The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-06-19
"ME BIG INJUNp

"ME BIG INJUNw
The Power and Tricks of the Red
Mans Doctor.
The Indian doctor. or medicine man,
is a self-constituted physician and pro-
s phet; he derives his authority from no
man, and nc man can take it from him.
He is no graduate of any college and
has no diploma, but he exhibits the dis
%tinctive marks of his profession by
wearing the robe with hair-side out,
and the ever present and all powerful
medicine-bag, %curiously ornamented.
According to the Indian belief, sick
ness is caused through the influence of
. bad spirit, and the only remedial
agency found in the materia medica Of
the doctors consists of lamentations for
the purpose of exorcism. As the Indians
are a very superstitious people, they
believe in the direct agency of superior
powers, and consequently their system
Of medical heatment is the natural re-
suit of their belief. They delight in
vision-seeking, through steam-baths,
fasting and self-mutilation.
The Indian doctor attempts the cure
of disease mainly by an appeal to the
''unknown' and tries to propitiate this
power by dancing, singing and other
noisy demonstrations. Some of these
medicine 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 to them while they were asleep.
They stand very high in the esteem of
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
outlived their usefulness. A few illus
trations of their mode of treatment
will be Of interest to the reader.
Lieutenant G. was stretched out
upon a cot in my tent at Fort Grant,
Arizona, n day, when the medicine
man of the Mescallero tribe entered.
He was a repulsive looking and filthy
old man, with sore eyes, and almost
entirely naked, but stood very high in
the profession.
81 am going to play sick,' said c.;
''sec what he will do"
Accordingly he groaned, as il in
great pain. and the interpreter ex-
planned to the native physician that C.
was very sick and desired his profess
sional services. The aboriginal Escu-
lapius advanced slowly to the side of
the cot. made a number Of passes
with outstretched 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 a grand
cure had been accomplished.
Captain W. P. Clarke gives the fol-
lowing interesting account Of the treat
administered to q man who had
been badly burned:
The sufferer was brought to the lodge
n the evening and a doctor summoned
1t once. For some reason he delayed
answering the call until the following
morning, quite possibly to add some 1
hing Of impressive Importance to his
He was accompanied by an
'ther doctor. On entering the lodge,
hey did not deign to notice any one, I
tut sat down in silence, and remained |
aotionless, until a pipe was filed and
landed to them. The elder received it, !
leld it up at arms length over his head
or a moment, muttered some u~nintelli- |
sounds, lowered it. carefully took ,
ON the bowl with his thumb and-fore-
niger q small portion Of tho tobacco, =
nd placed it on the edge Of the hearth
efore him. One Of the family then .
ED a brand from the fire to the pipe ,
III 1t was lighted. The doctor slowly .
'uffed the smoke two or three times !
pward, downward and towards each o
I the cardinal points, and taking the d
ipe BY the bowl, passed it to his com. u
anon, who went through the same g
orm' and this was repeated till the q
ontents Of the pipe we're consumed. o
was then handed to the one who b
al lighted II. He emptied the
shes upon the hearth, entirely y
overing the particles Of tobacco before \
eposited there. He then touched the !
tps Of his fingers to the ashes and : 3
assed his hands in succession over the
ipe from the bowl to the end Of the
lem. and returned to the owner, who 9,
i'd the same. The doctors now pro- O
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