26B THE PIMA INDIANS f etii. an-x. 26 



the forehead, cliin, breast, and stomach of the patient. The tube 

 has a bunch of feathers attached caUed a-an kiatftta, and these are 

 next swept in quick passes downward over the body. Tlie a'mina 

 are then taken and sucked four times by tJie patient, after which the 

 end of the bundle is pressed against the patient's body, then hiid 

 flat upon his breast and rubbed. Finally, the assistant rejicats the 

 speech of Siu-u at the time when that deity restored himself to life, 

 at the same time making passes toward the patient. 



Magic influence exerted by evilly disposed persons, especially medi- 

 cine-inen, may cause a particular ailment, called "doctor's disease," 

 in the ctire of which the slate tablets found in the ruins are believed 

 to be most eflicacious. The information was given that no marking 

 was made on the slates; they were simply placed in a vessel of water 

 and the patient drank the water. 



Sometimes the sickness of a child was believed to be due to the fact 

 that some person tlesired to take it away from its parents. If they 

 went to the covetous one ami accused him of the crime the child 

 immeiliately recovered. 



Navitco (fig. 26) is an evil spirit adopted from the Papagos. His 

 home is in the mountain called Papak, Frog." This spirit causes 

 the knees to swell and the eyes to become inflamed. It may safely 

 be inferred that this disease has been a common one, as it is the prac- 

 tice to treat several at one time in a somewhat more elaborate cere- 

 monial than is usual in the treatment of other diseases. One medi- 

 cine-man personates Navitco, another known as Kakspakam accom- 

 panies him; both are masked. At a signal from Navitco, given by 

 throwing corn meal on the baskets, 1.5 or 20 persons appointed for 

 the purpose sing the Navitco song (p. 326) , accompanied by the notched 

 sticks, after which Navitco goes to each patient and pats him with 

 eagle feathers until he has presumably drawn out all disease. He then 

 tlu-ows away the feathers. He is followed by Kakspakam, who seats 

 himself before each patient to give him an opportunity to touch the 

 mask and then the swollen knees. When the singers have finished, 

 they rub the notched sticks over their own bodies to prevent conta- 

 gion. All concerned in the ceremony must not eat salt for four days 

 thereafter. 



The Navitco medicine-men also claim to possess the power to bring 

 rain. 



The treatment of a cliild afflicted with dysentery mingles the new 

 order with the old in an interesting manner, combining Christian 

 baptism with pagan sun worship and magic medical practice. 



A man and his wife who are close friends of the parents come early 

 in the morning and wash the baby. If it is a boy, it is taken up at sun- 



" Santa Catalinas, north ol Tucson; altitude, 10,000 feet. 



