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184 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99 by the medicine man while warming his hand, prior to rubbing the patient's stomach, but it does not appear in the original manu- script. The observant habit of the Indian is shown in the reference to the watchfulness of the otter, one of its distinguishing characteris- tics. The feature of quoting the words of the spirit invoked, as in this case the medicine man quotes the words of the otter, occurs fre- quently in the formulas, especially in those addressed to the Fire. [As students of comparative folldore will know, this feature is also often met with in European formulas, the most universally known specimen being the First Merseburger Conjuration.^'] SGe" Now then Gwu-Df na Now— *a'-no' °Gwo"' ha! now 5h'Ga' it for him iva: this *a'-no-GWo"' ha! Now i;'*sonD''li quickly ytst^'nawa^ beyond it stretched 9 Danme"'su'G9"'(.i^^) | whenever they have them drooping u''s5ni;''li akski' ts^'Nah'Ga' [ *a-no*'= quickly enemy he has come to hit thee ha! a'kskt-Gwo"' ts9'Nal5!i' *tGe-'se-°.i' I enemy, L (=E) i;tst"nawu-Gwo"' beyond-it stretched— :t a Danme" sy Gcjm this whenever they have them drooping DtDZO-'"t*a.e-'tfGWO"' | they must be blown— ye'ti" *t'Ges^*.i' rubbed that which used to be aDO ntGa it has been said na.sld' this here at'-tse'U wood green he has hit thee that which is—App. nf'D8.t'an9"'°D8 it has been said at the same time I SGe" now then! ny'sti' so far like nQVo't't-N*5°' to cure with-and i^GaWe"'stl no'''t'9-ne-'= thou hast come to do 'i-Gl it is to be said that which is This (is for) When They Have Them Drooping FREE TRANSLATION Di'Gan9dt'= they must be Now then! Ha, just now the enemy has suddenly come and struck thee. Ha, just now indeed, the enemy himself struck thee, it appears. Ha, now relief indeed has been caused at the same tune, thou hast come to do it for him. Relief indeed has been caused. Now then! This (is for) when they have them drooping. Just like this it has to be said. It should be blown on them, alder (which) is the medicine, (or) it should be rubbed on them. EXPLANATION Dant'ne''si;*G9*'.i is the technical name for an affection of the eyes in which the sufferer is unable to bear the strong light of the sun or of 31 Cf. also some European parallels: v. Hov. & Kr. II, 77, 332, 399. 22 Emendation by editor.

oScHTs] THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT 185 the blazing fire without pain. In treating it, the medicine man uses an infusion of alder bark, which he blows or rubs into the open eyes of the patient. The medicine man sometimes simply chews the bark and blows out the juice upon the eyes. [The disease is caused by seeing a rattlesnake ; the snake is being referred to by a circumlocution : akski' so as not to offend it the more by calling its name. It is worthy of interest that even the common name of the rattlesnake, uDzo'N^ti', is a euphemism, meaning **the admirable one" («/-tso'N!-=admire.) (See p. 14.)] 10 Dant'ne*sv'GQ".'[i] a'Da'n9*'wo*t't' IVaf | when they have them the medicine this drooping l*a-D9-'"tawa' 'i-Da-'"we'j' | Galp-'ladi' t'aDw'yQ-na' | utst^*- ha! roller thou wizard above thou hast formed thyself beyond it na'"wa' aDo*'nfGa' | tsu'lu'st | it stretched it has been said (Onomat.) tsu'lu'st I tswlu'st | tswlu'st | When They Have Them Drooping, This is the Medicine FREE TRANSLATION O Miller, thou wizard, thou hast originated on high. Relief has been caused. explanation This is another formula for the same purpose as the one last given. The medicine man uses no medicine, but simply sings the verse, and then blows his breath four times, into the eyes of the patient. The ceremony is generally repeated four times. [The D9*Dawa' (really acg-Dawa') is a small whitish miller, which flies about the light at night. The name implies that it "playfully roUs over and over (in the flame)." A word of the same stem, "aD^Dawtska," is used for hens curing their feathers in the dust, and also for dogs playfully rolling over in the grass or in the snow.] On account of its affinity for the fire, the DQ*'Dawa' is invoked in all that the medicine men call "fire diseases." [These include this eye trouble because the patient afflicted with it can not stand the glare of the blazing fire. Curiously enough, frostbite is also considered as belonging to this class, because it affects like a burn or a scald.] The final "tsu'li/st" uttered four times in a sharp voice [may be] intended to imitate the sound heard when the insect singes its wings in the blaze.

