﻿348 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  out 
  of 
  sight 
  in 
  the 
  distance 
  and 
  is 
  implored 
  to 
  appear 
  running 
  swiftly 
  

   to 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  the 
  sick 
  man. 
  Then 
  the 
  supplication 
  changes 
  to 
  an 
  

   assertion 
  and 
  the 
  doctor 
  declares 
  that 
  the 
  Red 
  Dog 
  has 
  already 
  arrived 
  

   to 
  take 
  the 
  disease 
  and 
  has 
  borne 
  away 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  

   uttermost 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  In 
  the 
  second, 
  third, 
  and 
  fourth 
  par- 
  

   agraphs 
  the 
  Blue 
  Dog 
  of 
  the 
  Frigid 
  Land, 
  the 
  Black 
  Dog 
  of 
  the 
  

   Darkening 
  Land, 
  and 
  the 
  White 
  Dog 
  of 
  Wahala 
  are 
  successively 
  

   invoked 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  terms 
  and 
  each 
  bears 
  away 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   disease 
  and 
  disposes 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  Finally, 
  in 
  the 
  fifth 
  

   paragraph, 
  the 
  White 
  Terrapin 
  of 
  Wahala 
  is 
  invoked. 
  He 
  bears 
  

   off 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  and 
  the 
  doctor 
  declares 
  that 
  relief 
  

   is 
  accomplished. 
  The 
  connection 
  of 
  the 
  terrapin 
  in 
  this 
  formula 
  is 
  

   not 
  evident, 
  beyond 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  having 
  great 
  

   influence 
  in 
  disease, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  beads 
  and 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   medicine 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  terrapin 
  shell 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  diseased 
  part 
  

   while 
  the 
  prayer 
  is 
  being 
  recited. 
  

  

  The 
  formulas 
  generally 
  consist 
  of 
  four 
  paragraphs, 
  corresponding 
  

   to 
  four 
  steps 
  in 
  the 
  medical 
  ceremony. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  there 
  a 
  v 
  e 
  five, 
  

   the 
  last 
  being 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  terrapin 
  instead 
  of 
  to 
  a 
  dog. 
  The 
  

   prayers 
  are 
  recited 
  in 
  an 
  undertone 
  hardly 
  audible 
  at 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  

   a 
  few 
  feet, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  frequent 
  ha, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   used 
  as 
  an 
  interjection 
  to 
  attract 
  attention 
  and 
  is 
  always 
  uttered 
  in 
  

   a 
  louder 
  tone. 
  The 
  beads 
  — 
  which 
  are 
  here 
  white, 
  symbolic 
  of 
  relief 
  

   — 
  are 
  of 
  common 
  use 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  these 
  formulas, 
  and 
  are 
  held 
  

   between 
  the 
  thumb 
  and 
  finger, 
  placed 
  upon 
  a 
  cloth 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   or, 
  as 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  terrapin 
  shell 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  por- 
  

   tii 
  >n 
  of 
  the 
  medicine. 
  According 
  to 
  directions, 
  the 
  shell 
  has 
  no 
  other 
  

   part 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  

  

  The 
  blowing 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  regular 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  treatment, 
  the 
  doctor 
  

   either 
  holding 
  the 
  medicine 
  in 
  his 
  mouth 
  and 
  blowing 
  it 
  upon 
  the 
  

   patient, 
  or, 
  as 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  here, 
  applying 
  the 
  medicine 
  by 
  

   rubbing, 
  and 
  blowing 
  his 
  breath 
  upon 
  the 
  spot 
  afterwards. 
  In 
  some 
  

   formulas 
  the 
  simple 
  blowing 
  of 
  the 
  breath 
  constitutes 
  the 
  whole 
  

   application. 
  In 
  this 
  instance 
  the 
  doctor 
  probably 
  rubs 
  the 
  medicine 
  

   upon 
  the 
  affected 
  part 
  while 
  reciting 
  the 
  first 
  paragraph 
  in 
  a 
  whisper, 
  

   after 
  which 
  he 
  blows 
  once 
  upon 
  the 
  spot. 
  The 
  other 
  paragraphs 
  are 
  

   recited 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner, 
  blowing 
  once 
  after 
  each. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  

   the 
  whole 
  formula 
  is 
  repeated 
  four 
  times, 
  with 
  four 
  blows 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  final 
  repetition. 
  The 
  directions 
  imply 
  that 
  the 
  doctor 
  blows 
  

   only 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  formula, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  accord 
  with 
  

   the 
  regular 
  mode 
  of 
  procedure 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  mistake. 
  

  

  The 
  medicine 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  warm 
  decoction 
  of 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  four 
  varie- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  fern, 
  rubbed 
  on 
  with 
  the 
  hand. 
  The 
  awkward 
  description 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  shows 
  how 
  limited 
  is 
  the 
  Indian's 
  power 
  of 
  botanic 
  classifi- 
  

   cation. 
  The 
  application 
  is 
  repeated 
  four 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  morn- 
  

   ing, 
  beginning 
  just 
  at 
  daybreak 
  and 
  ending 
  at 
  noon. 
  Four 
  is 
  the 
  sacred 
  

  

  