The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-08-06
CHEROKEE TALlSMANS.
Carefully Guarded stones, Of Which tn
Greatest Is tho UIasuttL

have held an important place in the
worlds belief from the days of the
oracular stone in the breastplate of the
ancient Jewish high priest down to the
Lee penny and the murrain stone of
modern times. The Cherokee medicine
men make use of several stone tails
mans, commonly crystals found among
their native mountains. One is trans
lucent purple stone about an inch
long, with sharp point. With this
the conjurer claimed to be able to find
lost or stolen articles, or to tell the
whereabouts of game in the mountains.
TO test the matter, q coin was thrown
into the grass at random while he was
not looking, and he was told the money
was his if he could find it. Procuring a
string about yard long, he tied one
end of it around the middle of the stone.
Then, holding the stone suspended so as
to swing freely, he set it whirling in a
circle, with stroke Of his finger, at the
same time reciting in an undertone
some secret formula. The stone re-
volved rapidly, then more and more
slowly, and stopped with the point to-
ward the north. He walked few feet
further in that direction, gave the stone
another twirl, and again repeated the
formula, explaining that it must be
done seven times, and that on the sew
enth trial the stone would point to the
exact spot where the money was lying.
Having gone through the whole per-
formance, he finally halted at the wrong
place. After hunting in the grass for
some time he was obliged to give it up.
He declared that his failure was due to
the fact that the stone was not ia stened
as it should have been. Ine c1her In
dians said that the stone was all right,
but that the man was a liar, which was
perfectly true, and that, although
pretty good doctor, he knew Eothing of
magic. They asserted that in the hands
| of certain conjurers, whom they named,
the charm never failed.
To obtain knowledge of future
events, they use another talisman.
They put it into a bowl of water,
where, according to their testimony, it
t moves about on the surface, following
the direction of knife in the hand of
| the conjurer, who all the time repeats
his secret formula. Whipple describes
| that ceremony as he witnessed it
| among the western Cherokees forty
years ago. The talisman was a small
| piece of very dry bread.
The greatest of all Cherokee ialis-
mans is the Ulasutti literally transpar-
ent) stone. There is no end to the
stories concerning this stone, which the
Indians invariably speak of in half
| frightened manner, as children speak of
| ghosts. They assert that it is magic
scale from the head of great horned
serpent with body as large as tree.
trunk and two blazing Goals of fire for
eyes, which lived ages ago and worked
terrible destruction among the people
until it was killed by famous magi-
clan. In the encounter single drop OF
the serpent's poisonous saliva fell upon
the head of the slayer, whose hair was
transformed into mass of writhing
snakes.
The Indians describe it as trian-
gular crystal, fat on the bottom and
tapering up to point, and perfectly
transparent with the exception of a
single red streak running through the
center from top to bottom. 1t is evi-
IDENTIFY beautiful specimen of rutile
quartz, SO exceedingly rare that the con-
juror who can obtain one outranks all
his rivals.
The stone must be fed, the Indians
say, with the blood of small game every
seven days-rubbed over with the blood
of the animal as soon as killed. Twice
a year it demands the blood of deer
or some other large animal 1t is
wrapped in a whole deer skin and kept
in some secret cave in the mountains.
Were the tribute of blood to be with
held or neglected the Ulasutti would
issue from its hiding place at night as a
great blazing ball of fire, and fly
through the air to satisfy its appetite
by drinking the life blood of the con.
juror.
The original owner was afraid of it.
and he changed its hiding place fre.
quently, SO that the stone might not be
able to find its way out. When he died
it was buried with him, as otherwise il
would issue from it's cave by night, like
| q uCIy uCtCOI, W ScdICIl lOT Ills UOmE
night after night for seven years. But
if unable to find its owner, it would &C
back to sleep forever where he had
placed it.
AS far back as 1869 Timberlake heard
of the stone with the wonderful story
of its origin. He said that it was KEEP,
hidden in some place known only te
two women, who refused to betray the
secret. Adair, the celebrated trader
also speaks of it a few years later Tht
conjurer refused to let him see it fol
fear of proclamation.
/ When consulting it for an unknown
or future happening the conjuror gaze.
into the Ulasutti, and there sees mir
rored all that he wishes to know, ant
by the action of the specter, or its posi-
tion near the top or bottom of the tails
man, he learns not only the event bu
also its proximity in time or place.
1t is believed that only one of thes,
stones is in possession of the eastern
Cherokees. The owner has refused al