﻿392 
  SACKED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  explained. 
  The 
  declaration 
  near 
  the 
  end, 
  "It 
  has 
  become 
  blue," 
  

   indicates 
  that 
  the 
  victim 
  now 
  begins 
  to 
  feel 
  in 
  himself 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  

   the 
  incantation, 
  and 
  that 
  as 
  darkness 
  comes 
  on 
  his 
  spirit 
  will 
  shrink 
  

   and 
  gradually 
  become 
  less 
  until 
  it 
  dwindles 
  away 
  to 
  nothingness. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  shaman 
  wishes 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  another, 
  either 
  for 
  

   his 
  own 
  purposes 
  or 
  for 
  hire, 
  he 
  conceals 
  himself 
  near 
  the 
  trail 
  along 
  

   which 
  the 
  victim 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  pass. 
  When 
  the 
  doomed 
  man 
  appears 
  

   the 
  shaman 
  waits 
  until 
  he 
  has 
  gone 
  by 
  and 
  then 
  follows 
  him 
  secretly 
  

   until 
  he 
  chances 
  to 
  spit 
  upon 
  the 
  ground. 
  On 
  coming 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   spot 
  the 
  shaman 
  collects 
  upon 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  stick 
  a 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  dust 
  

   thus 
  moistened 
  with 
  the 
  victim's 
  sjnttle. 
  The 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  

   man's 
  spittle 
  gives 
  him 
  power 
  over 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  himself. 
  

   Many 
  ailments 
  are 
  said 
  by 
  the 
  doctors 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   some 
  enemy 
  has 
  by 
  this 
  means 
  "changed 
  the 
  spittle" 
  of 
  the 
  patient 
  

   and 
  caused 
  it 
  to 
  breed 
  animals 
  or 
  sprout 
  corn 
  in 
  the 
  sick 
  man's 
  body. 
  

   In 
  the 
  love 
  charms 
  also 
  the 
  lover 
  always 
  figuratively 
  "takes 
  the 
  

   spittle 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  girl 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  fix 
  her 
  affections 
  upon 
  himself. 
  The 
  

   same 
  idea 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  spittle 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  European 
  folk 
  medicine. 
  

  

  The 
  shaman 
  then 
  puts 
  the 
  clay 
  thus 
  moistened 
  into 
  a 
  tube 
  consist- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  a 
  joint 
  of 
  the 
  Kanesa'la 
  or 
  wild 
  parsnip, 
  a 
  poisonous 
  plant 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  importance 
  in 
  life-conjuring 
  ceremonies. 
  He 
  also 
  puts 
  

   into 
  the 
  tube 
  seven 
  earthworms 
  beaten 
  into 
  a 
  paste, 
  and 
  several 
  

   splinters 
  from 
  a 
  tree 
  which 
  lias 
  been 
  struck 
  by 
  lightning. 
  The 
  idea 
  

   in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  worms 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  clear, 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  expected 
  to 
  devour 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  the 
  victim 
  as 
  earthworms 
  are 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  dead 
  bodies, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  

   from 
  their 
  burrowing 
  habits 
  they 
  may 
  serve 
  to 
  hollow 
  out 
  a 
  grave 
  

   for 
  the 
  soul 
  under 
  the 
  earth, 
  the 
  quarter 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  shaman 
  con- 
  

   signs 
  it. 
  In 
  other 
  similar 
  ceremonies 
  the 
  dirt-dauber 
  wasp 
  or 
  the 
  

   stinging 
  ant 
  is 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  kill 
  

   the 
  soul, 
  as 
  these 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  kill 
  other 
  more 
  powerful 
  insects 
  by 
  their 
  

   poisonous 
  sting 
  or 
  bite. 
  The 
  wood 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  struck 
  by 
  lightning 
  is 
  

   also 
  a 
  potent 
  spell 
  for 
  both 
  good 
  and 
  evil 
  and 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  many 
  for- 
  

   mulas 
  of 
  various 
  kinds. 
  

  

  Having 
  prepared 
  the 
  tube, 
  the 
  shaman 
  goes 
  into 
  the 
  forest 
  to 
  a 
  

   tree 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  struck 
  by 
  lightning. 
  At 
  its 
  base 
  he 
  digs 
  a 
  hole, 
  

   in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  puts 
  a 
  large 
  yellow 
  stone 
  slab. 
  He 
  then 
  

   puts 
  in 
  the 
  tube, 
  together 
  with 
  seven 
  yellow 
  pebbles, 
  fills 
  in 
  the 
  

   earth 
  and 
  finally 
  builds 
  a 
  fire 
  over 
  the 
  spot 
  to 
  destroy 
  all 
  traces 
  of 
  

   his 
  work. 
  The 
  yellow 
  stones 
  are 
  probably 
  chosen 
  as 
  the 
  next 
  best 
  

   substitute 
  for 
  black 
  stones, 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  easy 
  to 
  find. 
  The 
  

   formula 
  mentions 
  "black 
  rock,"' 
  black 
  being 
  the 
  emblem 
  of 
  death, 
  

   while 
  yellow 
  typifies 
  trouble. 
  The 
  shaman 
  and 
  his 
  employer 
  fast 
  

   until 
  after 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  ceremony 
  has 
  been 
  properly 
  carried 
  out, 
  the 
  victim 
  becomes 
  

   blue, 
  that 
  is, 
  he 
  feels 
  the 
  effects 
  in 
  himself 
  at 
  once, 
  and, 
  unless 
  

  

  