﻿378 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  something 
  comical 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  self-complacency 
  with 
  

   which 
  he 
  asserts 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  very 
  handsome 
  and 
  will 
  never 
  become 
  

   blue 
  and 
  no 
  one 
  with 
  him 
  is 
  ever 
  lonely. 
  As 
  before 
  stated, 
  white 
  

   signifies 
  peace 
  and 
  happiness, 
  while 
  blue 
  is 
  the 
  emblem 
  of 
  sorrow 
  

   and 
  disappointment. 
  

  

  Having- 
  thus 
  rendered 
  himself 
  attractive 
  to 
  womankind, 
  he 
  turns 
  

   his 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  girl 
  whom 
  he 
  particularly 
  desires 
  to 
  win. 
  He 
  

   begins 
  by 
  filling 
  her 
  soul 
  with 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  desolation 
  and 
  loneli- 
  

   ness. 
  In 
  the 
  beautiful 
  language 
  of 
  the 
  formula, 
  her 
  path 
  becomes 
  

   blue 
  and 
  she 
  is 
  veiled 
  in 
  loneliness. 
  He 
  then 
  asserts, 
  and 
  reiterates, 
  

   that 
  he 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  only 
  clan 
  which 
  was 
  allotted 
  for 
  her 
  when 
  

   the 
  seven 
  clans 
  were 
  established. 
  

  

  He 
  next 
  pays 
  his 
  resjjects 
  to 
  his 
  rivals 
  and 
  advances 
  some 
  very 
  

   forcible 
  arguments 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  she 
  could 
  never 
  be 
  happy 
  with 
  any 
  

   of 
  them. 
  He 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  " 
  lonesome 
  " 
  and 
  utterly 
  loath- 
  

   some 
  — 
  the 
  word 
  implies 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  mutually 
  loathsome 
  — 
  and 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  tne 
  veriest 
  trash 
  and 
  refuse. 
  He 
  c< 
  impares 
  them 
  to 
  so 
  many 
  

   polecats, 
  oppossums, 
  and 
  crows, 
  and 
  finally 
  likens 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  rain- 
  

   crow 
  (cuckoo; 
  Coccygus), 
  which 
  is 
  regarded 
  with 
  disfavor 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  its 
  disagreeable 
  note. 
  He 
  grows 
  more 
  bitter 
  in 
  his 
  denunciations 
  

   as 
  he 
  proceeds 
  and 
  finally 
  disposes 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  by 
  saying 
  that 
  

   all 
  the 
  seven 
  clans 
  alike 
  are 
  uhisa'ti 
  and 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  filth. 
  

   Then 
  follows 
  another 
  glowing 
  panegyric 
  of 
  himself, 
  closing 
  witlt 
  

   the 
  beautiful 
  expression, 
  " 
  your 
  soul 
  has 
  come 
  into 
  the 
  very 
  center 
  

   of 
  mine, 
  never 
  to 
  turn 
  away," 
  which 
  reminds 
  one 
  forcibly 
  of 
  the 
  

   sentiment 
  in 
  the 
  German 
  love 
  song, 
  " 
  Du 
  liegst 
  mir 
  im 
  Herzen." 
  

   The 
  final 
  expression. 
  " 
  I 
  take 
  your 
  soul," 
  implies 
  that 
  the 
  formula 
  

   has 
  now 
  accomplished 
  its 
  purpose 
  in 
  fixing 
  her 
  thoughts 
  upon 
  him- 
  

   self. 
  

  

  When 
  successful, 
  a 
  ceremony 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  has 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  render- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  victim 
  so 
  "blue" 
  or 
  lovesick 
  that 
  her 
  life 
  is 
  in 
  danger 
  until 
  

   another 
  formula 
  is 
  repeated 
  to 
  make 
  her 
  soul 
  ''white" 
  or 
  happy 
  

   again. 
  Where 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  or 
  clan 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  

   these 
  formulas 
  the 
  blank 
  is 
  indicated 
  in 
  the 
  manuscript 
  by 
  crosses 
  

   + 
  + 
  or 
  ciphers 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  word 
  iyu'sti, 
  "like." 
  

  

  hi 
  a 
  Ama'yI 
  A'tawasti 
  vt 
  kanA'HEhC. 
  

  

  Sge 
  ! 
  Ha-na'gwa 
  usinuli'yu 
  hatu'"gani'ga 
  Hige"yagu'ga, 
  tsuwa- 
  

   tsi'la 
  gi'gage 
  tsiye'la 
  skina'du'lani'ga. 
  digwada'ita. 
  Sa'ka'nl 
  

   tugwadune'luhi. 
  Atsanii' 
  n 
  gi 
  gi'gage 
  skwasii'hisa 
  tani'ga. 
  + 
  + 
  

   kulsta'lagi 
  -I- 
  sa'ka'n! 
  nu'tatanu' 
  n 
  ta. 
  Ditu'nu 
  n 
  na'gx 
  dagwu'lasku"- 
  

   gwu 
  deganu'y'tasi'ga. 
  Gala'nu 
  n 
  tse'ta-gwu 
  dagwadune'lidise'sti. 
  

   Sg6 
  ! 
  

  

  