﻿372 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CIIEROKEES. 
  

  

  sound, 
  intended 
  to 
  call 
  up 
  the 
  birds, 
  and 
  then 
  goes 
  to 
  work 
  with 
  his 
  

   remaining 
  arrows. 
  On 
  all 
  hunting 
  expeditions 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  regular 
  prac- 
  

   tice, 
  religiously 
  enforced, 
  to 
  abstain 
  from 
  food 
  until 
  sunset. 
  

  

  A 
  favorite 
  method 
  with 
  the 
  bird-hunter 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  is 
  to 
  climb 
  a 
  gum 
  tree, 
  which 
  is 
  much 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   birds 
  ou 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  berries, 
  where, 
  taking 
  up 
  a 
  convenient 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  amid 
  the 
  branches 
  with 
  his 
  noiseless 
  blowgun 
  and 
  arrows, 
  he 
  

   deliberately 
  shoots 
  down 
  one 
  bird 
  after 
  another 
  until 
  his 
  shafts 
  are 
  

   exhausted, 
  when 
  he 
  climbs 
  down, 
  draws 
  out 
  the 
  arrows 
  from 
  the 
  

   bodies 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  killed, 
  and 
  climbs 
  up 
  again 
  to 
  repeat 
  the 
  opera- 
  

   tion. 
  As 
  the 
  light 
  darts 
  used 
  make 
  no 
  sound, 
  the 
  birds 
  seldom 
  

   take 
  the 
  alarm, 
  and 
  are 
  too 
  busily 
  engaged 
  with 
  the 
  berries 
  to 
  notice 
  

   their 
  comrades 
  dropping 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  and 
  pay 
  

   but 
  slight 
  attention 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  hunter. 
  

  

  The 
  prayer 
  is 
  addressed 
  to 
  the 
  Ancient 
  White 
  (the 
  Fire), 
  the 
  spirit 
  

   most 
  frequently 
  invoked 
  by 
  the 
  hunter, 
  who, 
  as 
  before 
  stated, 
  rubs 
  

   his 
  hands 
  together 
  over 
  the 
  fire 
  while 
  repeating 
  the 
  words. 
  The 
  ex- 
  

   pressions 
  used 
  are 
  obscure 
  when 
  taken 
  alone, 
  but 
  are 
  full 
  of 
  meaning 
  

   when 
  explained 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  hunting 
  customs. 
  The 
  " 
  clotted 
  

   blood" 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  bloodstained 
  leaves 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  fallen 
  game 
  

   has 
  lain. 
  The 
  expression 
  occurs 
  constantly 
  in 
  the 
  hunting 
  formulas. 
  

   The 
  hunter 
  gathers 
  up 
  these 
  bloody 
  leaves 
  and 
  casts 
  them 
  upon 
  the 
  

   fire, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  draw 
  omens 
  for 
  the 
  morrow 
  from 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  

   which 
  they 
  burn. 
  A 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tongue, 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  animal, 
  is 
  usually 
  cast 
  upon 
  the 
  coals 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose. 
  

   This 
  subject 
  will 
  be 
  treated 
  at 
  length 
  in 
  a 
  future 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   hunting 
  ceremonies. 
  

  

  " 
  Let 
  it 
  be 
  buried 
  in 
  your 
  stomach 
  " 
  refers 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  offering 
  made 
  

   the 
  fire. 
  By 
  the 
  red 
  hickories 
  are 
  meant 
  the 
  strings 
  of 
  hickory 
  bark 
  

   which 
  the 
  bird 
  hunter 
  twists 
  about 
  his 
  waist 
  for 
  a 
  belt. 
  The 
  dead 
  

   birds 
  are 
  carried 
  by 
  inserting 
  their 
  heads 
  under 
  this 
  belt. 
  Red 
  is, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  symbolic 
  of 
  his 
  success. 
  " 
  The 
  mangled 
  things" 
  (unigwa- 
  

   lu'"gi) 
  are 
  the 
  wounded 
  birds. 
  Kana'tl 
  is 
  here 
  used 
  to 
  designate 
  the 
  

   .fire, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  hunting 
  ceremonies. 
  

  

  INAGE'Hl 
  AYASTI-YI. 
  

  

  UsTnuli'yu 
  Selagwu'tsi 
  Gigage'T 
  getsu' 
  n 
  neliga 
  tsudandagi'hi 
  aye'li'- 
  

   yu, 
  usinuli'yu. 
  Yii! 
  

  

  Translation. 
  

  

  TO 
  SHOOT 
  DWELLERS 
  IN 
  THE 
  WILDERNESS. 
  

  

  Instantly 
  the 
  Red 
  Selagwu 
  tsi 
  strike 
  you 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  center 
  of 
  your 
  soul 
  — 
  in- 
  

   stantly. 
  Yu! 
  

  

  