Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-12-30
INDIAN MEDICINE a.
THEIR PHyslc is MAGIC ~. u!
SYSTEM coNJuAINocs 'Als

When They Are Making MAI. ~
toms nsesilipg Some Ola ma,
How They Got Their xs.. ''s'i4
The fact that Sitting Bull
called medicine man, ~. = rhA i!
In al the notices Of his tleath oI 4 MI
question whether one N ss.., putt 4
people know precisely what \ I. " Y sa'te
b. To one who does know NOR Nj
amusing than to read the AGO. ,,s'ng isis<
travellers In the Indian countrs IS ss . q. n
come TO treat Of the making 8 psa
and the other doings OF r,.Ss me'lIii|
Even Capt. Butter, +. X. a sne M
and Clarke were very shakv ,s suo issSl||
came to this subject. whsn III
Every tribe had, and m;,,
medicine men, some Of whom I. u, na,l|
OF whom are very important S.,sa =
Nearly all that the writer svss ..Ot.D
been Old men or men past the r,' ~ wi
put tnat Ii mere accident. foy I 4.
be made medicine man whIle 4 a y hsI|
No one can visit any Indians y Ioast|
val time or time OF general .w ~! AilS
cine man fignr,nn seeing The ~
wbatever 1. .,o;.' 'ery conspicuous, :!
Somet,mes ,,.sn -"
drums, or perhaps they are only y. Naa
while dance or feast Is in nrs !. s.Vp'alf
other times they appear In IN 49,. N
with feathars IN a:, n'1u aii over ~
rvinv snme wal '-a.'s anu Claws, aud y
color and on n,h u =. s,aii, gorReous II
,o,u WIN indian fne1
'nHh WAS APPllED
ne Term medicine is a whits ma
expression winch the Indians have ado,s.s9
y was applied 70 the priests Of the triss,
Ior .na' y wnat they really are k4ss.
.ne i,st wnite men often found them e.
ing tneir incantations at the sIde n 4.
s,cA. ene wounded or the dying. In NJ,
tney were exercising the evil spir;fs y 4.
ease or death, but the white travels. u
ing them III the presence Of the HI n.
."o anu TWO together and called NJ
ineuicine men. The term is two cenbf.
olu, anu the INDIANS have 80 fully adou.i
u .nat when one Of these officials i, Il n3
omces they say he Is making Inedie;s.
Ane 'neuicine man Is conjurer, ~
cian' oeaier In magic, and an intermeai,r
between the men OF this world and 4
spir'.s =. .ne other. he may know w
.nihR OF the rude pharmacopnia Of M
teiioWs' ana may prescribe certain lss,.3
or roofs 70 allay FEVER, to arrest a coh N
10 neal wound. That is not his bukvc
however ana such prescriptions are a.
apt 70 oe oHered by the sqnaws or b. M
MEMBER OF the patients family.
Inc iheaicihe mans work comes inxha
meuicihe iaiis, ami II Is pursued until dea1
Is seen 10 % certain, when-among uostd
the triDes--the sick or wounded mai Il
abandoned To meet his fate. Far in-
thinking The only good Indian Is Z III
one, the Indians themselves have littls 3
gard ior one VINO ss half dead or seems &.
tam To die.
a WEIRD SIGHT
NO more weird sight is to be seen On u
race OF tins continent than view q I'll
group OF medicine men at work to awt|
NE Seen ut night the effect Is awesuns
Ihey SIT In circle, broken only By Ii
pooy OF the Invalid stretched on blaaig
at the head OF the tent opposite the door 3
tent opening. The warering light Is Ire
q candle stuck ingeniously In a loop Vi
birch bark, fastened tight in a slit ID Ia
end OF stick that has been thrust IN ii
earth. The medicine men are painted i
their own colors, green and yellow prsiaz
mating. Ihey are in full regalia, bat lA.s
hair TAILS over their hideous faces IS Id
bend forward to swing to and fro orto ta
their drums,
All are singing Often they sing aas
the tunes OF ancient songs, the words y
ing forgotten or having grown tiresaz
Now and then one leaps to his feet, wsTa,
his beieathered rattle and yelling lOaas
than the Others. He sings the words Us
occur to him as suiting the case he =
on no clothing but moccasins and dssaa
ciout, or gee string, as theycall thai "
ment on the plains.
His thin, bony, bare red legs haselx
effect OF their nakedness increased b "
| jumping. dangling tail OF feathers u
hutters down from his head and mlsfs 4
colors with the paint stripes on nls aca
His dancing is rather more ike poandI@
something beneath him than IKE via. I
call dancing. He lifts his feet py aenc's
his knees; hits them ana thumps w.
down monotonously. though be turns
body first to one side and tneh .
other. When the dancer tired anu
back in his place in the circle tle ".
moved another to take his place.
QUEER RESEMBLANCE
The queer resembiances between =,
dams and those Hebrew bands q ~
history the Old Testament IS reconl
often been pointed out, but the w'l.ei
never seen attention called to the snI
ity of certain of the Hebrew llclusa ,,s.
the common practices OF Indian mTl.
men. In their early history ire It,
leaders were continually noiulis @- A.
with the Almighty. They went ap',. !.
their followers up in mountains e'@ NJ
cret places and talked with Jehovah
is precisely what the medicine mea =
day, or pretend to DO. Ever. La .;,sd
I.aN