﻿FLBTCHBn-LA 
  fi.esciie] 
  DISEASE 
  AND 
  ITS 
  TREATMENT 
  583 
  

  

  influence 
  on 
  the 
  patient 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  injuriously 
  affect 
  the 
  nervous 
  

   system, 
  as 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  one 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  

   sound 
  was 
  without 
  meaning;. 
  The 
  patient 
  knew 
  that 
  the 
  songs 
  were 
  

   sung 
  to 
  invoke 
  supernatural 
  aid 
  and 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  efficacy 
  of 
  the 
  appeal 
  

   he 
  must 
  largely 
  rely 
  for 
  relief. 
  

  

  Although 
  witches 
  and 
  witchcraft 
  did 
  not 
  exist 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  

   disease 
  was 
  sometimes 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  its 
  origin 
  in 
  the 
  magical 
  

   introduction 
  into 
  the 
  human 
  body 
  of 
  a 
  worm 
  or 
  other 
  object, 
  which 
  

   could 
  be 
  removed 
  only 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  magical 
  formulas, 
  by 
  sucking, 
  

   or 
  by 
  manipulation. 
  Certain 
  individuals 
  and 
  certain 
  practices 
  were 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  bring 
  disease 
  and 
  death 
  to 
  a 
  person 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  magic. 
  In 
  such 
  cases 
  magic 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  dispel 
  the 
  imposed 
  

   magic. 
  Among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  these 
  magical 
  practices 
  were 
  almost 
  wholly 
  

   confined 
  to 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Shell 
  and 
  Pebble 
  societies. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   their 
  practices 
  were 
  claimed 
  to 
  trench 
  on 
  the 
  marvelous. 
  They 
  

   declared 
  they 
  could 
  transform 
  themselves 
  into 
  birds, 
  animals, 
  stones, 
  

   or 
  leaves 
  and 
  joined 
  in 
  tests 
  of 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  their 
  respective 
  magic 
  

   powers. 
  One 
  form 
  of 
  test 
  consisted 
  in 
  trying 
  to 
  jump 
  or 
  fly 
  over 
  

   one 
  another; 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  succeeded 
  in 
  so 
  doing 
  was 
  regarded 
  not 
  

   only 
  as 
  possessing 
  greater 
  magic 
  but 
  as 
  controlling 
  the 
  one 
  defeated. 
  

   No 
  authentic 
  accounts 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  anyone 
  who 
  had 
  actu- 
  

   ally 
  witnessed 
  these 
  feats, 
  but 
  many 
  persons 
  were 
  ready 
  to 
  assert 
  

   that 
  they 
  had 
  certainly 
  been 
  performed. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  another 
  method 
  by 
  which 
  death 
  and 
  disaster 
  could 
  be 
  

   brought 
  to 
  a 
  man. 
  This 
  power 
  was 
  vested 
  in 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi 
  (p. 
  

   497). 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  invoking 
  of 
  disease 
  and 
  death 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  

   of 
  inflicting 
  punishment 
  on 
  a 
  social 
  offender 
  by 
  turning 
  on 
  him 
  the 
  

   consequences 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  actions. 
  The 
  .method 
  employed 
  was 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  help 
  could 
  be 
  sent 
  from 
  one 
  person 
  to 
  another 
  

   by 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  willing 
  known 
  as 
  wazhi 
  n 
  'thethe 
  (wazhi 
  71 
  ', 
  "will 
  — 
  the 
  

   power 
  by 
  which 
  man 
  thinks, 
  feels, 
  and 
  acts;" 
  the' 
  the, 
  "to 
  send"). 
  

   W<izlii"'tlnthe 
  therefore 
  means 
  to 
  send 
  one's 
  will 
  power 
  toward 
  another 
  

   to 
  supplement 
  his 
  strength 
  and 
  thereby 
  affect 
  his 
  action. 
  To 
  this 
  

   helpful 
  exercise 
  of 
  will 
  power 
  belongs 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  songs 
  called 
  we'to" 
  

   mm" 
  (p. 
  421). 
  

  

  The 
  exercise 
  of 
  will 
  power 
  for 
  punishment, 
  as 
  practised 
  by 
  the 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi, 
  was 
  called 
  wazhi 
  71 
  ' 
  agthe 
  (wazlii 
  71 
  ', 
  "will;" 
  agthe, 
  "to 
  

   place 
  on"). 
  The 
  two 
  words, 
  wazhi"' 
  th< 
  the 
  and 
  wazhi 
  71 
  ' 
  agthe, 
  might 
  

   seem 
  at 
  first 
  glance 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  meaning. 
  The 
  former 
  means, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  will 
  power 
  of 
  one 
  person 
  sent 
  to 
  help 
  another, 
  and 
  the 
  

   latter 
  the 
  will 
  power 
  placed 
  on. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi 
  

   wills 
  that 
  the 
  consequences 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  line 
  of 
  conduct 
  shall 
  fall 
  

   on 
  a 
  person 
  who 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  accord 
  has 
  determined 
  on 
  such 
  a 
  line 
  

   of 
  conduct; 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  man 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned 
  to 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  his 
  

   own 
  unwise 
  behavior; 
  he 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  thrust 
  out 
  from 
  all 
  helpful 
  relations 
  

  

  