Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/488

432 and other alleged sources of infirmity ejected from the mouth of the officiating "medicine-man". All this availed nothing, and Sequonya, a few weeks before his death, sought the advice and treatment of army surgeons.

The Apache, while yielding implicit respect to these "medicine-men", prophets, soothsayers, or Shamans (they partake of the characters of all these) visits upon those who are proved deficient in medical knowledge and skill a punishment that might well be imitated by the Caucasian in his dealing with quacks.

A "medicine-man" who fails to save a given number of patients is put to death. What the exact number is, it is difficult to tell, as different numbers are given by different Indians at different times: some say three, some five, others seven. They all agree in the statement that death is meted out after several failures have stamped the "medicine-man" as a fraud.

This leads up to the topic of

All Indians believe in it, and all are in dread of witches or wizards. The line of separation between the Izzé-nantan and the wizard would be hard to define. In general terms, the latter may be regarded as an independent performer who, if fortunate in his predictions and medical practice, may draw about him a group of admiring clients; but, if he fail, will receive the worst fate the influence of the legitimate practitioners can secure—that of being stoned to death.

Another characteristic ascribed to witches and wizards is maleficence. The "medicine-man" is credited with a patriotic interest in the welfare of the tribe: the witch plans and plots only for evil to crops, to cattle, to health of persons or of the whole tribe, bringing upon them blight, disease, and destruction.

This malignant work is concocted and carried out with