﻿booney.1 
  CEREMONIES. 
  339 
  

  

  sickness, 
  and 
  vice 
  versa. 
  Neither 
  can 
  the 
  husband 
  or 
  wife 
  of 
  the 
  

   sick 
  person 
  send 
  for 
  the 
  doctor, 
  but 
  the 
  call 
  must 
  come 
  from 
  some 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  relatives 
  of 
  the 
  patient. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  within 
  the 
  

   writer's 
  knowledge 
  a 
  woman 
  complained 
  that 
  her 
  husband 
  was 
  very 
  

   sick 
  and 
  needed 
  a 
  doctor's 
  attention, 
  but 
  his 
  relatives 
  were 
  taking 
  

   no 
  steps 
  in 
  the 
  matter 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  permissible 
  for 
  her 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  CEREMONIES 
  FOR 
  GATHERING 
  PLANTS 
  AND 
  PREPARING 
  MED- 
  

   ICINE. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  regulations 
  observed 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  the 
  herbs, 
  roots, 
  and 
  barks, 
  which 
  

   can 
  not 
  be 
  given 
  in 
  detail 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  this 
  paper. 
  In 
  search- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  his 
  medicinal 
  plants 
  the 
  shaman 
  goes 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  white 
  and 
  red 
  beads, 
  and 
  approaches 
  the 
  plant 
  from 
  a 
  certain 
  

   direction, 
  going 
  round 
  it 
  from 
  right 
  to 
  left 
  one 
  or 
  four 
  times, 
  recit- 
  

   ing 
  certain 
  prayers 
  the 
  while. 
  He 
  then 
  pulls 
  up 
  the 
  plant 
  by 
  the 
  

   roots 
  and 
  drops 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  beads 
  into 
  the 
  hole 
  and 
  covers 
  it 
  up 
  with 
  

   the 
  loose 
  earth. 
  In 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  formulas 
  for 
  hunting 
  ginseng 
  the 
  

   hunter 
  addresses 
  the 
  mountain 
  as 
  the 
  "Great 
  Man" 
  and 
  assures 
  it 
  

   that 
  he 
  comes 
  only 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  small 
  piece 
  of 
  flesh 
  (the 
  ginseng) 
  from 
  

   its 
  side 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  bead 
  is 
  intended 
  as 
  acompen- 
  

   sation 
  to 
  the 
  earth 
  for 
  the 
  plant 
  thus 
  torn 
  from 
  her 
  bosom. 
  In 
  some 
  

   cases 
  the 
  doctor 
  must 
  pass 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  three 
  plants 
  met 
  until 
  he 
  comes 
  

   to 
  the 
  fourth, 
  which 
  he 
  takes 
  and 
  may 
  then 
  return 
  for 
  the 
  others. 
  The 
  

   bark 
  is 
  always 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  

   root 
  or 
  branch 
  is 
  used 
  it 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  one 
  which 
  runs 
  out 
  toward 
  

   the 
  east, 
  the 
  reason 
  given 
  being 
  that 
  these 
  have 
  imbibed 
  more 
  med- 
  

   ical 
  potency 
  from 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  roots, 
  herbs, 
  and 
  barks 
  which 
  enter 
  into 
  the 
  prescription 
  

   have 
  been 
  thus 
  gathered 
  the 
  doctor 
  ties 
  them 
  up 
  into 
  a 
  convenient 
  

   package, 
  which 
  he 
  takes 
  to 
  a 
  running 
  stream 
  and 
  casts 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  

   with 
  appropriate 
  prayers. 
  Should 
  the 
  package 
  float, 
  as 
  it 
  generally 
  

   does 
  he 
  accepts 
  the 
  fact 
  as 
  an 
  omen 
  that 
  his 
  treatment 
  will 
  be 
  suc- 
  

   cessful 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  should 
  it 
  sink, 
  he 
  concludes 
  that 
  some 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  ceremony 
  has 
  been 
  improperly 
  carried 
  out 
  

   and 
  at 
  once 
  sets 
  about 
  procuring 
  a 
  new 
  package, 
  going 
  over 
  the 
  

   whole 
  performance 
  from 
  the 
  beginning. 
  Herb-gathering 
  by 
  moon- 
  

   light 
  so 
  important 
  a 
  feature 
  in 
  European 
  folk 
  medicine, 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  no 
  part 
  of 
  Cherokee 
  ceremonial. 
  There 
  are 
  fixed 
  regulations 
  in 
  

   regard 
  to 
  the 
  preparing 
  of 
  the 
  decoction, 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  medicine 
  

   during 
  the 
  continuance 
  of 
  the 
  treatment, 
  and 
  the 
  disposal 
  of 
  what 
  

   remains 
  after 
  the 
  treatment 
  is 
  at 
  an 
  end. 
  In 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  de- 
  

   tails 
  the 
  shaman 
  frequently 
  employs 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  a 
  lay 
  assistant. 
  

   In 
  these 
  degenerate 
  days 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  upstart 
  pretenders 
  to 
  the 
  heal- 
  

   in- 
  art 
  have 
  arisen 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  endeavor 
  to 
  impose 
  upon 
  the 
  

   ignorance 
  of 
  their 
  fellows 
  by 
  posing 
  as 
  doctors, 
  although 
  knowing 
  

  

  