ol,BRECHTs] THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT 299 



described, the sucking being done by the medicine man, who holds 

 ice or snow water in his mouth. 



"I am a wolf" is properly tstwa"ya' the initial syllable being 

 doubled to fill in the meter of the song. "Deer" is properly a'wi', 

 the final ya being added for the same reason. 



The opossum has now two names: i;TyQ'su"Ga,and st*'kwa uDzc'tsti, 

 the latter meaning literally "grinning hog." It seems probable, 

 however, that st^'kwa was originally the name of the opossum alone, 

 and that, on account of the resemblance of the two animals, the name 

 was applied to the hog on its introduction by the whites, thus render- 

 ing an [epithet] necessary to distinguish [the former from the latter]. 



88 

 {Waf "wa*s5"la tsa'nb.se!?-' a'Da'n9-wo-t*i' ^) 



this "cocoon" as they call it to cure anyone 



(Hab.) with 



waGu' {4 times). 



(moth) 

 larva 



Ga-"wu' (4- times). 



it is pul- 

 verized 



Sa'na' (4 times). 



This is the Medicine (for) What They Call "Cocoons" 



FREE TRANSLATION 



Cocoon! (4iiwes). 

 Pulverized! (4 times). 

 Sana (?) (4 times). 



EXPLANATION 



"wa'so'la is the name of a small species of "horned" caterpillar, 

 and also of the tobacco worm, as well as of a butterfly or moth orig- 

 inating from one of the larvae named. The name is also applied by 

 medicine men to a peculiar chilling boil or swelling, because it resem- 

 bles the same chUling or shuddering effect as that resulting from 

 contact with the larvae. Presumably the worm so constantly trodden 

 and crushed under the careless foot of man is held responsible for the 

 boil. The treatment consists in merely pressing the previously 

 warmed thumb upon the swelling, repeating four times each of the 

 words of the formula. [It has taken considerable effort to get the 

 meaning of the first two words. As for sa'na', it has not been possible 

 to find out its meaning or to analyze it, the most erudite m.edicine 

 men themselves being in the dark about these three words.] 



5° Interpolated by J. M., probably based ou information by Ay. 



