252 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99 



This is the Medicine for Their Breast, When the Terrapin 

 Affects them as They go About 



frp:e translation 



Now then! Ha, now he has his trails stretched about toward the 

 little mountains in the direction of the Night Land. It is the Terrapin 

 that has caused it. He has conic to hang in the middle (of the body). 

 It is but a ghost. 



Now, however, thou Old White One, at the very edge of thy body 

 he ' is sitting. It is the Terrapin that has put the important thing 

 under him. It is but a ghost. Thou Old White One, thou hast come 

 to make the important thing relinquish its grasp. Let him err about 

 under the swamp, yonder in the Night Land. He has been made 

 weak, and not for one night (only, but forever). Relief will be 

 caused continuously. 



explanation 



This is a formida for the cure of an abdominal pain, probably due 

 to the violation of some one of the rules of digestion, although the 

 medicine man asserts that it is caused by the Terrapin, which in some 

 way "spoils the saliva" of the patient. This diagnosis is based 

 exclusively upon the fact that in the disturbed sleep which accompanies 

 the illness, the sick man dreams of terrapins. Precisely the same dis- 

 ease would be ascribed to the evil agency of the snakes or of the 

 fish, or of any other animal, if the sufferer happened to dream of 

 them. 



In the formula the Fu-e is addressed as the Ancient White One, 

 and is asked to drive out the important thing, the disease which has 

 come from the little mountains in the Night Land, the W^est, and 

 to put it away under the mud, so that it may not get out again to 

 do any further mischief. The fire is generally invoked against the 

 terrapins, snakes and fishes, for the reason that these cold-blooded 

 animals are unable to withstand the heat. 



The treatment consists of rubbing the abdomen and administering 

 a strong herb decoction to cause vomiting so as to dislodge the "spoiled 

 saliva." The plants used are skwo-'l i;*'t'8n5""\ Asarum canadense L., 

 asarabacca, wild ginger; skwo''l ustf'ca, Hepatica acutiloba DC, 

 liver leaf; tii'ksi wo*yi', Epigaea repens L., mayflower. 



The last name means "terrapin's paw," a fact which doubtless 

 has something to do with its selection in this case. The decoction is 

 boiled four times, as already explained, until it becomes a thick 

 sirup. On each of the four days the patient drinks the liquid until 

 he vomits, when no more is drunk until next day. The medicine 

 must not necessarily be prepared by the medicine man, but may be 



1 The patient. 



