The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees Part 14

Blue is emblematic of failure, disappointment, or unsatisfied desire.

They shall never become blue means that they shall never fail in anything they undertake. In love charms the lover figuratively covers himself with red and prays that his rival shall become entirely blue and walk in a blue path. The formulistic expression, He is entirely blue, closely approximates in meaning the common English phrase, He feels blue. The blue spirits live in the north.

White--which occurs in this formula only by an evident error--denotes peace and happiness. In ceremonial addresses, as at the green corn dance and ball play, the people figuratively partake of white food and after the dance or the game return along the white trail to their white houses. In love charms the man, in order to induce the woman to cast her lot with his, boasts I am a white man, implying that all is happiness where he is. White beads have the same meaning in the bead conjuring and white was the color of the stone pipe anciently used in ratifying peace treaties. The white spirits live in the south (Wahala).

Two other colors, brown and yellow, are also mentioned in the formulas. Wtigei, brown, is the term used to include brown, bay, dun, and similar colors, especially as applied to animals. It seldom occurs in the formulas and its mythologic significance is as yet undetermined. Yellow is of more frequent occurrence and is typical of trouble and all manner of vexation, the yellow spirits being generally invoked when the shaman wishes to bring down calamities upon the head of his victim, without actually destroying him. So far as present knowledge goes, neither brown nor yellow can be a.s.signed to any particular point of the compa.s.s.

Usinuliyu, rendered instantly, is the intensive form of usinuli quickly, both of which words recur constantly in the formulas, in some entering into almost every sentence. This frequently gives the translation an awkward appearance. Thus the final sentence above, which means literally they shall never become blue instantly, signifies Grant that they shall never become blue, i.e., shall never fail in their purpose, _and grant our pet.i.tion instantly_.

DIDALATLITI.

Sge! Ngwa tsdantgi teg[n]yatawilateliga. Iyusti (0 0) tsilastli Iyusti (0 0) ditsadita. Tswatsila elawini tsidhistaniga. Tsdantgi elawini tsidhistaniga. N[n]ya g[n]nage g[n]yutl[n]taniga. Anwagi g[n]nage g[n]yutl[n]taniga. S[n]taluga g[n]nage deg[n]yanugal[n]taniga, tsnanugisti niges[n]na. Ushiyi n[n]nhi witetsatan[n][n]si gnes g[n]nage asahalagi. Tstneliga. Elawti asahalagiad[n]niga. Usinuliyu Ushiyi gltste dig[n]nagestayi, elawti g[n]nage tidhisti wayanugal[n]tsiga. Gnesa g[n]age s[n]taluga g[n]nage gayutl[n]taniga. Tsdantgi skal[n]tsiga. Sakani ad[n]niga. Us.h.i.ta atanisseti, ayltsisesti tsdantgi, tsnanugisti niges[n]na. Sge!

_Translation._

TO DESTROY LIFE.

Listen! Now I have come to step over your soul. You are of the (wolf) clan. Your name is (Ay[n]ini). Your spittle I have put at rest under the earth. Your soul I have put at rest under the earth. I have come to cover you over with the black rock. I have come to cover you over with the black cloth. I have come to cover you with the black slabs, never to reappear. Toward the black coffin of the upland in the Darkening Land your paths shall stretch out. So shall it be for you.

The clay of the upland has come (to cover you. (?)) Instantly the black clay has lodged there where it is at rest at the black houses in the Darkening Land. With the black coffin and with the black slabs I have come to cover you. Now your soul has faded away. It has become blue. When darkness comes your spirit shall grow less and dwindle away, never to reappear. Listen!

_Explanation._

This formula is from the ma.n.u.script book of Ay[n]ini, who explained the whole ceremony. The language needs but little explanation. A blank is left for the name and clan of the victim, and is filled in by the shaman. As the purpose of the ceremony is to bring about the death of the victim, everything spoken of is symbolically colored black, according to the significance of the colors as already explained. The declaration near the end, It has become blue, indicates that the victim now begins to feel in himself the effects of the incantation, and that as darkness comes on his spirit will shrink and gradually become less until it dwindles away to nothingness.

