Page:The Pima Indians.pdf/117

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The collection contains two tablets which were obtained from medicine-men and half of one which was found in the cache above referred to (fig. 33, a, b, c). Two have ornamental borders, while  the third is quite smooth to the rounded margin; it has the figure of a horse scratched on one side and that of a man on the other.

This stone, which is so common in some parts of the Southwest that every Indian has it hanging from ears, neck, or arms, seems to be rare in Pimeria. But one pair of ear pendants was seen. It was somewhat more abundant in early days. It was believed that if a man lost a turquoise the mishap was due to magic, and as a result he would be afflicted with some mysterious ailment which could be cured only by a medicine-man skilled in the cure of the "doctor's disease." He would use another piece of turquoise or a slate or a crystal, placing the stone in water and giving the latter to the patient to drink.

A stone cylinder (fig. 34), probably a pipe, was obtained from a Pima, who said that he had "found it long ago." It seems short for such a purpose, yet it is longer than a cane cylinder the writer found in actual use. The smoke is blown outward in certain ceremonies and in others drawn in. These tubes were also used by the Pimas in sucking and blowing the bodies of the sick for the purpose of expelling disease.