﻿368 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  (Directions) 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  to 
  treat 
  them 
  for 
  a 
  painful 
  sickness. 
  One 
  must 
  suck. 
  Use 
  

   Tsa 
  lagayu" 
  -li 
  (" 
  Old 
  Tobacco 
  " 
  — 
  Nicotiana 
  rustica), 
  blossoms, 
  and 
  just 
  have 
  them 
  in 
  

   the 
  mouth, 
  and 
  Kanasa 
  la 
  (Wild 
  Parsnip), 
  goes 
  with 
  it, 
  and 
  four 
  red 
  beads 
  also 
  must 
  

   lie 
  there, 
  and 
  Tsaliyu'sti 
  Usdi'ga 
  (" 
  Little 
  (plant) 
  Like 
  Tobacco" 
  — 
  Indian 
  Tobacco 
  — 
  

   Lobelia 
  inflata.) 
  And 
  if 
  there 
  should 
  be 
  anything 
  mixed 
  with 
  it 
  (i. 
  e., 
  alter 
  suck- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  place), 
  just 
  put 
  it 
  about 
  a 
  hand's-length 
  into 
  the 
  mud. 
  

  

  Explanation. 
  

  

  The 
  Cherokee 
  name 
  for 
  this 
  disease 
  gives 
  no 
  idea 
  whatever 
  of 
  its 
  

   serious 
  nature. 
  The 
  technical 
  term, 
  Tsundaye'liga'ktanu'hi, 
  really 
  

   refers 
  to 
  the 
  enthusiastic 
  outburst 
  of 
  sociability 
  that 
  ensues 
  when 
  

   two 
  old 
  friends 
  meet. 
  In 
  this 
  instance 
  it 
  'might 
  be 
  rendered 
  "an 
  

   ordeal."" 
  The 
  application 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  name 
  to 
  what 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  

   serious 
  illness 
  is 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  regular 
  formulistic 
  practice 
  

   of 
  making 
  light 
  of 
  a 
  dangerous 
  malady 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  convey 
  to 
  the 
  

   disease 
  spirit 
  the 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  shaman 
  is 
  not 
  afraid 
  of 
  him. 
  

   A'yu"ini, 
  from 
  whom 
  the 
  formula 
  was 
  obtained, 
  states 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  

   disease 
  is 
  sometimes 
  sent 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  by 
  a 
  friend 
  or 
  even 
  by 
  his 
  parents, 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  test 
  his 
  endurance 
  and 
  knowledge 
  of 
  counter 
  spells. 
  

  

  As 
  with 
  most 
  diseases, 
  the 
  name 
  simply 
  indicates 
  the 
  shaman's 
  

   theory 
  of 
  the 
  occult 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  trouble, 
  and 
  is 
  no 
  clue 
  to 
  the 
  

   symptoms, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  those 
  usually 
  attendant 
  upon 
  fevers, 
  indi- 
  

   gestion, 
  or 
  almost 
  any 
  other 
  ailment. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  cases 
  the 
  disease 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  conjurations 
  of 
  an 
  

   enemy, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  patient 
  becomes 
  subject 
  to 
  an 
  inordinate 
  

   appetite, 
  causing 
  him 
  to 
  eat 
  until 
  his 
  abdomen 
  is 
  unnaturally 
  dis- 
  

   tended. 
  By 
  the 
  same 
  magic 
  spells 
  tobacco 
  may 
  be 
  conveyed 
  into 
  

   the 
  man's 
  body, 
  causing 
  him 
  to 
  be 
  affected 
  by 
  faintness 
  and 
  languor. 
  

   The 
  enemy, 
  if 
  bitterly 
  revengeful, 
  may 
  even 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  bodj- 
  of 
  

   his 
  victim 
  a 
  worm 
  or 
  insect 
  (tsgaya), 
  or 
  a 
  sharpened 
  stick 
  of 
  black 
  

   locust 
  or 
  " 
  fat 
  " 
  pine, 
  which 
  will 
  result 
  in 
  death 
  if 
  not 
  removed 
  by 
  

   a 
  good 
  doctor. 
  Sometimes 
  a 
  weed 
  stalk 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  occult 
  manner 
  

   conveyed 
  into 
  the 
  patient's 
  stomach, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  transformed 
  into 
  a 
  

   worm. 
  As 
  this 
  disease 
  is 
  very 
  common, 
  owing 
  to 
  constant 
  quarrels 
  

   and 
  rival 
  jealousies, 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  specialists 
  who 
  devote 
  

   their 
  attention 
  to 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  prayer 
  is 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  Black, 
  Red, 
  Blue, 
  and 
  White 
  

   Ravens, 
  their 
  location 
  at 
  the 
  four 
  cardinal 
  points 
  not 
  being 
  specified, 
  

   excepting 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  raven 
  of 
  Wa'liill. 
  which, 
  as 
  

   already 
  stated, 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  a, 
  mountain 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  hence 
  is 
  

   used 
  figuratively 
  to 
  mean 
  the 
  south. 
  The 
  ravens 
  are 
  each 
  in 
  turn 
  

   declared 
  to 
  have 
  put 
  the 
  disease 
  into 
  a 
  crevice 
  in 
  Sanigala'gi 
  — 
  the 
  

   Cherokee 
  name 
  of 
  Whiteside 
  Mountain, 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Tuckasegee 
  

   River, 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  and 
  used 
  figuratively 
  for 
  any 
  high 
  pre- 
  

   cipitous 
  mountain 
  — 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  left 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  trace 
  upon 
  the 
  

   ground 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  been. 
  The 
  adjective 
  translated 
  "evolute" 
  

   (udanuhi) 
  is 
  of 
  frequent 
  occurrence 
  in 
  the 
  formulas, 
  but 
  has 
  no 
  

  

  