Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

74 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99
this taboo simply that he may not be visited Avith toothache. If his
Nvife is careful not to leave any offal of dressed game about the yard
this again is done in order that none of the household may contract a
disease.
Similarly, amulets and charms are, usually worn with the definite
object of averting evil under aD its multifarious forms, of which
disease is by no means the least miportant.
Another reason for the lack of prophylactic measures among these
peoples may be that the thought of a sporadic illness or ailment is not
of so serious a nature as to impress their minds enough to set them to
actively thinking of an expedient to avert the calamity. In this
respect it is interesting to note how thoroughly and generally "prophylaxis"
is practiced against all contagious diseases and epidemics,
such as primus inter pares, smallpox, that terrible scourge of American
Indians in general and of the Cherokee in particular.
Yet, with the Cherokee, beliefs and practice with regard to prophy-
laxis in disease are not quite so hopeless as we find them elsewhere;
I do not mean to say that they pay such attention to rules of hygiene
as we would approve of, nor that they practice certain prophylactic
measures that we would consider efficacious, but we are confronted
with a more pronounced exertion to forestall sickness and pain than
we are wont to find; this has to be accounted for, no doubt, by the
tremendous stress which is laid in Cherokee tribal life on the very
problems of disease and curing.
As we have seen, according to the Cherokee theory of disease and
its causes, disease preferably attacks—whether of its o^^^l accord or
by the activity of a powerful disease causer—those people who are
"constitutionally predisposed" as we would put it. Witches
especially, and man-killers, evil wizards, attack people that are w^eak
and in poor health, because these wiU far more easily fall a victim and
a prey to their nefarious machinations than would the stronger,
healthier, more robust mdividuals.
As soon, therefore, as anybody is grievously ill, one or more medi-
cine men or lay assistants (the latter often relatives of the patient)
take turns to watch in his cabin from sunset to sunrise in order to
"guard against witchcraft." The smoldering ashes of the hearth
are raked to one side and nicely trimmed into a neat little cone-shaped
heap. A tiny pinch of crushed "old" tobacco {Nicotiana rusiica L.)
is dropped over the smoldering ashes. If a particle of the tobacco
dust should flare up on any of the sides of the cone of ashes this shows
that a witch is on the way to the dwelling of the sick person to aggra-
vate his condition; should the worker of evil happen to be right
overhead, or should he, though invisible, be inside the room, the
sacred tobacco would land right on the top of the heap of ashes, and
there flare up with a loud burst; this burst is beheved to kill the witch.