  or 
  " 
  I 
  eat." 
  In 
  former 
  times 
  this 
  was 
  

   generally 
  a 
  deer-skin 
  or 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  moccasins, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  a 
  certain 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  cloth, 
  a 
  garment, 
  or 
  a 
  handkerchief. 
  The 
  shamans 
  dis- 
  

   claim 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  ugista"tf 
  is 
  pay. 
  in 
  our 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  word, 
  but 
  

   assert 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  agencies 
  in 
  the 
  removal 
  and 
  banishment 
  

   of 
  the 
  disease 
  spirit. 
  Their 
  explanation 
  is 
  somewhat 
  obscure, 
  but 
  

   7 
  eth 
  22 
  

  

  