Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

Srecuts] the swimmer manuscript 241
medicine men consulted to be an abbreviation of Gf'na a'^'ye'lrsai,
a mythic kind of serpent which owes its name to its habit of imitating
(a'"yc--h-'sGi = he imitates, Hab.) the bleat of a fawn ((a)Gi-na') so as
to ensnare its mother.
On hearing the bleating, the doe, believing her young calls her,
hurries to the spot, and the mythic serpent catches the artless animal,
by merely striking out its huge tongue, and swallows it. [The extraordinary
"licking" powers of this monster is without any doubt the
reason why it is being appealed to in this fonnula to come and lick
or suck the wound.]
The Lizard meant is the alligator lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
which has the habit of alternately puffing out and drawing in its
throat, as though sucldng, when basldng in the sun. There is an
obvious consistency in calHng upon these two animals, in accordance
with their nature to suck the wound.
The medicine is tobacco juice [ordinary chewing tobacco being
used]. The medicine man recites tlio first paragraph while chewing
the tobacco, and then applying his mouth to the wound, sucks out
the poisonous matter or Dalo''ni, "yellow." Then, taking a fresh
quid, he recites the second paragraph, and again sucks the wound in
the same manner. The whole ceremony is then repeated, so as to
make four suckings, which are said to be sufficient in ordinary cases.
The medicine man holds the tobacco in his mouth wliile sucking, and
does not, as might be supposed, suck out the poison first, and then
apply the tobacco juice. Before chewing tobacco, as it is now used,
was introduced by white traders, the medicine men probably used
tso''laGay9''"li, Nicotiana rustica L., wild tobacco [which has now
become so scarce with the Cherokee that it is only used in minute
quantities in certain of the more important ceremonies. (See p. 75.)].
SGe" I
48
!tV u-^ndJe'^o^'sGy-' a'Da'n^-'wo-t'i'
this whenever they have it hot to cure anyone with
'a-.uso!'-i tso'tlt'o't'sti a'tsuti' o'na'Gf |
Now then Im, night, Loc thou art staying fish black he has got up,
Do-Hsiile"-
nf.i' i-'G-aye^'li i;'so"-ido' D'n^'N'a'lf'.i' I nQDO'.'-jd Di,'tsotl=
facing day, middle night, been he has come and sun, Loc thou art
us, done it, App
App
t'o't'sti a'tsiiti' vne*'G9 |
.i' ^^ t-'G-aye^'li |
staying flsh white
DO''Diyi;'l€'nf
he has arisen, facing us, App day, middle
't'so°.i^ u'lDiDi-'-tlo-GWO"^' ^^
ay0*Ve*'S0'tlQ''D9 DO-'oZLile^Ilf .i'
this other near by, direct., L he resting as he goes along he has got up, facing
us, App
8' Archaic form; same meaning as DO"Dzi;le'n€-.i (line 5).
88 W. D. form; C. D.^vlUuzoowb".