﻿362 
  5ACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEEOKEES. 
  

  

  the 
  leaves 
  always 
  gives 
  the 
  first 
  intimation 
  of 
  its 
  presence. 
  He 
  de- 
  

   clares 
  that 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  still 
  remains, 
  the 
  spirits 
  

   invoked 
  in 
  the 
  song 
  having 
  already 
  taken 
  the 
  rest, 
  and 
  calls 
  upon 
  

   the 
  whirlwind 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  a 
  path 
  for 
  it 
  and 
  sweep 
  it 
  away 
  into 
  the 
  

   swamp 
  on 
  the 
  upland, 
  referring 
  to 
  grassy 
  marshes 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   small 
  coves 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  mountains, 
  which, 
  being 
  remote 
  from 
  the 
  

   settlements, 
  are 
  convenient 
  places 
  to 
  which 
  to 
  banish 
  the 
  disease. 
  

   Not 
  satisfied 
  with 
  this, 
  he 
  goes 
  on 
  to 
  direct 
  the 
  whirlwind 
  to 
  scatter 
  

   the 
  disease 
  as 
  it 
  scatters 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  forest, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  shall 
  

   utterly 
  disappear. 
  In. 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  formula 
  the 
  verb 
  a'ne'tsage'ta 
  

   means 
  literally 
  " 
  to 
  play," 
  and 
  is 
  generally 
  understood 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  

   ball 
  play, 
  a'ne'tsa, 
  so 
  that 
  to 
  a 
  Cherokee 
  the 
  expression 
  conveys 
  the 
  

   idea 
  of 
  catching 
  up 
  the 
  disease 
  and 
  driving 
  it 
  onward 
  as 
  a 
  player 
  

   seizes 
  the 
  ball 
  and 
  sends 
  it 
  spinning 
  through 
  the 
  air 
  from 
  between 
  

   Lis 
  ball 
  sticks. 
  Niga'gi 
  is 
  a 
  solemn 
  expression 
  about 
  equivalent 
  to 
  

   the 
  Latin 
  consummatum 
  est. 
  

  

  The 
  doctor 
  beats 
  up 
  some 
  bark 
  from 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  cherry 
  

   and 
  puts 
  it 
  into 
  water 
  together 
  with 
  seven 
  coals 
  of 
  fire, 
  the 
  latter 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  intended 
  to 
  warm 
  the 
  decoction 
  The 
  leaves 
  of 
  Tsal-agayu' 
  n 
  li 
  

   (Indian 
  tobacco 
  — 
  Nicotiana 
  rustica) 
  are 
  sometimes 
  used 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  

   the 
  wild 
  cherry 
  bark. 
  The 
  patient 
  is 
  placed 
  facing 
  the 
  sunrise, 
  and 
  

   the 
  doctor, 
  taking 
  the 
  medicine 
  in 
  his 
  mouth, 
  blows 
  it 
  over 
  the 
  body 
  

   of 
  the 
  sick 
  man. 
  First, 
  standing 
  between 
  the 
  patient 
  and 
  the 
  sun- 
  

   rise 
  and 
  holding 
  the 
  medicine 
  cup 
  in 
  his 
  hand, 
  he 
  sings 
  the 
  first 
  verse 
  

   in 
  a 
  low 
  tone. 
  Then, 
  taking 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  liquid 
  in 
  his 
  mouth, 
  he 
  ad- 
  

   vances 
  and 
  blows 
  it 
  successively 
  upon 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  the 
  right 
  

   shoulder, 
  left 
  shoulder, 
  and 
  breast 
  or 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  patient, 
  making 
  

   four 
  blowings 
  in 
  all. 
  He 
  repeats 
  the 
  same 
  ceremony 
  with 
  the 
  sec- 
  

   ond, 
  third, 
  and 
  fourth 
  verse, 
  returning 
  each 
  time 
  to 
  his 
  original 
  

   position. 
  The 
  ceremony 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  if 
  necessary 
  

   is 
  repeated 
  in 
  the 
  evening. 
  It 
  is 
  sometimes 
  necessary 
  also 
  to 
  repeat 
  

   the 
  treatment 
  for 
  several 
  — 
  generally 
  four 
  — 
  consecutive 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  recitation 
  is 
  not 
  used 
  excepting 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  cases, 
  

   when, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  formula, 
  ' 
  ; 
  avery 
  small 
  portion"of 
  the 
  disease 
  

   still 
  lingers. 
  It 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  blowing 
  of 
  the 
  breath 
  alone, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  medicine, 
  probably 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  whirl- 
  

   wind. 
  After 
  re] 
  leating 
  the 
  win 
  >le 
  ceremony 
  accompanying 
  the 
  song, 
  

   as 
  above 
  described, 
  the 
  doctor 
  returns 
  to 
  his 
  position 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   patient 
  and 
  recites 
  in 
  a 
  whisper 
  the 
  first 
  paragraph 
  to 
  the 
  Little 
  

   Whirlwind, 
  after 
  which 
  he 
  advances 
  and 
  hlows 
  his 
  breath 
  upon 
  the 
  

   patient 
  four 
  times 
  as 
  he 
  has 
  already 
  blown 
  the 
  medicine 
  upon 
  him. 
  

   Then 
  going 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  he 
  recites 
  the 
  second 
  paragraph 
  to 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Whirlwind, 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  conclusion 
  blows 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  man- 
  

   ner. 
  Then 
  nn 
  iving 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  — 
  behind 
  the 
  patient 
  — 
  he 
  again 
  

   prays 
  to 
  the 
  Little 
  Whirlwind 
  with 
  thesame 
  ceremonies, 
  and 
  finally 
  

   moving 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  he 
  closes 
  with 
  the 
  prayer 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  