OLBUECHTs] THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT 203 



This (is) fok Using the Snake Tooth at the Scratching of 



Them 



FREE TRANSLATION 



Come on! 



Yuhahi, hahi (four times). 



Now t]ien! Thou on high who hast apportioned them, thou hast 

 caused the white bones to come down. Where the body is, thou 

 hast come to stick them into. Relieved! Sharply. 



explanation 



The scratching operation, for which this and similar formulas are 

 intended to be used, is a frequent preliminary to the application 

 of medicine in the treatment of rhemnatism, languor, and kindred 

 ailments, as well as in preparing contestants for the ball game. 

 [See p. 68.] 



This formula was originally obtained by Ay. from an old man 

 who must have been born at least as early as 1780. As the heading 

 states, it is for scratching with tlie snake tooth. It consists of 

 two parts, the first of which is sung, the second recited. 



The song, the words of which are meaningless, is sung by the 

 medicine man to a simple and pleasing tune, while standing facing 

 the patient and holding the snake tooth, grasjjed between the thumb 

 and forefinger of his uplifted right hand. As he sings, the spirit 

 of the rattlesnake enters into the tooth, which becomes alive and 

 moves about between the fingers of the medicine man. This is 

 tlie Indian explanation of the fact, which may be accounted for 

 on more reasonable grounds. The medicine man, while singing, 

 labors under suppressed excitement and stands with tense muscles 

 in a constrained position, the nat\iral result being that before the 

 song is ended his hand involuntarily begins to tremble and the 

 muscles of the fingers to twitch. The pecidiar hook shape of the 

 tooth renders its slightest movement perceptible. On finishing 

 the song the doctor brings the tooth up to his mouth with a loug 

 "du!" followed by a staccato "du, du, du, du," as he blows upon 

 it. He then touches it to his mouth. The song is repeated four 

 times, after which he proceeds to scratch the patient. [See p. 70.] 



The skin is scratched only once, viz, before the first application 

 of the medicine, but the medicine is applied four times. If, how- 

 ever, the treatment is continued for four days, the scratching may 

 be repeated every morning. 



The medicine which is rubbed on consists of a warm infusion 

 of the leaves of fw'si3'!i, Leucothoe catesbaei (Walt.) Gray, gray fetter 

 bush; Du'su'ca tsu'nstroa, Kalmia latijolia L., mountain laurel, 

 calico bush, spoon wood; nu's^'ca tsu'nt'ano". Rhododendron maxi- 