When the shaman wishes to destroy the life of another, either for his own purposes or for hire, he conceals himself near the trail along which the victim is likely to pa.s.s. When the doomed man appears the shaman waits until he has gone by and then follows him secretly until he chances to spit upon the ground. On coming up to the spot the shaman collects upon the end of a stick a little of the dust thus moistened with the victims spittle. The possession of the mans spittle gives him power over the life of the man himself. Many ailments are said by the doctors to be due to the fact that some enemy has by this means changed the spittle of the patient and caused it to breed animals or sprout corn in the sick mans body. In the love charms also the lover always figuratively takes the spittle of the girl in order to fix her affections upon himself. The same idea in regard to spittle is found in European folk medicine.

The shaman then puts the clay thus moistened into a tube consisting of a joint of the Kanesla or wild parsnip, a poisonous plant of considerable importance in life-conjuring ceremonies. He also puts into the tube seven earthworms beaten into a paste, and several splinters from a tree which has been struck by lightning. The idea in regard to the worms is not quite clear, but it may be that they are expected to devour the soul of the victim as earthworms are supposed to feed upon dead bodies, or perhaps it is thought that from their burrowing habits they may serve to hollow out a grave for the soul under the earth, the quarter to which the shaman consigns it. In other similar ceremonies the dirt-dauber wasp or the stinging ant is buried in the same manner in order that it may kill the soul, as these are said to kill other more powerful insects by their poisonous sting or bite. The wood of a tree struck by lightning is also a potent spell for both good and evil and is used in many formulas of various kinds.

Having prepared the tube, the shaman goes into the forest to a tree which has been struck by lightning. At its base he digs a hole, in the bottom of which he puts a large yellow stone slab. He then puts in the tube, together with seven yellow pebbles, fills in the earth, and finally builds a fire over the spot to destroy all traces of his work.

The yellow stones are probably chosen as the next best subst.i.tute for black stones, which are not always easy to find. The formula mentions black rock, black being the emblem of death, while yellow typifies trouble. The shaman and his employer fast until after the ceremony.

If the ceremony has been properly carried out, the victim becomes blue, that is, he feels the effects in himself at once, and, unless he employs the countercharms of some more powerful shaman, his soul begins to shrivel up and dwindle, and within seven days he is dead.

When it is found that the spell has no effect upon the intended victim it is believed that he has discovered the plot and has taken measures for his own protection, or that, having suspected a design against him--as, for instance, after having won a girls affections from a rival or overcoming him in the ball play--he has already secured himself from all attempts by counterspells. It then becomes a serious matter, as, should he succeed in turning the curse aside from himself, it will return upon the heads of his enemies.

The shaman and his employer then retire to a lonely spot in the mountains, in the vicinity of a small stream, and begin a new series of conjurations with the beads. After constructing a temporary shelter of bark laid over poles, the two go down to the water, the shaman taking with him two pieces of cloth, a yard or two yards in length, one white, the other black, together with seven red and seven black beads. The cloth is the shamans pay for his services, and is furnished by his employer, who sometimes also supplies the beads.

There are many formulas for conjuring with the beads, which are used on almost all important occasions, and differences also in the details of the ceremony, but the general practice is the same in all cases.

The shaman selects a bend in the river where his client can look toward the east while facing up stream. The man then takes up his position on the bank or wades into the stream a short distance, where--in the ceremonial language--the water is a hand length (_awhil_) in depth and stands silently with his eyes fixed upon the water and his back to the shaman on the bank. The shaman then lays upon the ground the two pieces of cloth, folded into convenient size, and places the red beads--typical of success and his client upon the white cloth, while the black beads--emblematic of death and the intended victim--are laid upon the black cloth. It is probable that the first cloth should properly be red instead of white, but as it is difficult to get red cloth, except in the shape of handkerchiefs, a subst.i.tution has been made, the two colors having a close mythologic relation. In former days a piece of buckskin and the small glossy, seeds of the Vipers Bugloss (_Echium vulgare_) were used instead of the cloth and beads. The formulistic name for the bead is _snikta_, which the priests are unable to a.n.a.lyze, the ordinary word for beads or coin being _adl_.

