314 THP] ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



long- present when she observed that the patient appeared to be suffer- 

 ing in one or ])oth of his extremities, and insisted upon exposing- the 

 feet. The.doctress protested against uncovering the right foot, but 

 was quite willing for the left foot to be seen, which was found to 

 be much swollen. The right foot was bandaged. It was learned that 

 it had been lanced by the doctress some days before to relie\e the 

 swelling and that she had also cut the scalp and ''extracted two small 

 green peaches which had been shot in Vjy a witch," and had applied 

 the powdered wood of a tree that had been struck with lightning to 

 relieve Nai'uchi from an attack of vertigo. This doctress is a member 

 of the Lightning fraternity, which possesses the specific for relieving 

 those who become unconscious and fall. The writer sent at once for the 

 Government physician, and when he arrived not only the theurgists, 

 but the family declared that it was the left foot, not the right, which 

 troubled the patient, but the doctor insisted upon examining the right 

 foot, which he found on removing the l)andage to be ulcerated to the 

 bone. There was a great cry when he consigned the tilthy wrappings 

 to the tiames: ''The}' should be kept as long as Nai'uchi lived." His 

 death on the same evening was attributed to the American doctor's 

 treatment of the foot. The doctor, who diagnosed Nai'uchi's trouble 

 as Bright's disease, had ))een treating him for weeks, not dreaming 

 that the patient was never permitted to take a drop of his medicine, 

 which was always left, with instructions for administering it, in the 

 cai'e of Nina, the granddaughter, who had spent years at the Govern- 

 ment school at Zuni, and who has a remarkable command of the English 

 language. Nina, who has all the cunning of the Indian, combined with 

 a great deal absorbed from the whites, practiced every deception upon 

 the doctor, who found the bottles untouched after Nai'uchi's death. 

 Nina's excuse for not giving the medicine was: " I am young and I 

 could not do that to which my elders objected." 



When onh' the two theurgists and the famil}^ were present, the 

 wiiter managed to have her own way with the patient; but as approach- 

 ing death became more evident, several other doctresses appeared and 

 took seats by the pallet with the determination that their ancient 

 customs should not be interfered with. When Nai'uchi exhibited 

 the restlessness which comes with approaching death, a doctress crossed 

 his hands under the blankets and held them firmly, and the expression 

 of the old man's face told plainly the suffering he endured, which was 

 only the beginning of his torture. Ha'lian, the son, prepared a mush 

 of white corn meal, and a doctress fec\ it to the dying man by the 

 spoonful. With each dose she said: "Father, take this; it will feed 

 you on the road.'" He was continually stuffed with the mush, which 

 he swallowed with great difficulty until too far gone to make the effort. 

 The doctress then held the nostrils and blew into the mouth until it 

 was concluded that life could no longer be prolonged; then another 



