Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1917-03-24

victim who Is under torment.
"More varied than the functions of
the Pansu are the publications and
propitiations, called kauts or kuts, per
formed by the Mutang. The kaut may
be carried out either at the house of
the patient or at the home of the Mu-
tang, or at some shrine or temple,
called tang, dedicated to some spirits,
which are seen on the hillsides in Ko
rea. IT, as is occasionally the case, the
Mutang belongs to a noble family, she
Is allowed by her family to ply her
trade only in her own house. Those
who require her services send the re-
quired fee and necessary offerings, and
the ceremony is performed by the Mu-
tang in her own house or at the tang.
"Her equipment consists of a num-
Der Of dresses, some Of them very cost
ly; drum shaped like an hourglass
about four feet high; copper cymbals !;
copper gong; copper rod with small
bells or tinklers suspended from it by
copper chains; pair of telescoping
baskets; strips of silk and paper ban
ners which float around her as she
dances; fans, umbrellas; wands and
images Of men and animals"
The paraphernalia Of the sorceress
or exorcist was acquired for the Unit.
ed States National museum through
the agency of the late w. w. Rockhill,
formerly envoy extraordinary and min.
lister plenipotentiary of the United
States to China, and is now exhibited
in the section of historic religions IN
the older building of the museum.
Healing the Sick.
1.-THE service of the Mutang most In
demand is the healing of the SICK" col.
tinued Doctor Casanowicz. ''If a sick
man believes that his distemper has
been caused by spirit, he sends to
the Mutang to describe the symptoms
and learn what spirit is doing mischief,
The Mutang may declare the name of
the spirit without going to the pa
TENTS house, or may say that she
must see the patient first. On retain
ing her fee she names a fortunate
day for the ceremony, which will be
performed either at her house or shrine
or at the patients house, according tc
the seriousness Of the ailment and the
fee he can pay.
"The performance Of certain sor.
ceress reported took place before the
open door of the sick mans house, in
an incloSed space within which were
III Ja1 1,lt ~,
Three old women accompanied the Mu-
tang, two of them beating large hour
glass-shaped drums. while the third
clashed symbols. The sorceress faced
them, dressed In rose-pink silk and q
gauze robe of buff, its sleeves trailing
on the ground. Her hair was decorat-
ed with strips of white paper and a
curious cap of bun gauze with red
patches. Over her left shoulder she
carried a brightly painted stick sup
porting q gong upon which she beat
with another stick, executing at the
same time slow, rhythmic movement
accompanied by chant. Every now
and then one of the ancient drummers
gathered pieces Of food and, scatter
ing them to the four winds for the
spirits to eat, invoked them by saying:
DO not trouble this house any more,
and we will again appease you by of
ferings.' The exorcism lasted from
two in the afternoon until four the
next morning, when after fourteen
hours of treatment the patient began
to recover. 1t is believed by another
writer, however, that all the gestures
and whlrling, and the noise of the
drums and cymbals, must In some
cases actually kill instead of cure"