184 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99<br />

by the medicine man while warming his hand, prior to rubbing<br />

the patient's stomach, but it does not appear in the original manu-<br />

script.<br />

The observant habit of the Indian is shown in the reference to<br />

the watchfulness of the otter, one of its distinguishing characteris-<br />

tics.<br />

The feature of quoting the words of the spirit invoked, as in this<br />

case the medicine man quotes the words of the otter, occurs fre-<br />

quently in the formulas, especially in those addressed to the Fire.<br />

[As students of comparative folldore will know, this feature is also<br />

often met with in European formulas, the most universally known<br />

specimen being the First Merseburger Conjuration.^']<br />

SGe"<br />

Now then<br />

Gwu-Df na<br />

Now—<br />

*a'-no' °Gwo"'<br />

ha! now<br />

5h'Ga'<br />

it for him<br />

iva:<br />

this<br />

*a'-no-GWo"'<br />

ha! Now<br />

i;'*sonD''li<br />

quickly<br />

ytst^'nawa^<br />

beyond it stretched<br />

9<br />

Danme"'su'G9"'(.i^^) |<br />

whenever they have them drooping<br />

u''s5ni;''li akski' ts^'Nah'Ga' [<br />

*a-no*'=<br />

quickly enemy he has come to hit thee ha!<br />

a'kskt-Gwo"' ts9'Nal5!i' *tGe-'se-°.i' I<br />

enemy, L (=E)<br />

i;tst"nawu-Gwo"'<br />

beyond-it stretched—<br />

:t a Danme" sy Gcjm<br />

this whenever they have them<br />

drooping<br />

DtDZO-'"t*a.e-'tfGWO"' |<br />

they must be blown—<br />

ye'ti" *t'Ges^*.i'<br />

rubbed that which used to be<br />

aDO ntGa<br />

it has been said<br />

na.sld'<br />

this here<br />

at'-tse'U<br />

wood green<br />

he has hit thee that which is—App.<br />

nf'D8.t'an9"'°D8<br />

it has been said at<br />

the same time<br />

I<br />

SGe"<br />

now then!<br />

ny'sti'<br />

so far like<br />

nQVo't't-N*5°'<br />

to cure with-and<br />

i^GaWe"'stl<br />

no'''t'9-ne-'=<br />

thou hast<br />

come to do<br />

'i-Gl<br />

it is to be said that which is<br />

This (is for) When They Have Them Drooping<br />

FREE TRANSLATION<br />

Di'Gan9dt'=<br />

they must be<br />

Now then! Ha, just now the enemy has suddenly come and struck<br />

thee. Ha, just now indeed, the enemy himself struck thee, it appears.<br />

Ha, now relief indeed has been caused at the same tune, thou hast<br />

come to do it for him. Relief indeed has been caused. Now then!<br />

This (is for) when they have them drooping. Just like this it has<br />

to be said. It should be blown on them, alder (which) is the medicine,<br />

(or) it should be rubbed on them.<br />

EXPLANATION<br />

Dant'ne''si;*G9*'.i is the technical name for an affection of the eyes<br />

in which the sufferer is unable to bear the strong light of the sun or of<br />

31 Cf. also some European parallels: v. Hov. & Kr. II, 77, 332, 399.<br />

22 Emendation by editor.

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