Notes

585, 1. náyäns hissuáksas: another man than the conjurers of the tribe. The objective case shows that mā´shitk has to be regarded here as the participle of an impersonal verb: mā´sha nûsh, and mā´sha nû, it ails me, I am sick.

585, 2. yá-uks is remedy in general, spiritual as well as material. Here a tamánuash song is meant by it, which, when sung by the conjurer, will furnish him the certainty if his patient is a relapse or not. There are several of these medicine-songs, but all of them (nánuk hû´k shuī´sh) when consulted point out the spider-medicine as the one to apply in this case. The spider’s curing-instrument is that small piece of buckskin (ubá-ush) which has to be inserted under the patient’s skin. It is called the spider’s medicine because the spider-song is sung during its application.

585, 10. gutä´ga. The whole operation is concealed from the eyes of spectators by a skin or blanket stretched over the patient and the hands of the operator.

585, 10. kiatéga. The buckskin piece has an oblong or longitudinal shape in most instances, and it is passed under the skin sideways and very gradually.

585, 11. tánkĕni ak waítash. Dave Hill gave as an approximate limit five days’ time.