CULIN] RACKET: CHEROKEE 581 
picture of ‘one young fellow under the operation I stood with my camera 
so near that I could distinctly hear the teeth tear through the flesh at every 
seratch with a rasping sound that sent a shudder through me, yet he never 
flinched, although several times he shivered with cold, as the chill autumn wind 
blew upon his naked body. This seratching is common in Cherokee medical 
practice, and is variously performed with a brier, a rattlesnake’s tooth, a flint, 
or even a piece of broken glass. It was noted by Adair as early as 1775. To 
cause the blood to flow more freely, the young men sometimes scrape it off 
with chips as it oozes out. The shaman then gives to each player a small 
piece of root, to which he has imparted magic properties by the recital of 
eertain secret formulas. Various roots are used, according to the whim of 
the shaman, their virtue depending entirely upon the ceremony of consecration. 
The men chew these roots and spit out the juice over their limbs and bodies, 
rubbing it well into the scratches; then going down to the water, plunge in and 
wash off the blood, after which they come out and dress themselves for the 
game. 
The modern Cherokee ball costume consists simply of a pair of short trunks, 
ornamented with various patterns in red or blue cloth, and a feather charm worn 
upon the head. Formerly the breechcloth alone was worn, as is still the case 
in some instances, and the strings with which it was tied were purposely made 
weak, so that if seized by an opponent in the scuffle the strings would break, 
leaving the owner to escape with the loss of his sole article of raiment. This 
ealls to mind a similar custom among the ancient Greek athletes, the recollec- 
tion of which has been preserved in the etymology of the word “ gymnast.’ The 
ornament worn in the hair is made up of an eagle’s feathers, to give keenness of 
sight; a deer tail, to give swiftness; and a snake’s rattle, to render the wearer 
terrible to his adversaries. If an eagle’s feathers can not be procured, those of 
a hawk or any other swift bird of prey are used. In running, the snake rattle 
is made to furnish a very good imitation of the sound made by the rattlesnake 
when about to strike. The player also marks his body in various patterns with 
paint or charcoal. The charcoal is taken from the dance fire, and whenever 
possible is procured by burning the wood of a tree which has been struck by light- 
ning, such wood being regarded as peculiarly sacred and. endowed with mys- 
terious properties. According to one formula, the player makes a cross over his 
heart and a spot upon each shoulder, using pulverized charcoal procured from 
the shaman and made by burning together the wood of a honey-locust tree and of 
a tree which has been struck by lightning, but not killed. The charcoal is pul- 
verized and put, together with a red and black bead, into an empty cocoon from 
which one end has been cut off. This paint preparation makes the player swift 
like the lightning and invulnerable as the tree that defies the thunderbolt, and 
renders his flesh as hard and firm to the touch as the wood of the honey locust, 
Among the Choctaws, according to Catlin, a tail of horse hair was also worn, so 
as to stream out behind as the player ran. Just before dressing, the players 
rub their bodies with grease or the chewed bark of the slippery elm or the 
sassafras, until their skin is slippery as that of the proverbial eel. 
A number of precautionary measures are also frequently resorted to by the 
more prudent players while training, in order to make assurance doubly sure. 
They bathe their. limbs with a decoction of the herb. Tephrosia virginiana, 
or catgut, in order to render their muscles tough like the roots of that plant. 
They bathe themselves with a decoction of the small rush (Juncus tenuis), 
which grows by the roadside, because its stalks are always erect and will not 
lie flat upon the ground, however much they may be stamped and trodden upon. 
In the same way they bathe with a decoction of the wild crabapple or the iron- 
wood, because the trunks of these trees, even when thrown down, are supported 
