Untitled - Smithsonian Institution

14 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 99
preter, or by myself. In every case the interpolation is accounted
for in a footnote.
Words or sentences between brackets, in the explanatory notes
following every one of the formulas, are by the editor. All the rest
in these explanatory notes is the work of James Mooney.
DISEASE—ITS NATURE AND ITS CAUSES
Nature of Disease
Many of the facts contained in this paper are bound to remain
unintelligible if no sound understanding is gained into the Cherokee
conceptions of disease.
These are not by any means so simple or uniform as many theorists
are wont to ascribe to peoples at this stage of culture.
Disease in general is commonly referred to by the word : uVu'ci,
which is no doubt related with the stem -yl-juG- "resentment" (cf.
Gpyu'ca— "I have resentment toward thee.")
In the ritualistic language of the formulas, however, this expression
never occurs, ulsGe^'no^ always being used in its stead. The original
meaning of this word has now been lost, even by the medicine men,
who always claim it merely means "the disease present in the body,"
and Mooney accordingly invariably translated it as "the intruder."
Although this way of translating it conveys its general meaning,
there is cause to discuss it somewhat further. It appears from various
expressions that can be compared with the one under discussion that
the meaning would be "that which is important." Although this
concept is usually rendered Galg'' "^kw'tfyu' in the ordinary language,
yet such expressions as the following are still in constant use:
i;lsGe*'Do° dzt'li;*Gi', "I came on important business."
(Ga)Do-^iyi;lsG€"'Do° 'Q-lu'ci', "What on earth didst thou come in
here for?" (implied: It must be very important, else thou wouldst not
have come).
i-GQ-'wi;lsGe*'Do° "of but trivial worth; not important."
These expressions clearly prove what the true meaning of the term
is. It would thus appear that it is one of the many "euphemistic
terms" which the Cherokee, as so many other tribes and peoples, use,
and the object of which is to allude to a dreaded concept by a (respectful)
circumlocution, so as not to offend it, or so as not to bring about
its appearance, its "materiaUzation," we might say, by calling it by
its common name.
The ulsGe'no^ is the disease as it is present in the body of the suf-
ferer. Although it is invisible, intangible, and in all other respects
immaterial, it very often may manifest its presence by material means,
as swellings, protuberances, or even by worms and insects.