Seventh Annual Report Part 81

In the recitation which follows the song, but is used only in serious cases, the doctor prays to the whirlwind, which is considered to dwell among the trees on the mountain side, where the trembling of the leaves always gives the first intimation of its presence. He declares that a small portion of the disease still remains, the spirits invoked in the song having already taken the rest, and calls upon the whirlwind to lay down a path for it and sweep it away into the swamp on the upland, referring to gra.s.sy marshes common in the small coves of the higher mountains, which, being remote from the settlements, are convenient places to which to banish the disease. Not satisfied with this, he goes on to direct the whirlwind to scatter the disease as it scatters the leaves of the forest, so that it shall utterly disappear.

In the Cherokee formula the verb a?netsgeta means literally to play, and is generally understood to refer to the ball play, anets, so that to a Cherokee the expression conveys the idea of catching up the disease and driving it onward as a player seizes the ball and sends it spinning through the air from between his ball sticks. Nigagi is a solemn expression about equivalent to the Latin consummatum est.

The doctor beats up some bark from the trunk of the wild cherry and puts it into water together with seven coals of fire, the latter being intended to warm the decoction. The leaves of Tsl-agaynli (Indian tobacco--Nicotiana rustica) are sometimes used in place of the wild cherry bark. The patient is placed facing the sunrise, and the doctor, taking the medicine in his mouth, blows it over the body of the sick man. First, standing between the patient and the sunrise and holding the medicine cup in his hand, he sings the first verse in a low tone. Then, taking some of the liquid in his mouth, he advances and blows it successively upon the top of the head, the right shoulder, left shoulder, and breast or back of the patient, making four blowings in all. He repeats the same ceremony with the second, third, and fourth verse, returning each time to his original position.

The ceremony takes place in the morning, and if necessary is repeated in the evening. It is sometimes necessary also to repeat the treatment for several--generally four--consecutive days.

The recitation is not used excepting in the most serious cases, when, according to the formula, a very small portion of the disease still lingers. It is accompanied by blowing _of the breath alone_, without medicine, probably in this case typical of the action of the whirlwind. After repeating the whole ceremony accompanying the song, as above described, the doctor returns to his position in front of the patient and recites in a whisper the first paragraph to the Little Whirlwind, after which he advances and blows his breath upon the patient four times as he has already blown the medicine upon him. Then going around to the north he recites the second paragraph to the Great Whirlwind, and at its conclusion blows in the same manner. Then moving around to the west--behind the patient--he again prays to the Little Whirlwind with the same ceremonies, and finally moving around to the south side he closes with the prayer to the Great Whirlwind, blowing four times at its conclusion. The medicine must be prepared anew by the doctor at the house of the patient at each application morning or evening. Only as much as will be needed is made at a time, and the patient always drinks what remains after the blowing. Connected with the preparation and care of the medicine are a number of ceremonies which need not be detailed here. The wild cherry bark must always be procured fresh; but the Tsl-agaynli (Old Tobacco) leaves may be dry. When the latter plant is used four leaves are taken and steeped in warm water with the fire coals, as above described.

HIA TSUNSDIGA DIL?TADINATANTIYI. I.

Sge! Hisgaya Ts?sdiga ha-ngwa datlehng kil-gw. Iynta agaynlinasi tayai. Eskaniyu unayehisti nnta-yutanati. Sge! tinlitgi!

Tlekiyu tstsestgi hwinagi. Y!

Sge! Higecya ts?sdiga ha-ngwa datlehng kil-gw. Iynta tstutunasi tayai. Eskaniyu unayehisti nntayutanati. Sge! tinlitgi!

Tlekiyu tstsest hwinagi. Y!

_Translation._

THIS IS TO MAKE CHILDREN JUMP DOWN.

Listen! You little man, get up now at once. There comes an old woman.

The horrible [old thing] is coming, only a little way off. Listen!

Quick! Get your bed and let us run away. Y!

Listen! You little woman, get up now at once. There comes your grandfather. The horrible old fellow is coming only a little way off.

Listen! Quick! Get your bed and let us run away. Y!

_Explanation._

In this formula for childbirth the idea is to frighten the child and coax it to come, by telling it, if a boy, that an ugly old woman is coming, or if a girl, that her grandfather is coming only a short distance away. The reason of this lies in the fact that an old woman is the terror of all the little boys of the neighborhood, constantly teasing and frightening them by declaring that she means to live until they grow up and then compel one of them to marry her, old and shriveled as she is. For the same reason the maternal grandfather, who is always a privileged character in the family, is especially dreaded by the little girls, and nothing will send a group of children running into the house more quickly than the announcement that an old granny, of either s.e.x is in sight.

As the s.e.x is an uncertain quant.i.ty, the possible boy is always first addressed in the formulas, and if no result seems to follow, the doctor then concludes that the child is a girl and addresses her in similar tones. In some cases an additional formula with the beads is used to determine whether the child will be born alive or dead.

In most instances the formulas were formerly repeated with the appropriate ceremonies by some old female relative of the mother, but they are now the property of the ordinary doctors, men as well as women.

This formula was obtained from the ma.n.u.script book of A?ynini, who stated that the medicine used was a warm decoction of a plant called Dalnige Unastetsi (yellow root--not identified), which was blown successively upon the top of the mothers head, upon the breast, and upon the palm of each hand. The doctor stands beside the woman, who is propped up in a sitting position, while repeating the first paragraph and then blows. If this produces no result he then recites the paragraph addressed to the girl and again blows. A part of the liquid is also given to the woman to drink. A?ynini claimed this was always effectual.

