MooNEY] THE SNAKK TKIHK 295 



soiisoii till- liuiitor luiiiil)ly hc^s of liiiii. •• Let us not sec cucli otlicr tliis 

 suiimior.*' Certain smells, us tliiit of the \vii<l parsnip, mid certain 

 son<jfs. as those of the I'ltikn' ml or Townhouse (lanc(>. are ortVnsivc to 

 the snakes and niak(^ them an<>i'v. For this reason the I'nika'wi dance 

 is held only late in the frJi. after they ha\-e retired to their dens foi- 

 the winter. 



A\'iien one dreams of being bitten by a snake he nuist be treated the 

 same as for an actual bite, because it is a snake i>host that has l)itteii 

 him; otherwise the place will swell and ulcerate in the same way, even 

 though it be j-ears afterwards. Foi- fear of oti'ending tiiem. even iu 

 speaking, it i.s never said that a man has been bitten by a snake, but 

 only that he has been "scratched by a brier." Most of the beliefs and 

 customs in this connection ha\'e more special reference to the rattle- 

 snake. 



The rattlesnake is <>alle(l iifxd'nuti.^ which may be rendered, '"he has 

 a bell," alluding to the rattl(>. According to a myth given elsewhere, 

 he was once a man, and was transformed to his present shape that he 

 might save the human race from extermination by the Sun. a mission 

 which he accomplished successfully after others had failed. By the 

 old men he is also spoken of as "the Thunder's necklace" (see the 

 story of Untsaiyi'), and to kill one is to destroy one of th(> most i)rizecl 

 ornaments of the thunder god. In one of the formulas addressed to 

 the Little Men, the sons of the Thunch'r. they are implored to take 

 the disease snake to themselves, b(>cause •"it is just what you adorn 

 yourselves with." 



For obvious reasons the rattlesnake is regarded as the chief of the 

 snake tribe and is feared and respected accordingly. Few C'herokee 

 will venture to kill one except under absolute necessity, and even then 

 the crime must be atoned for by asking pardon of the snake ghost, 

 either in person or through the mediation of a i)riest. according to a set 

 formula. Otlu-rwise the relatives of the dead snake will send one of 

 their number to track up the offender and l)ite him so that he will die 

 (see story, "The Kattlesnake's Vengeance "). The otdy thing of which 

 the rattlesnake is afraid is said to be the plant known as ciuu])ion, or 

 " I'attlesnake's master" {Silenu uteUatd). which is used by the doctors 

 to counteract the etiect of the bite, and it is beli(>\-ed that a snake will 

 flee in terror from the hunter who carries a small piece of the root 

 about his person. Chewed linn bark is also applied to the bite, perhaps 

 from the supposed occult connection l)(>tween the snake and the thun- 

 der, as this tree is said to he inmiune from the lightning stroke. 



Notwithstanding the fear of the rattlesnake, his rattles, teeth, flesh, 

 and oil are greatly prized for occult or medical usc^s, the snakes being 

 killed for this purpose by certain priests who know the Tiecessary rites 

 and formiUas for obtaining pardon. This devic(> for whipping the 

 (h'vil around the stmnp. and incidentally increasing their own revenues, 



