hevi^ttJ medical note 491 



MEDICAL NOTE 



107. XOTES ON THE MeDICINE NiKAHNEGAAH " ^"" 



Solomon O'Bail, an aged Seneca, living on the Cattaraugus Reser- 

 vation, in 1884 had about a tablespoonful of the Great Bird-medicine 

 in the form of powder. 



Only a minute portion of this medicine, mixed with water, was 

 needed. In putting the small portion of the powder into the cup of 

 water O'Bail sprinkled a little on the east side of the cup, another 

 portion on the west side, and still another on the side nearest to the 

 lips of the patient. If all the powder remained on the surface of the 

 water instead of mixing with it, the indication was that the patient 

 must die; but if the powder dissolved completely in the water, this 

 was taken as a sign that the patient would live. When the powder 

 would not mix with the water the latter became of the consistency 

 of sirup; but if it mixed, the water remained clear. When the medi- 

 cine would not dissolve in the water the hochinagen *°^ knew that 

 there was no help for the patient and would not give the medicine 

 to him; but in case the powder dissolved in the water, the solution 

 was given to the sick man to drink. 



About 20 men on the Cattaraugus Reservation still had, in 1884, a 

 small portion of this medicine. This medicine is the same as that 

 which the birds made when they brought Bloody Hand to life. It 

 is so powerful in orenda. or magic potency, that when it was given to 

 the sick by the hochinagen the patient was forbidden to eat anything 

 that was colored ; he could eat, however, pure white beans and pure 

 white cob corn. If anything black or in any manner colored was 

 eaten, the taboo was broken, and the man or woman would die, as 

 the medicine's virtue was thus destroyed. 



If another man came into the patient's presence after having 

 stopped to see a corpse on the way, and looked at the patient, the 

 sick person would immediately grow worse and would die shortly 

 thereafter. For this reason it was customary to hang up a skin or 

 a blanket so that the patient should not by any chance see such a 

 person. 



It is said that medicine similar to this ancient bird medicine could 

 be made, but no one knows how to make corn grow without seed 

 corn. 



When this Nikahnegaah was taken, the smell of burning or broil- 

 ing meat had a bad effect on its virtues. During her catamenial 

 periods a woman was not permitted to look at a person who had 

 taken this medicine; if she did so he would surely die. Hence it was 

 a standing rule that a patient who had taken this medicine should 



* Small-dose medicine. 



