Cherokees Shamanism

Оглавление

James Mooney. Cherokees Shamanism

JAMES MOONEY

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION

HOW THE FORMULAS WERE OBTAINED

THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT

THE GATIGWANASTI MANUSCRIPT

THE GAHUNI MANUSCRIPT

THE INÂLI MANUSCRIPT

OTHER MANUSCRIPTS

THE KANÂHETA ANI-TSALAGI ETI

CHARACTER OF THE FORMULAS--THE CHEROKEE RELIGION

THE ORIGIN OF DISEASE AND MEDICINE

THEORY OF DISEASE--ANIMALS, GHOSTS, WITCHES

SELECTED LIST OF PLANTS USED

MEDICAL PRACTICE

ILLUSTRATION OF THE TABU

NEGLECT OF SANITARY REGULATIONS

THE SWEAT BATH-BLEEDING--RUBBING--BATHING

SHAMANS AND WHITE PHYSICIANS

MEDICINE DANCES

DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTOMS

THE PAY OF THE SHAMAN

CEREMONIES FOR GATHERING PLANTS AND PREPARING MEDICINE

THE CHEROKEE GODS AND THEIR ABIDING PLACES

COLOR SYMBOLISM

IMPORTANCE ATTACHED TO NAMES

LANGUAGE OF THE FORMULAS

SPECIMEN FORMULAS. NOTE ON THE ORTHOGRAPHY AND TRANSLATION

FORMULA FOR TREATING THE CRIPPLER (RHEUMATISM)

AND THIS ALSO IS FOR TREATING THE CRIPPLER

THIS IS TO TREAT THEM IF THEY ARE BITTEN BY A SNAKE

TO TREAT THEM WHEN SOMETHING IS CAUSING SOMETHING TO EAT THEM

TO TREAT GÛnWANI'GISTÛ'nÏ--(SECOND)

THIS TELLS ABOUT MOVING PAINS IN THE TEETH (NEURALGIA?)

TO TREAT THE GREAT CHILL

THIS IS TO MAKE CHILDREN JUMP DOWN

TO TREAT THE BLACK YELLOWNESS

TO TREAT FOR ORDEAL DISEASES

CONCERNING HUNTING

THIS IS FOR HUNTING BIRDS

TO SHOOT DWELLERS IN THE WILDERNESS

BEAR SONG

THIS IS FOR CATCHING LARGE FISH

CONCERNING LIVING HUMANITY (LOVE)

THIS TELLS ABOUT GOING INTO THE WATER

SONG FOR PAINTING

TO ATTRACT AND FIX THE AFFECTIONS

FOR SEPARATION (OF LOVERS)

TO FIX THE AFFECTIONS

TO SHORTEN A NIGHT-GOER ON THIS SIDE

I HAVE LOST SOMETHING

THIS IS TO FRIGHTEN A STORM

WHAT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TO WAR DID TO HELP THEMSELVES

TO DESTROY LIFE

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

Colophon

Отрывок из книги

UUID: ee34d1fc-4960-438f-a5e5-9d042d3b6cdc

This ebook was created with StreetLib Write

.....

The Cherokee alphabet, on the contrary, is the invention or adaptation of one of the tribe, who, although he borrowed most of the Roman letters, in addition to the forty or more characters of his own devising, knew nothing of their proper use or value, but reversed them or altered their forms to suit his purpose, and gave them a name and value determined by himself. This alphabet was at once adopted by the tribe for all purposes for which writing can be used, including the recording of their shamanistic prayers and ritualistic ceremonies. The formulas here given, as well as those of the entire collection, were written out by the shamans themselves--men who adhere to the ancient religion and speak only their native language in order that their sacred knowledge might be preserved in a systematic manner for their mutual benefit. The language, the conception, and the execution are all genuinely Indian, and hardly a dozen lines of the hundreds of formulas show a trace of the influence of the white man or his religion. The formulas contained in these manuscripts are not disjointed fragments of a system long since extinct, but are the revelation of a living faith which still has its priests and devoted adherents, and it is only necessary to witness a ceremonial ball play, with its fasting, its going to water, and its mystic bead manipulation, to understand how strong is the hold which the old faith yet has upon the minds even of the younger generation. The numerous archaic and figurative expressions used require the interpretation of the priests, but, as before stated, the alphabet in which they are written is that in daily use among the common people.

In all tribes that still retain something of their ancient organization we find this sacred knowledge committed to the keeping of various secret societies, each of which has its peculiar ritual with regular initiation and degrees of advancement. From this analogy we may reasonably conclude that such was formerly the case with the Cherokees also, but by the breaking down of old customs consequent upon their long contact with the whites and the voluntary adoption of a civilized form of government in 1827, all traces of such society organization have long since disappeared, and at present each priest or shaman is isolated and independent, sometimes confining himself to a particular specialty, such as love or medicine, or even the treatment of two or three diseases, in other cases broadening his field of operations to include the whole range of mystic knowledge.

.....