180 



both French and English to exi>ress the aboriginal magic arts, has no 

 therapentic significaiu^e. Vciy few even pretended remedies were ad- 

 ministered to the natives and probably never by the jn'ofessional 

 shaman, who worked by incantation, often pnlverizing and mixing the 

 snbstances mystically used, to prevent their detection. The same mix- 

 tures were employed in divination. The author particularly mentions 

 Mandan ceremonies, in which a white "medicine" stone, as hard as 

 pyrites, was produced by rubbing in the hand snow, or the white feath- 

 ers of a bird. The blowing away of tlie disease, considered to be intro 

 duced by a supernatural power foreign to the body, was a common part 

 of the juggling performance. 



The right index is pointed toward the ground in several ditt'erent di- 

 rections in front of the body, and then the other lingers and thumb are 

 extended, and the hand carried from the median line of the body with 

 a gradually decreasing spiral motion to directly over the head, where 

 the hand points upright, edge of hand toward the front. (DaJcota I.) 

 " Mysterious, hence sacred ; power of herbs over disease." 



iTledic'iiie iTInn. Siiaiitaii. (Compare Doctor.) 



This double sign is made with the right hand, describing man first. 

 Uring hand up to front of right shoulder, forefinger straight upright 

 (J, palm inward); move forward, then bring it up front of face with first 

 and second fingers straight and upward, separated (I¥, palm inward). 

 Then make three or four moves in a circle with the hand in that position. 

 The arm is not necessarily moved, oidy the hand from wrist up. [Chey- 

 enne 1\.) "The medicine sign as made, supposed to represent singing 

 and shaking the wand in incantations." 



Make shaking and short jerking motions of the body, with arms and 

 hands jerking and fingers pointing to and around liead, neck, and body, 

 with wild gestures and distorted features, also short quivering stejis, 

 the toes scarcely leaving the ground, and wild shakes of the head. 

 {Ojlhwa IV.) 



First make the sign for Daloia Indians (See Tribal Signs), (or any 

 other tribe, as maybe desired), then the sign for ITIan, and then the 

 right hand with fore and index fingers extended, pointing upward, others 

 closed (]lf), is carried from the partially extended position of the hand 

 on completing the sign for Ulan, upward, with a s])iral motion, directly 

 above the head. {i>akota I.) 



With its iudex-finger extended aud pointing upward, or all the fingers 

 extended, back of hand outward, move the right hand from just in front 

 of the forehead, spirally upward, nearly to arm's length, from left to right, 

 in the opposite direction to the sign for Fool and Cra^y. {Dakota IV.) 