The shaman now takes a red bead, representing his client, between the thumb and index finger of his right hand, and a black bead, representing the victim, in like manner, in his left hand. Standing a few feet behind his client he turns toward the east, fixes his eyes upon the bead between the thumb and finger of his right hand, and addresses it as the Snikta Gigagei, the Red Bead, invoking blessings upon his client and clothing him with the red garments of success. The formula is repeated in a low chant or intonation, the voice rising at intervals, after the manner of a revival speaker. Then turning to the black bead in his left hand he addresses it in similar manner, calling down the most withering curses upon the head of the victim. Finally looking up he addresses the stream, under the name of Y[n]wi Gnahita, the Long Person, imploring it to protect his client and raise him to the seventh heaven, where he will be secure from all his enemies. The other, then stooping down, dips up water in his hand seven times and pours it upon his head, rubbing it upon his shoulders and breast at the same time. In some cases he dips completely under seven times, being stripped, of course, even when the water is of almost icy coldness. The shaman, then stooping down, makes a small hole in the ground with his finger, drops into it the fatal black bead, and buries it out of sight with a stamp of his foot. This ends the ceremony, which is called taking to water.

While addressing the beads the shaman attentively observes them as they are held between the thumb and finger of his outstretched hands.

In a short time they begin to move, slowly and but a short distance at first, then faster and farther, often coming down as far as the first joint of the finger or even below, with an irregular serpentine motion from side to side, returning in the same manner. Should the red bead be more lively in its movements and come down lower on the finger than the black bead, he confidently predicts for the client the speedy accomplishment of his desire. On the other hand, should the black bead surpa.s.s the red in activity, the spells of the shaman employed by the intended victim are too strong, and the whole ceremony must be gone over again with an additional and larger quant.i.ty of cloth. This must be kept up until the movements of the red beads give token of success or until they show by their sluggish motions or their failure to move down along the finger that the opposing shaman can not be overcome. In the latter case the discouraged plotter gives up all hope, considering himself as cursed by every imprecation which he has unsuccessfully invoked upon his enemy, goes home and--theoretically--lies down and dies. As a matter of fact, however, the shaman is always ready with other formulas by means of which he can ward off such fatal results, in consideration, of a sufficient quant.i.ty of cloth.

Should the first trial, which takes place at daybreak, prove unsuccessful, the shaman and his client fast until just before sunset.

They then eat and remain awake until midnight, when the ceremony is repeated, and if still unsuccessful it may be repeated four times before daybreak (or the following noon?), both men remaining awake and fasting throughout the night. If still unsuccessful, they continue to fast all day until just before sundown. Then they eat again and again remain awake until midnight, when the previous nights programme is repeated. It has now become a trial of endurance between the revengeful client and his shaman on the one side and the intended victim and his shaman on the other, the latter being supposed to be industriously working countercharms all the while, as each party must subsist upon one meal per day and abstain entirely from sleep until the result has been decided one way or the other. Failure to endure this severe strain, even so much as closing the eyes in sleep for a few moments or partaking of the least nourishment excepting just before sunset, neutralizes all the previous work and places the unfortunate offender at the mercy of his more watchful enemy. If the shaman be still unsuccessful on the fourth day, he acknowledges himself defeated and gives up the contest. Should his spells prove the stronger, his victim will die within seven days, or, as the Cherokees say, seven nights. These seven nights, however, are frequently interpreted, figuratively, to mean _seven years_, a rendering which often serves to relieve the shaman from a very embarra.s.sing position.

With regard to the oracle of the whole proceeding, the beads do move; but the explanation is simple, although the Indians account for it by saying that the beads become alive by the recitation of the sacred formula. The shaman is laboring under strong, though suppressed, emotion. He stands with his hands stretched out in a constrained position, every muscle tense, his breast heaving and voice trembling from the effort, and the natural result is that before he is done praying his fingers begin to twitch involuntarily and thus cause the beads to move. As before stated, their motion is irregular; but the peculiar delicacy of touch acquired by long practice probably imparts more directness to their movements than would at first seem possible.

