RED MEDICINE MEN.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 614, 8 March 1921, Page 3

RED MEDICINE MEN.

All tribes of red men have their doctors, or medicine men, but many of them do not depend upon drugs as curative agents. It is believed that disease is some spiritual or mental influence upon the physical part of the patient, and can be charmed away. The medicine men of the Apache Indians dress in bear skins, and carry a rattler, made after the manner of a tambourine, also a wand made like a spear and loaded down with strips of different coloured skins, or. per - haps, leaves, and dried poisonous animals, like the lizard. The bear-skin costume is also decked out with turtles, poisonous reptiles, spiders, birds of prey, etc. As a breast-piece, the bat is frequently used. The appearance of such a doctor is not only enough to frighten the bad spirit away, but to terrify the patient, if he has not become familiar with the demon. Tl:>. Sioux Indians have a medicine man ttlio chants about the sick, crawlinp upon hands and knees a portion of the time. Then lie pretends to get sick anc groans, gags, and makes all sorts o.

grimaces and distressing sounds. Finally, he takes tile patient’s hand, and placing his lips to the palm, pretend: to draw out the evil spirit; then placing his face in a vessel of water ho professes to see the image of :u< animal the spirit of which has takepossession of the sick one. The an,mal is then whittled out of a piece

■:v bark by the doctor and shot at b others of the tribe' until the imag is broken into atoms. If this does n., i.-uro the sick one. the same has to b repeated, only the medicine man sea different images each time and win Fes out different animals to be shot.