﻿386 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  TUP: 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  who 
  the 
  witch 
  is 
  until 
  a 
  day 
  or 
  two 
  afterward, 
  when 
  some 
  old 
  man 
  

   or 
  woman, 
  perhaps 
  in 
  a 
  remote 
  settlement, 
  is 
  suddenly 
  seized 
  with 
  a 
  

   mysterious 
  illness 
  and 
  before 
  seven 
  days 
  elapse 
  is 
  dead. 
  

  

  GAHU'STf 
  A'GIYAHU'SA. 
  

  

  Sg6 
  ! 
  Ha-na'gwa 
  hatu'"gani'ga 
  Nu' 
  n 
  ya 
  Watige'I, 
  gahu'sti 
  tsuts- 
  

   ka'di 
  iiige'su"na. 
  Ha-na'gwa 
  du'"gihya'li. 
  Agiyahu'sa 
  sl'kwa, 
  ha- 
  

   ga' 
  tsii 
  n 
  -nu' 
  iyu'"ta 
  datsi'waktu'hi. 
  Tla-'ke' 
  a'ya 
  a'kwatseli'ga. 
  

   digwadai'ta. 
  

  

  Translation. 
  

  

  I 
  HAVE 
  LOST 
  SOMETHING. 
  

  

  Listen 
  ! 
  Ha 
  ! 
  Now 
  you 
  have 
  drawn 
  near 
  to 
  hearken, 
  O 
  Brown 
  Rock 
  ; 
  you 
  never 
  

   lie 
  about 
  anything. 
  Ha 
  ! 
  Now 
  I 
  am 
  about 
  to 
  seek 
  for 
  it. 
  I 
  have 
  lost 
  a 
  hog 
  and 
  

   now 
  tell 
  me 
  about 
  where 
  I 
  shall 
  find 
  it. 
  For 
  is 
  it 
  not 
  mine? 
  My 
  name 
  is 
  . 
  

  

  Explanation. 
  

  

  This 
  formula, 
  for 
  finding 
  anything 
  lost, 
  is 
  so 
  simple 
  as 
  to 
  need 
  

   but 
  little 
  explanation. 
  Brown 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  has 
  probably 
  no 
  

   mythologic 
  significance, 
  but 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  used 
  

   in 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  rounded 
  water-worn 
  pebble, 
  in 
  

   substance 
  resembling 
  quartz 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  color. 
  It 
  is 
  

   suspended 
  by 
  a 
  string 
  held 
  between 
  the 
  thumb 
  and 
  finger 
  of 
  the 
  

   shaman, 
  who 
  is 
  guided 
  in 
  his 
  search 
  by 
  the 
  swinging 
  of 
  the 
  pebble, 
  

   which, 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  theory, 
  will 
  swing 
  farther 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  

   of 
  the 
  lost 
  article 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  contrary 
  direction 
  ! 
  The 
  shaman, 
  who 
  

   is 
  always 
  fasting, 
  repeats 
  the 
  formula, 
  while 
  closely 
  watching 
  the 
  

   the 
  motions 
  of 
  the 
  swinging 
  pebble. 
  He 
  usually 
  begins 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  

   morning, 
  making 
  the 
  first 
  trial 
  at 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  lost 
  

   article. 
  After 
  noting 
  the 
  general 
  direction 
  toward 
  which 
  it 
  seems 
  

   to 
  lean 
  he 
  goes 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  in 
  that 
  direction, 
  perhaps 
  half 
  

   a 
  mile 
  or 
  more, 
  and 
  makes 
  a 
  second 
  trial. 
  This 
  time 
  the 
  pebble 
  may 
  

   swing 
  off 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  in 
  another 
  direction. 
  He 
  follows 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  indicated 
  for 
  perhaps 
  another 
  half 
  mile, 
  when 
  on 
  a 
  third 
  

   trial 
  the 
  stone 
  may 
  veer 
  around 
  toward 
  the 
  starting 
  point, 
  and 
  a 
  

   fourth 
  attempt 
  may 
  complete 
  the 
  circuit. 
  Having 
  thus 
  arrived 
  at 
  

   the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  missing 
  article 
  is 
  somewhere 
  within 
  a 
  certain 
  

   circumscribed 
  area, 
  he 
  advances 
  to 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  this 
  space 
  and 
  marks 
  

   out 
  upon 
  the 
  ground 
  a 
  small 
  circle 
  inclosing 
  a 
  cross 
  with 
  arms 
  point- 
  

   ing 
  toward 
  the 
  four 
  cardinal 
  points. 
  Holding 
  the 
  stone 
  over 
  the 
  

   center 
  of 
  the 
  cross 
  he 
  again 
  repeats 
  the 
  formula 
  and 
  notes 
  the 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  pebble 
  swings. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  final 
  trial 
  and 
  he 
  now 
  

   goes 
  slowly 
  and 
  carefully 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  surface 
  in 
  that 
  direction, 
  

   between 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  circle 
  and 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  circumscribed 
  

   area 
  until 
  in 
  theory, 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  article 
  is 
  found. 
  Should 
  he 
  fail, 
  

   he 
  is 
  never 
  at 
  a 
  loss 
  for 
  excuses, 
  but 
  the 
  specialists 
  in 
  this 
  line 
  are 
  

  

  