HIA ANETS UG[n]WALI AM'YI DITS[n]STATI.

Sge! Ha-ngwa asti unega aks[n]tan[n] usinuli anets unatsn[n]tselahi aktati ad[n]niga.

Iyusti utadta, iyusti tsunadita. N[n]nhi anitelaheh igeski niges[n]na. Dksi-gwu dedunatsglawateg. Das[n] uniltsisat. Sakani unatisat.

N[n]nhi dtaduninawati ay-n digwatseliga anets unatsn[n]tselahi. Tlameh Gigagei sgwa dantsglaniga. Ig[n]yi gal[n]l ges[n] iy[n]

kan[n]lagi [u]whhistgi. Taline gal[n]l gesu[n] iy[n] kan[n]lagi [u]whhistgi.

Henil dantsglaniga. Tlama [n]nita anigwalugi g[n]tlatisgesti, asegw niges[n]na.

Dutale anets unatsn[n]tselahi saligugi-gw dedunatsglawist.i.teg. Elawini das[n]

uniltsisat.

Tsine digal[n]latiyu[n] Saniwa Gigagei sgwa dantsglaniga, aseggi niges[n]na. Kan[n]lagi [u]*whhistgi ngine digal[n]latiy[n].

Gulisguli Sakani sgwa dantsglaniga, aseggi niges[n]na. Kan[n]lagi [u]whhistgi hiskine digal[n]latiy[n]. Tsutsu Sakani sgwa dantsglaniga, aseggi niges[n]na.

Dutale anets utsn[n]tselahi Tinegwa Sakani sgwa dantsglaniga, igeski niges[n]na. Das[n]

uniltsisat. Kan[n]lagi [u]whhistgi sutaline digal[n]latiy[n]. Anigstaya sgwa dantsgulaniga, aseggi nigesu[n]na. Kan[n]lagi [u]whhistgi klkwgine digal[n]latiy[n].

Wtatga Sakani sgwa dantsglaniga, aseggi niges[n]na.

Dutale anets unatsn[n]tselahi, Yna dedunatsglawistaniga, igeski niges[n]na. Das[n]

duniltsisat. Kan[n]lagi detagaskal[n]tan[n], ig[n]wlstanhi-gwdina tsuyelisti ges[n]i. Aktati ad[n]niga.

Sge! Ngwa tskinneli taladu iy[n]ta agwatseliga, Watatuga Tsnega. Tsuyelisti ges[n]i skinh[n]si agwatseliga--kan[n]lagi agwatseliga.

Nan utadta kan[n]lagi deduskalasiga.

Dedndag[n]yastaniga, g[n]whisnhi. Y!

_Translation._

THIS CONCERNS THE BALL PLAY--TO TAKE THEM TO WATER WITH IT.

Listen! Ha! Now where the white thread has been let down, quickly we are about to examine into (the fate of) the admirers of the ball play.

They are of--such a (iyusti) descent. They are called--so and so (iyusti). They are shaking the road which shall never be joyful.

The miserable Terrapin has come and fastened himself upon them as they go about. They have lost all strength. They have become entirely blue.

But now my admirers of the ball play have their roads lying along in this direction. The Red Bat has come and made himself one of them.

There in the first heaven are the pleasing stakes. There in the second heaven are the pleasing stakes. The Pewee has come and joined them.

The immortal ball stick shall place itself upon the whoop, never to be defeated.

As for the lovers of the ball play on the other side, the common Turtle has come and fastened himself upon them as they go about. Under the earth they have lost all strength.

The pleasing stakes are in the third heaven. The Red Tlaniwa has come and made himself one of them, that they may never be defeated.

The pleasing stakes are in the fourth heaven. The Blue Fly-catcher has made himself one of them, that they may never be defeated. The pleasing stakes are in the fifth heaven. The Blue Martin has made himself one of them, that they may never be defeated.

The other lovers of the ball play, the Blue Mole has come and fastened upon them, that they may never be joyous. They have lost all strength.