The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-06-14
How the Indian Doctors Drive Out
the Spirit of Disease by rlassage.
STRANGE SCENE IN THE YAKIMA HOP FIELDS. '
Curing Sick Indians Initiate Their Boston Breth
and Go a StkeUnsuccessfu Eloquence Of a Ranch
Superintendent-i "So-fappy" Secured an In
crease Of Price for His Pickers.

about five minutes, and there were prob
ably six periods.
And now the whole group was frozen
into immobility for several minutes. As
tribute to the mesmeric power OF the
rite, am bound to say that don't be-
lieve l could have moved had I tried.
My attention was riveted on the ancient
medicine man, as the Wedding guests
was on the ancient mariner. Presently
be began to crawl slowly towards the
recumbent form on the couch, his eyes
intently fixed on her. When be reached
her feet be proceeded vigorously to knead
her limbs in a kind Of savage massage,
gradually working over her whole body
toward her head. The massage lasted
for about ten minutes, I should say, and
was conducted with 90 much violent
energy that the poor squaw must have
ached all over. So far as could be seen,
however. she did not move muscle.
The idea Of the treatment seemed
clearly to be that the old man was squeez-
ing something in her body, and gradu-
ally driving it towards her head. When
he got it there he became still more ex.
cited, stopped suddenly, glued his mouth
to hers and seemed strenuously trying to
suck something from her. Evidently
succeeding, he closed his lips, rose to his
feet and forming with his hands hollow
box and raising them to his mouth, he
elected into them whatever Il was he had
taken from his patient, closing them
firmly. He then stepped over to large
bucket which stood by, full Of water.
plunged his hands intoit and (still keep
ing them closely worked them franti-
cally, as though trying to drown or
purify the evil principle which he had
captured.
When he felt that this was accom-
plished he stepped out clear OF the group.
faced toward the north, raised his still
closed hands to his mouth, and, blowing
into them with mad strength, tossed
them open towards the sky and col
lapsed, the young men bursting into q
long and evidently triumphant chorus.
This entire program was gone through
three times before the earnest old fellow
was finally exhausted. Indeed, the work
would have been q heavy strain on q
much younger man, and the dusky CEN
tenarian must have been possessed OF O
noble spirit to have stayed with it as he
did.
As the young Indians began to steal
away l came to myself and found that
had been standing spellbound for over
two hours. Joining myself to the chief,
| asked him what it all meant. He re-
piled; 'Sick kloochman, mamook medi-
cine" "a sick woman, we have been
trying to cure herr
"But do you really believe" asked,
that that will cure herr" He an
swered; "Klonass yaka chaco kloshe,
klonass wake. Taleat kakwa Boston
medicine man." Perhaps 1t will do
good, perhaps not--just the same as With
white doctor.) Nor could I get any
thing more out Of him. We walked on
and it occurred to me that few II any
white doctors were possessed OF the nee
essary nerve to practice among the In.
dians. Some little time before they had
calmly killed one Of their medicine men
on the reservation because an undue
proportion Of his patients died. The post
should certainly be an honorable and re-
munerstive one.
We reached the camp and. securing an
interpreter. I entered on the labor ques-
ton with the untutored child OF the Co
lumbia. The odds, thought, were on
me. l had heard Indian eloquence be-
fore, and worked up by the scene had
just witnessed, and realizing that the
opportunity Of lifetime confronted me,
made the chief an Grafton in set form.
Recalling the astute and classical grafton
oil Paul before Agrippa. and the more lib
ersl but still dignifed adulation Of Ter.
tullus, endeavored to form my speech
on these models.
told So-happy that appealed to him
with pleasure and with the utmost conf.
dence. That the Indians word was firm
as the distant hills and his honor bright
as the silver moon. and that So-happy
was the father and model Of his tribs,
and had agreed with me that his people
should pick my hops for 81 box. This
was somewhat Of an anti-climax. but I
did not see how could possibly get
along without it, Ipointed out that /,
too, was a tyee, and II said to my peo-
pie do this" 1t was done. added
much that was forceful and eloquent TO
the same effect.
So-happy stood. with his blanket
wrapped around him in folds that would
have made n Roman senator pale with
envy. His proud face had the calm of q
craven image and the dark fire of his eye
slumbered. As 10 the courteous wont OF
the Indian, he spoke no word for some
time, weighing my talk. Then he opened
his lips and, gazing in an abstracted way
at the distant prospect, said: "Klooch-
man yska kumtux, halo nika kumtux
okok" lit 10 a matter for the women, I
know nothing about it), and the misera-
BILE savage strobe into his wigwam with
an air Of mingled conscientlousness, self
approval and dignity which have never
seen equaled even among our own superb
people.
Meditating much rode homeward.
Subsequently the squaw recovered, and l