﻿384 
  BACKED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  on 
  her 
  breast 
  with 
  his 
  hand 
  while 
  chanting 
  the 
  song 
  in 
  a 
  low 
  tone, 
  

   hardly 
  above 
  a 
  whisper. 
  The 
  prayer 
  to 
  the 
  Ancient 
  One, 
  or 
  Ancient 
  

   Red 
  (Fire), 
  in 
  both 
  formulas, 
  and 
  the 
  expression, 
  "I 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  

   edge 
  of 
  your 
  body," 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  hands 
  are 
  first 
  warmed 
  over 
  

   the 
  fire, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  general 
  practice 
  when 
  laying 
  on 
  the 
  

   hands. 
  The 
  prayer 
  to 
  the 
  Black 
  Spider 
  is 
  a 
  beautiful 
  specimen 
  of 
  

   poetic 
  imagery, 
  and 
  hardly 
  requires 
  an 
  explanation. 
  The 
  final 
  par- 
  

   agraph 
  indicates 
  the 
  successful 
  accomplishment 
  of 
  his 
  purpose. 
  

   "Your 
  grandchildren" 
  (tsctsuli'si) 
  is 
  an 
  expression 
  frequently 
  used 
  

   in 
  addressing 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  deities. 
  

  

  MISCELLANEOUS 
  FORMULAS. 
  

  

  Stf-NA'YI 
  EDA'HI 
  E'SGA 
  ASTtf'TI'Yl. 
  

  

  Sg6 
  ! 
  UhyuHsa'yl 
  galu 
  n 
  lti'tla 
  tsulta'histi, 
  Hisgaya 
  Gigage'i, 
  usinu'l! 
  

   di'tsakum' 
  denatlu"hi'sani'ga 
  Uy-igawa'sti 
  duda'nti. 
  Nu 
  n 
  na'hi 
  tatu- 
  

   na'watl. 
  Usinu'l! 
  duda'nta 
  dani'yu 
  n 
  stanili'. 
  

  

  Sg5! 
  Uhyu 
  n 
  tla'yl 
  galu 
  n 
  lti'tla 
  tsulta'histi, 
  Hisgaya 
  Te'halu, 
  hinaw'- 
  

   su"ki. 
  Ha-usinu'll 
  na'gwa 
  di'tsakum" 
  denatlu"hisani'ga 
  uy-iga- 
  

   wa'sti 
  duda'nti. 
  Nu"na'hi 
  tatuna'wati. 
  Usinu'li 
  duda'nta 
  dani'ga- 
  

   listani'. 
  

  

  Translation. 
  

  

  TO 
  SHORTEN 
  A 
  NIGHT-GOER 
  ON 
  THIS 
  SIDE. 
  

  

  Listen 
  ! 
  In 
  the 
  Frigid 
  Land 
  above 
  you 
  repose, 
  O 
  Red 
  Man, 
  quickly 
  we 
  two 
  have 
  

   prepared 
  jour 
  arrows 
  for 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  the 
  Imprecator. 
  He 
  has 
  them 
  lying 
  along 
  the" 
  

   path. 
  Quickly 
  we 
  two 
  will 
  take 
  his 
  soul 
  as 
  we 
  go 
  along. 
  

  

  Listen 
  ! 
  In 
  the 
  Frigid 
  Land 
  above 
  you 
  repose, 
  O 
  Purple 
  Man, 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  *. 
  Ha 
  ! 
  

   Quickly 
  now 
  we 
  two 
  have 
  prepared 
  your 
  arrows 
  for 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  the 
  Imprecator. 
  

   He 
  has 
  them 
  lying 
  along 
  the 
  path. 
  Quickly 
  we 
  two 
  will 
  cut 
  his 
  soul 
  in 
  two. 
  

  

  Explanation. 
  

  

  This 
  formula, 
  from 
  A'yu'"inis' 
  book, 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  driving 
  

   away 
  a 
  witch 
  from 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  a 
  sick 
  pei'son, 
  and 
  opens 
  up 
  a 
  most 
  

   interesting 
  chapter 
  of 
  Cherokee 
  beliefs. 
  The 
  witch 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  

   go 
  about 
  chiefly 
  under 
  cover 
  of 
  darkness, 
  and 
  hence 
  is 
  called 
  su 
  n 
  na'yi 
  

   eda'hi, 
  '•the 
  night 
  goer." 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  term 
  in 
  common 
  use; 
  but 
  

   there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  fprmulistic 
  expressions 
  to 
  designate 
  a 
  witch, 
  

   one 
  of 
  which, 
  u'ya 
  igawa'sti, 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  formula 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  rendered 
  "the 
  imprecator," 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  sayer 
  of 
  evil 
  things 
  or 
  

   curses. 
  As 
  the 
  counteracting 
  of 
  a 
  deadly 
  spell 
  always 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  

   death 
  of 
  its 
  author, 
  the 
  formula 
  is 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  not 
  merely 
  to 
  drive 
  

   away 
  the 
  wizard, 
  but 
  to 
  kill 
  him, 
  or, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  formulistic 
  

   expression, 
  "'to 
  shorten 
  him 
  (his 
  life) 
  on 
  this 
  side." 
  

  

  When 
  it 
  becomes 
  known 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  is 
  dangerously 
  sick 
  the 
  witches 
  

   from 
  far 
  and 
  near 
  gather 
  invisibly 
  about 
  his 
  house 
  after 
  nightfall 
  

   to 
  worry 
  him 
  and 
  even 
  force 
  their 
  way 
  in 
  to 
  his 
  bedside 
  unless 
  pre- 
  

  

  