﻿370 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  And 
  you, 
  O 
  Ancient 
  Red, 
  may 
  you 
  hover 
  above 
  my 
  breast 
  while 
  I 
  sleep. 
  Now 
  

   let 
  good 
  (dreams?) 
  develop; 
  let 
  my 
  experiences 
  be 
  propitious. 
  Ha! 
  Now 
  let 
  my 
  

   little 
  trails 
  be 
  directed, 
  as 
  they 
  lie 
  down 
  in 
  various 
  directions(?). 
  Let 
  the 
  leaves 
  be 
  

   covered 
  with 
  the 
  clotted 
  blood, 
  and 
  may 
  it 
  never 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  so. 
  You 
  two 
  (the 
  

   Water 
  and 
  the 
  Fire) 
  shall 
  bury 
  it 
  in 
  your 
  stomachs. 
  Yu! 
  

  

  Explanation. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  hunting 
  formula, 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  great 
  gods 
  of 
  the 
  

   hunter, 
  Fire 
  and 
  Water. 
  The 
  evening 
  before 
  starting 
  the 
  hunter 
  

   "goes 
  to 
  water," 
  as 
  already 
  explained, 
  and 
  recites 
  the 
  appropriate 
  ' 
  

   formula. 
  In 
  the 
  morning 
  he 
  sets 
  out, 
  while 
  still 
  fasting, 
  and 
  travels 
  

   without 
  eating 
  or 
  drinking 
  until 
  night 
  fall. 
  At 
  sunset 
  he 
  again 
  goes 
  

   to 
  water, 
  reciting 
  this 
  formula 
  during 
  the 
  ceremony, 
  after 
  which 
  he 
  

   builds 
  his 
  camp 
  fire, 
  eats 
  his 
  supper 
  and 
  lies 
  down 
  for 
  the 
  night, 
  

   first 
  rubbing 
  his 
  breas.t 
  with 
  ashes 
  from 
  the 
  fire. 
  In 
  the 
  morning 
  he 
  

   starts 
  <nit 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  game 
  

  

  " 
  Give 
  me 
  the 
  wind," 
  is 
  a 
  prayer 
  that 
  the 
  wind 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  his 
  favor, 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  game 
  may 
  not 
  scent 
  him. 
  The 
  word 
  rendered 
  here 
  

   " 
  Great 
  Terrestrial 
  Hunter," 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  " 
  Ela-Kanati. 
  " 
  In 
  this 
  

   i 
  la 
  is 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  kana'ti 
  is 
  a 
  term 
  applied 
  to 
  a 
  successful 
  hunter. 
  

   The 
  gre,at 
  Kanati, 
  who, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  myth, 
  formerly 
  kept 
  alt 
  

   the 
  game 
  shut 
  up 
  in 
  his 
  underground 
  caverns, 
  now 
  dwells 
  above 
  the 
  

   sky, 
  and 
  is 
  freqently 
  invoked 
  by 
  hunters. 
  The 
  raven 
  also 
  is 
  often 
  ad- 
  

   dressed 
  as 
  Kanati 
  in 
  these 
  hunting 
  formulas. 
  Ela-Kana'ti, 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Terrestrial 
  Hunter 
  — 
  as 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  two 
  — 
  signifies 
  

   the 
  river, 
  the 
  name 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  tiny 
  streams 
  

   and 
  rivulets 
  search 
  out 
  and 
  bring 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  river 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   and 
  debris 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  forests. 
  In 
  formulas 
  for 
  medicine, 
  love, 
  

   the 
  ball 
  play, 
  etc., 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  always 
  addressed 
  as 
  the 
  Long 
  Person 
  

   (Yu' 
  n 
  wl 
  Gunahi'ta). 
  The 
  "spittle" 
  referred 
  to 
  is 
  the 
  foam 
  at 
  the 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  "Let 
  your 
  stomach 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  leaves" 
  

   means, 
  let 
  the 
  blood-stained 
  leaves 
  where 
  the 
  stricken 
  game 
  shall 
  

   fall 
  be 
  so 
  numerous 
  as 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  The 
  hunter 
  

   prays 
  also 
  that 
  sufficient 
  game 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  Lend 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  to 
  accomplish 
  this 
  result 
  without 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  searching 
  

   through 
  the 
  whole 
  forest, 
  and 
  to 
  that 
  end 
  he 
  further 
  prays 
  that 
  

   the 
  river 
  may 
  never 
  be 
  satisfied, 
  but 
  continually 
  longing 
  for 
  more. 
  

   The 
  same 
  idea 
  is 
  repeated 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  paragraph. 
  The 
  hunter 
  is 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  feed 
  the 
  river 
  with 
  blood 
  washed 
  from 
  the 
  game. 
  In 
  

   like 
  manner 
  he 
  feeds 
  the 
  fire, 
  addressed 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  paragraph 
  as 
  

   the 
  " 
  Ancient 
  Red," 
  with 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  meat 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  tongue 
  of 
  the 
  

   deer. 
  The 
  prayer 
  that 
  the 
  fire 
  may 
  hover 
  above 
  his 
  breast 
  while 
  he 
  

   sleeps 
  and 
  brings 
  him 
  favorable 
  dreams, 
  refers 
  to 
  his 
  rubbing 
  his 
  

   breast 
  with 
  ashes 
  from 
  his 
  camp 
  fire 
  before 
  lying 
  down 
  to 
  sleep, 
  in 
  

   order 
  that 
  the 
  fire 
  may 
  bring 
  him 
  dream 
  omens 
  of 
  success 
  for 
  the 
  

   morrow. 
  The 
  Fire 
  is 
  addressed 
  either 
  as 
  the 
  Ancient 
  White 
  or 
  the 
  

  

  