26 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99 



explaining the "Origin of Disease," collected by Mooney (Myths, 

 pp. 250-252). Mooney has also described the role of such animal 

 spirits as Little Deer, White Bear, etc., so thoroughly that it is super- 

 fluous to duplicate those descriptions here. 



For further details regarding the animal spirits the reader is refer- 

 red to the "List of Spirits," pages 44-50. 



For a discussion of the animal ghosts, as distinct from animal 

 spirits, see pages 26-28. 



Ghosts 



To the spirits and animal spirits as discussed in the preceding 

 paragraphs should be added "ghosts," i. e., according to the Cherokee 

 views, the immaterial, spiritual, immortal part of human beings and 

 animals that have lived the life and died the death of commonplace 

 creatures. 



The motives that entice human ghosts, a"'msGt"'na (sgl. asGf'na) 

 and animal ghosts 'o°*ta'li (sing, and pi.) to visit mankind with disease 

 and death are quite different and will be treated separately. 



Human ghosts (a'ntSGf'na). — When people who have died go to 

 tsu'sGtno'!i " (the place) where the (human) ghosts (are) " (see p. 142), 

 the place out West where they stay, they feel lonesome and homesick 

 and want the company of their friends and relatives. They therefore 

 make them sick and suffering, so that they may die and come and 

 join them in the Ghost Land. 



It was emphatically stated to me by informants that there is not 

 a shadow of mahgnity or jealousy about this activity of the ghosts of 

 the departed ; they act out of pure love, devotion, affection, and all 

 other commendable motives. Yet the living are not quite bent on 

 this mode the ghosts indulge in of showing their affection, and they 

 leave no means untried to escape from the ghosts' influence. I have 

 been able to observe real poignant cases, where filial affection forced 

 a person's attention again and again on the memory of a dearly 

 beloved parent, so much so that he would brood and pine away and 

 languish, but at the same time he felt that he must at all costs make 

 efforts to forget and to make merry, as thinldng and dreaming about 

 the departed ones is the very first symptom of a disease sent by the 

 a^ntSG(.''na. 



Animal ghosts ('5°'ta'li). — With the diminishing curve the impor- 

 tance of hunting has made with the Cherokee, they are not now ascrib- 

 ing so much power to the animal ghosts as they once did. The 

 references to them have to be gleaned chiefly from the formulas, as 

 there is now no Cherokee medicine man living who can give any 

 satisfactory information on the subject. Mooney had already to 

 cope with the same difficulty, and translated '5°'ta'li as "after-ghost," 

 or "secondary ghost," basing his conclusion on the following facts: 



