O^BREraTs] THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT 23 



The river, usually addressed in the ritualistic language as — 



y9-"wi' Ga'na't-'no" "Long Human Being," 

 a'sku'ya Ga'na't-'Do'' "Long Man," 

 t-na'D5° Ga'na'f'Do" "Long Snake," 



continues to enjoy a great deal of credit and is still an object of sincere 

 respect to the more traditionalist of the Cherokee. The rite of going 

 to water, however, is rapidly disappearing from the tribal life, and 

 after another couple of generations all that will probably subsist of 

 the river cult will be a few survivals, unintelligible even to those who 

 practice them. 



The river sends disease to those who insult it by such actions as 

 throwing rubbish into it, by urinating into it, etc. As a vengeance for 

 the latter act it causes a disease from a description of the symptoms of 

 which it appears that enuresis is meant. 



The use of river water in the preparation of medicine is discussed 

 under Materia Medica (p. 52 et seq.). 



Apart from the rites that are performed at the river's edge in such 

 ceremonies as "going to water," "for long Ufe," in divination and 

 incantation ceremonies, which are all described in the notes appended 

 to the relevant formulas, attention should here be called to the custom 

 of vomiting into the river to get rid of diseases, especially of those in 

 which the patient's "saliva has been spoiled." (See p. 63.) 



The patient drinks the emetic at home, while still fasting, and then 

 hurries to the river's edge, where he vomits into the water, thereby 

 ''throwing off the spoiled saliva," and, with it, the disease. If the 

 emetic itself does not have the desired result mechanical means are 

 resorted to (irritating the uvula with finger, grass stalk, etc.). A for- 

 mula is usually recited at the same time by the medicine man accom- 

 panying the patient, by which the water is commanded to carry the 

 disease down the stream, "to the settlements where (other) people 

 live." "In every case where a ceremony is performed at the water 

 side, either by a number of persons or by a single individual, it must 

 be at daybreak, while the participants are still fasting, and the spot 

 chosen for the performance of the rite is at a bend of the river where 

 the supplicants can face the east while looking upstream." (Mooney, 

 Notes.) 



Thunder — Red Man — Two Little Bed Men. — The Thunder is referred 

 to by these three different names. The two former refer to the 

 Thunder himself; the latter to his two sons. Often in the formulas the 

 Thunder is spoken of as surrounded by a host of Little Red Men, all 

 Thunderers. 



The heavy rolling crashes of thunder are said to be the voice of 

 Thunder himself, whereas the lighter, metallic peals of thunder are 

 ascribed to the Little Red Men. 



