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  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  OHEROKEES. 
  

  

  next 
  to 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  prayers 
  and 
  ceremonies, 
  without 
  which 
  there 
  

   can 
  he 
  no 
  virtue 
  in 
  the 
  application. 
  These 
  impostors 
  are 
  sternly 
  

   frowned 
  down 
  and 
  regarded 
  with 
  the 
  utmost 
  contempt 
  by 
  the 
  real 
  

   professors, 
  both 
  men 
  and 
  women, 
  who 
  have 
  been 
  initiated 
  into 
  the 
  

   sacred 
  mysteries 
  and 
  proudly 
  look 
  upon 
  themselves 
  as 
  conservators 
  

   of 
  the 
  ancient 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  past. 
  

  

  THE 
  CHEROKEE 
  GODS 
  AND 
  THEIR 
  ABIDING 
  PLACES. 
  

  

  After 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  in 
  elucidation 
  of 
  the 
  theories 
  involved 
  

   in 
  the 
  medical 
  formulas, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  numerous 
  of 
  the 
  

   series, 
  but 
  little 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  others, 
  beyond 
  

   what 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  explanation 
  accompanying 
  each 
  one. 
  A 
  

   few 
  points, 
  however, 
  may 
  be 
  briefly 
  noted. 
  

  

  The 
  religion 
  of 
  the 
  Cherokees, 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  N"orth 
  

   American 
  tribes, 
  is 
  zootheism 
  or 
  animal 
  worship, 
  with 
  the 
  survival 
  

   of 
  that 
  earlier 
  stage 
  designated 
  by 
  Powell 
  as 
  hecasto 
  theism, 
  or 
  the 
  

   worship 
  of 
  all 
  things 
  tangible, 
  and 
  the 
  beginnings 
  of 
  a 
  higher 
  sys- 
  

   tem 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  elements 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  powers 
  of 
  nature 
  are 
  deified. 
  

   Their 
  pantheon 
  includes 
  gods 
  in 
  the 
  heaven 
  above, 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  be- 
  

   neath, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  under 
  the 
  earth, 
  but 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  animal 
  

   gods 
  constitute 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  numerous 
  class, 
  although 
  the 
  ele- 
  

   mental 
  gods 
  are 
  more 
  important. 
  Among 
  the 
  animal 
  gods 
  insects 
  

   and 
  fishes 
  occupy 
  a 
  subordinate 
  place, 
  while 
  quadrupeds, 
  birds, 
  and 
  

   reptiles 
  are 
  invoked 
  almost 
  constantly. 
  The 
  uktena 
  (a 
  mythic 
  great 
  

   horned 
  serpent), 
  the 
  rattlesnake, 
  and 
  the 
  terrapin, 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  

   of 
  hawk, 
  and 
  the 
  rabbit, 
  the 
  squirrel, 
  and 
  the 
  dog 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  

   animal 
  gods. 
  The 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  god 
  bears 
  no 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  

   of 
  the 
  animal, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  the 
  larger 
  animals 
  are 
  but 
  seldom 
  invoked. 
  

   The 
  spider 
  also 
  occupies 
  a 
  prominent 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  love 
  and 
  life- 
  

   destroying 
  formulas, 
  his 
  duty 
  being 
  to 
  entangle 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  his 
  victim 
  

   in 
  the 
  meshes 
  of 
  his 
  web 
  or 
  to 
  pluck 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  doomed 
  

   man 
  and 
  drag 
  it 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  black 
  coffin 
  in 
  the 
  Darkening 
  Land. 
  

  

  Among 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  elemental 
  gods 
  the 
  principal 
  are 
  

   fire, 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  sun, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  addressed 
  under 
  figura- 
  

   tive 
  names. 
  The 
  sun 
  is 
  called 
  Une'lanu'hi. 
  ''the 
  apportioner," 
  

   just 
  as 
  our 
  word 
  moon 
  means 
  originally 
  "the 
  measurer." 
  In- 
  

   dians 
  and 
  Aryans 
  alike, 
  having 
  noticed 
  how 
  these 
  great 
  luminaries 
  

   divide 
  and 
  measure 
  day 
  and 
  night, 
  summer 
  and 
  winter, 
  with 
  never- 
  

   varying 
  regularity, 
  have 
  given 
  to 
  each 
  a 
  name 
  which 
  should 
  indi- 
  

   cate 
  these 
  characteristics, 
  thus 
  showing 
  how 
  the 
  human 
  mind 
  con- 
  

   st 
  ant 
  ly 
  moves 
  on 
  along 
  the 
  same 
  channels. 
  Missionaries 
  have 
  nat- 
  

   urally, 
  but 
  incorrectly, 
  assumed 
  this 
  apportioner 
  of 
  all 
  things 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  suppositional 
  "Great 
  Spirit" 
  of 
  the 
  Cherokees. 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  

   word 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  Bible 
  translation 
  as 
  synonymous 
  with 
  God. 
  In 
  

   ordinary 
  conversation 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  lesser 
  myths 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  called 
  

  

  