﻿352 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  OHEROKEES. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  is 
  repeated, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  directions, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  

   four 
  verses 
  or 
  songs; 
  four, 
  as 
  already 
  stated, 
  being 
  the 
  sacred 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  running 
  through 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  formulas. 
  Four 
  blowings 
  and 
  

   four 
  circuits 
  in 
  the 
  rubbing 
  are 
  also 
  specified. 
  The 
  words 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  songs 
  are 
  sometimes 
  composed 
  of 
  unmeaning 
  syllables, 
  but 
  in 
  

   this 
  case 
  dunuwa 
  and 
  dayuha 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  meaning, 
  although 
  

   neither 
  the 
  interpreter 
  nor 
  the 
  shaman 
  consulted 
  could 
  explain 
  them, 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  because 
  the 
  words 
  have 
  become 
  altered 
  in 
  the 
  song, 
  

   as 
  frequently 
  happens. 
  Dunu'wa 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  old 
  verb, 
  meaning 
  

   " 
  it 
  has 
  penetrated." 
  probably 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  tooth 
  of 
  the 
  reptile 
  

   These 
  medicine 
  songs 
  are 
  always 
  sung 
  in 
  a 
  low 
  plaintive 
  tone, 
  some- 
  

   what 
  resembling 
  a 
  lullaby. 
  Usu"gl 
  also 
  is 
  without 
  explanation, 
  but 
  

   is 
  probably 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  some 
  small 
  reptile 
  or 
  batrachian. 
  

  

  As 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  trouble 
  is 
  evident, 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   have 
  no 
  theory 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  it. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  remarked, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  when 
  one 
  dreams 
  of 
  being 
  bitten, 
  the 
  same 
  treatment 
  and 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  must 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  actual 
  bite; 
  otherwise, 
  although 
  

   perhaps 
  years 
  afterward, 
  a 
  similar 
  inflammation 
  will 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  

   spot 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  dream, 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  fatal 
  

   consequences. 
  The 
  rattlesnake 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  supernatural 
  being 
  

   or 
  ada'wehi, 
  whose 
  favor 
  must 
  be 
  propitiated, 
  and 
  great 
  pains 
  are 
  

   taken 
  not 
  to 
  offend 
  him. 
  In 
  consonance 
  with 
  this 
  idea 
  it 
  is 
  never 
  

   said 
  among 
  the 
  people 
  that 
  a 
  person 
  has 
  been 
  bitten 
  by 
  a 
  snake, 
  but 
  

   that 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  " 
  scratched 
  by 
  a 
  brier." 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  way, 
  when 
  an 
  

   eagle 
  has 
  been 
  shot 
  for 
  a 
  ceremonial 
  dance, 
  it 
  is 
  announced 
  that 
  " 
  a 
  

   snowbird 
  has 
  been 
  killed," 
  the 
  purpose 
  being 
  to 
  deceive 
  the 
  rattle- 
  

   snake 
  or 
  eagle 
  spirits 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  listening. 
  

  

  The 
  assertion 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  " 
  only 
  a 
  common 
  frog" 
  or 
  " 
  only 
  an 
  Usu"gi 
  

   brings 
  out 
  another 
  characteristic 
  idea 
  of 
  these 
  formulas. 
  Whenever 
  

   the 
  ailment 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  serious 
  character, 
  or, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   theory, 
  whenever 
  it 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  some 
  powerful 
  disease 
  

   spirit 
  the 
  doctor 
  always 
  endeavors 
  to 
  throw 
  contempt 
  upon 
  the 
  in- 
  

   truder, 
  and 
  convince 
  it 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  superior 
  power 
  by 
  asserting 
  the 
  

   sickness 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  some 
  inferior 
  being, 
  just 
  as 
  a 
  white 
  physi- 
  

   cian 
  might 
  encourage 
  a 
  patient 
  far 
  gone 
  with 
  consumption 
  by 
  telling 
  

   him 
  that 
  the 
  illness 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  slighl 
  cold. 
  Sometimes 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   regular 
  scale 
  of 
  depreciation, 
  the 
  doctor 
  first 
  ascribing 
  the 
  disease 
  to 
  

   a 
  rabbit 
  or 
  groundhog 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  weak 
  animal, 
  then 
  in 
  succeed- 
  

   ing 
  paragraphs 
  mentioning 
  other 
  still 
  less 
  important 
  animals 
  and 
  

   finally 
  declaring 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  a 
  mouse, 
  a 
  small 
  fish, 
  or 
  some 
  

   other 
  insignificant 
  creature. 
  In 
  this 
  instance 
  an 
  ailment 
  caused 
  by 
  

   the 
  rattlesnake, 
  the 
  most 
  dreaded 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  spirits, 
  is 
  ascribed 
  

   to 
  a 
  frog, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  least 
  importance. 
  

  

  In 
  applying 
  the 
  remedy 
  the 
  song 
  is 
  probably 
  sung 
  while 
  rubbing 
  

   the 
  tobacco 
  juice 
  around 
  the 
  wound. 
  Then 
  the 
  short 
  recitation 
  is 
  

   repeated 
  and 
  the 
  doctor 
  blows 
  four 
  times 
  in 
  a 
  circle 
  about 
  the 
  spot. 
  

  

  