Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-07-08
"ME BIG INJUN!"
Tho Power and Tricks OF the Red
Mans Doctor.

The Indian doctor or medicine man,
Is II ,clf-constitutcj physician and pro-
phct; ne derives his authority from no
man, and no man can take il from him.
He is no graduate of any college and
has no diploma. but he exhibits the dis.
tinctivc marks of his profession by
wearing the robe with hair-Sdc out.
and the ever present and all powerful
mcdicinc-bag. curiou>ly ornamentcd.
According 20 the Indian belief, sick
ness is caused through the influence Of
bad spirit, and the only remedial
agency found in the matcria medica Of
the doctors consists of incantatiOns for
the purpose ofcNOrcism. As the Indians
are very supcr>titiouS people. they
believe In the direct agency of superior
powers, and consequently their system
O; medical treatment is the natural re-
suit Of their belief. They delight in
vision-secking. through stcam-baths,
fasting and Self-mutilatiOn.
The Indian doctor attempts the cure
of disease mainly by an appeal to the
"unknown" and tries to propitiatc this
power 10y dancing. singing and other
noisy demonstrations. Some Of these
"mcdicinc men" claim TO cure the sick
BY remedies known only to themselves,
and which, they insist, are discovered
by them from the whiSperingS of some
animal 10 them while they Were asleep.
They stand very high in the esteem Of
their people and their advice in council
is most powerful. When. however, a
certain number of their patients have
died. their powers To successfully battle
with the evil spirits are much doubted
and they lose their high standing in
society and their practice. Some of
the tribes even kill those who have thus
outlivcd their usefulness A few illus
trations of their mode of treatment
will be- Of interest to the reader.
Lieutenant c. was stretched out
upon II cot in my tent at Fort Grant,
Arizona. one dSiA, when the medicine
man of the Mescallcro tribe entered.
He was rcpulsive looking and filthy
old man. with sore eyes, and almost
entirely naked, but stood very high in
the profession.
IL am going TO play sick" said c.;
"scc what he will do"
Accordingly he groaned, as il in
great pain. and the interpreter eN-
planned to the native physician that C..
was very sick and desired his profess
sional services. The aboriginal 4Escu-
lapius advanced slowly to the side of
the cot, made number of passes
with outstrctchcd hands over the sup
posed sick mans person, while chant.
ing some doleful melody through his
nose. when all at once he spat full in
the latter's face. The lively way in
which G. kicked the doctor out of the
tent was proof positive to the Indians,
who witnessed the scene, that grand
cure had been accomplished.
Captain W. p. Clarke gives the fol-
lowing interesting account of the treat
mcnt administered to man who had
been badly burned:
The sufferer was brought to thelodge
in the evening and doctor summoned
at once. For some reason he delayed
answering the call until the following
morning. quite possibly to add some
thing of impressive Importance to his
coming. He was accompanied by an
other doctor. On entering the lodge,
they did not deign to notice any one,
but sat down in silence, and remained
motiopless, until pipe was filled and
handed to them. The elder received il,
held it up at arms length overhis head
for moment. muttered some unintclli-
gible sounds. lowered it. carefully took
from the bowl with his thumb and fore
finger small portion of the tobacco
and placed it on the edge of the hearth
before him. One Of the family then
held a brand from the fire to the pipe
till ii was lighted. The doctor slowly
pulled the smoke two or three times
upward. downward and towards each
of the cardinal points, and taking the
pipe by the bowl, passed it to his COM
panion, who went through the same
form, and this was repeated till the
contents of the pipe were consumed.
IL was then handed to the one who
had lighted it. He emptied the