262 THE PIMA INDIANS [eth. ann. 26 



nights, but >vill receive some compensation. The death of the patient 

 does not annul the obHgation under any circumstances. 



In addition to the animals, birds, and reptiles that cause disease, 

 the variety of human ailments and the fertility of the native's imagi- 

 nation necessitated the invention of yet other causes. These were 

 sometimes superhuman, but only too often the tribe merely descended 

 to the level of the African savage, and accused some medicine-man of 

 the crime of causing disease. There would seem to be some reason 

 in this if the medicine-man who had the case in hand were the one 

 accused, l)ut that was not the custom; it was a rival practitioner who 

 bore the onus and frequently })aid the penalty with his life, as maybe 

 seen from the accompanying annals. It would seem that every epi- 

 demic of any extent that ever afflicted the Pimas caused an almost 

 wholesale destruction of medicine-men. In individual cases of malice 

 on the part of the medicine-man the treatment is to sing the medicine 

 song and afterwards to place four magic stones in a cup of water, 

 taking out one at a time and holding it under the nose of the patient, 

 that he may inhale its power; then he must drink the water. 



If a person believes that a medicine-man has brought sickness upon 

 his household he calls in another doctor to find the charm. The one 

 consulted takes four assistants and searches day and night until some 

 object is foiuid which they can safely assume was hidden in the vicinity 

 by the malicious medicine-man. Wlien found the object must not be 

 touched, for fear of death, but the mere discovery renders it harmless 

 to the person against whom it was aimed. 



Sometimes the medicine-man causes sickness by "shooting" char- 

 coal, made from the burned body of an enemy, into some one who 

 does not notice it at the time, but whose body burns in consequence. 

 If it is sucked out before it is entirely consumed the charcoal loses 

 its power and the patient recovers. 



The badger causes a severe throat disease, which, however, is con- 

 sidered to be of rare occurrence. The remedy is to sing the badger 

 song (p. 321) and to press the tail of the badger on the patient's neck. 



The bear causes swellings upon the body, headache, and fever. 

 The remedy is to sing the bear songs, of wliich there are several 

 (p. 318); the singing is sometimes continued throughout the entire 

 day. No part of the animal is used in the treatment. The bear is 

 friendly to the Pimas. If a man meets one he must say, "I'm red," 

 and then the bear will not touch him, though he is free to kill the 

 animal. 



The black-tailed deer causes diseases of the throat and lungs. The 

 remedy is to sing the deer song (p. 317) and to press the tail of the 

 deer on the affected part. 



