oSmECHTsl THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT 243 



OlbreciitsJ 



indeed will be caused constantly, (and) not for one night (only, but 

 forever). Relief has been caused . Sharply! 



EXPLANATION 



The medicine used with this formula to cure fever attacks is a 

 decoction of Dale-'oa tsw^'nt'ono"", Linum usitatissimum L., common 

 flax, with which the patient is washed, the medicine man pouring the 

 liquid upon the head and allowing it to nm down over the body of 

 the sick man. 



The medicine man first recites the whole formula, then applies the 

 liquid, and finally blows his breath four times upon the head and 

 shoulders of the patient. This is repeated four times at each appli- 

 cation, and the ceremony is repeated four tunes before noon, and for 

 four days, if necessary. The Cherokee medicine men are said to be 

 skillful in treating fevers, and the patient commonly experiences 

 speedy relief. 



This formula is again a beautiful exemplification of the Cherokee 

 disease theories: the fever is caused by the fish, i. e., the fish- 

 ghosts, not by the living fish, which are harmless. The Black Fish 

 lises up from the great lake in the west, or "Night Land," and is 

 joined by the White Fish from the east, or "Sun Land." The two 

 go along side by side until they come to the abodes of men, or in the 

 words of the formula ["where human beings (live) and move flittingly 

 about"]. Here they pause overhead and look down, filled with 

 envious admiration. From the east and from the west they bring 

 two s]Dirits of Heat, and send them down upon the people to parch 

 and wither them as with a hot blast. 



But now the medicine man calls upon the spirit of Cold, the Blue 

 Man of the Cold Land or north, to drive out the Heat. Pie comes at 

 once and breaks the hold of the disease spirit upon the sick man, and 

 drives him on toward the great lake of the west, where all disease is 

 banished. This result is not attained by one effort, for the disease 

 spirit is seen ["'flittingly, carrying on his activity in other places"]. 

 But finally it is pushed into the great lake by its pursuer, where it 

 must forever remain. 



49 



Va Dawt•'ne'a»^ u-'mtlQ-rjg-'.i^^ ( 



this they living in whenever they are ill 



the wood 



Da-'"waDZi,-'b I k'y'Wtyv^sti \ fne'Ja | Df'tlast9Gf'sti I 

 (Slippery Elm) (Sycamore) (limetree) (foxglove) 



sy.i"' so-"Gwo"' f'^'ye^n^-'^Do wo-'ttGe*"' no.tsf'-'i tav'^^ye'Gq-' 



other one it has grown up brown pine, Loc they stand 



up (II) 



"' Contracted out of a'tS,-a'wfiu-an€!i wood, underneath, they are living. 

 »2 W. Dial, form; W. Dial. -tl->C. Dial. -ts-. 