(HIA TSUNSDIGA DIL?TADINATANTIYI. II.)

Hitsutsa, hitsutsa, tlekiyu, tlekiyu, ehinugi, ehinugi! Hitsutsa, tlekiyu, gltsti, gltsti, tinagna, tinagna!

Hige?yutsa, hige?yutsa, tlekiyu, tlekiyu, ehinugi, ehinugi! Hige?yutsa, tlekiyu, gngusti, gngusti, tinagna, tinagna!

_Translation._

THIS IS TO MAKE CHILDREN JUMP DOWN.

Little boy, little boy, hurry, hurry, come out, come out! Little boy, hurry; a bow, a bow; lets see wholl get it, lets see wholl get it!

Little girl, little girl, hurry, hurry, come out, come out. Little girl, hurry; a sifter, a sifter; lets see wholl get it, lets see wholl get it!

_Explanation._

This formula was obtained from Takwatihi, as given to him by a specialist in this line. Takwatihi himself knew nothing of the treatment involved, but a decoction is probably blown upon the patient as described in the preceding formula. In many cases the medicine used is simply cold water, the idea being to cause a sudden muscular action by the chilling contact. In this formula the possible boy or girl is coaxed out by the promise of a bow or a meal-sifter to the one who can get it first. Among the Cherokees it is common, in asking about the s.e.x of a new arrival, to inquire, Is it a bow or a sifter? or Is it ball sticks or bread?

DAL'NI nNAGEI ADANnWTI.

Yuhaahi, (yuhaahi, yuhaahi, yuhaahi,) Yuhaahi, (yuhaahi, yuhaahi), Y!

Sge! ntal-egwhi didulthisti ulsgeta. Usinuli dt.i.tulenei. Usinuli dunuy?tanilei.

Sge! Ha-ngwa statnganiga, nndyi distul?thisti, Stisgaya Dist?sdiga, stidawehi-gg.

ntal-egwa dt.i.tulene(i) ulsgeta. Usinuli detistl?taniga ulsgeta. Ditutalennitsa nnnahi ?idetutanntasi, nntaduktahnsti nigesnna. N?gi iyaynlatagi ayweslnta dedudnelisesti, Gntsattagiy tistadiglahisesti. Tidudale?n(i) ntalegw ??tistl?tatinntaniga. Na?na witl?thistaniga, taduktahnsti nigesnna.

Ha-na?na ??dulthistesti. (Y!)

(Degasisisgni)--Hia aninetsi ga?tiski adannwti. Untla atsila ti?ti yigi.

_Translation._

TO TREAT THE BLACK YELLOWNESS.

Yuhaahi, yuhaahi, yuhaahi, yuhaahi, Yuhaahi, yuhaahi, yuhaahi Y!

Listen! In the great lake the intruder reposes. Quickly he has risen up there. Swiftly he has come and stealthily put himself (under the sick man).

Listen! Ha! Now you two have drawn near to hearken, there in the Sun Land you repose, O Little Men, O great anidawehi! The intruder has risen up there in the great lake. Quickly you two have lifted up the intruder. His paths have laid themselves down toward the direction whence he came. Let him never look back (toward us). When he stops to rest at the four gaps you will drive him roughly along. Now he has plunged into the great lake from which he came. There he is compelled to remain, never to look back. Ha! there let him rest. (Y!)

(Directions.)--This is to treat them when their breast swells. Fire (coals) is not put down.

_Explanation._

This formula, from A?yninis ma.n.u.script, is used in treating a disease known as Dalni, literally, yellow. From the vague description of symptoms given by the doctors, it appears to be an aggravated form of biliousness, probably induced by late suppers and bad food. According to the Indian theory it is caused by revengeful animals, especially by the terrapin and its cousin, the turtle.

The doctors recognize several forms of the disease, this variety being distinguished as the black dalni (Dalni nnagei) and considered the most dangerous. In this form of dalni, according to their account, the navel and abdomen of the patient swell, the ends of his fingers become black, dark circles appear about his eyes, and the throat contracts spasmodically and causes him to fall down suddenly insensible. A?yninis method of treatment is to rub the breast and abdomen of the patient with the hands, which have been previously rubbed together in the warm infusion of wild cherry (taya) bark. The song is sung while rubbing the hands together in the liquid, and the prayer is repeated while rubbing the swollen abdomen of the patient.

The operation may be repeated several times on successive days.

The song at the beginning has no meaning and is sung in a low plaintive lullaby tone, ending with a sharp _Yu!_ The prayer possesses a special interest, as it brings out several new points in the Cherokee mythologic theory of medicine. The intruder, which is held to be some amphibious animal--as a terrapin, turtle, or snake--is declared to have risen up from his dwelling place in the great lake, situated toward the sunset, and to have come by stealth under the sick man. The verb implies that the disease spirit _creeps under_ as a snake might crawl under the coverlet of a bed.

The two Little Men in the Sun Land are now invoked to drive out the disease. Who these Little Men are is not clear, although they are regarded as most powerful spirits and are frequently invoked in the formulas. They are probably the two Thunder Boys, sons of Kanati.

The Little Men come instantly when summoned by the shaman, pull out the intruder from the body of the patient, turn his face toward the sunset, and begin to drive him on by threats and blows (expressed in the word gntsatatagiy) to the great lake from which he came.