LITMIR.BIZ

      Apache Medicine-man

      Many of the medicine-men have some knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants and generally make use of them in the treatment of disease, but their treatment consists more of incantation than aught else. Even in collecting the plants they invoke the deities, usually facing the cardinal points in turn. In case the prescription calls for a combination of herbs or other vegetal products, the number four is always strictly adhered to; it might be a decoction made of four roots of one variety or of a single root from each of four varieties of plants.

      Every Apache medicine-man has a medicine skin, his ĕpú̆n ezchí, inscribed with the symbolism of the tribal mythology. With his prayer wands he rehearses the symbolic figures, praying to the mythical characters who are regarded as most efficacious in the particular ailment under treatment. In his own little kówa, or dwelling, with the painted deerskin spread before him, on which are delineated the symbolic representations of a score of gods comprising the Apache pantheon, a medicine-man will sit and croon songs and pray all day and all night in the hope of hearing the voices of celestial messengers.

      Many of the prayers and songs of the Apache medicine-men are very beautiful. The following is an example:

      1 Stĕná pĕhí̆nda nzhóni, tógonĭl ádahĕ bé̆oĭshkan.

      2 Inaté̆sh nzhóni bé̆oĭshkan.

      3 Ĕnŭdé̆tsos nzhóni bé̆oĭshkan.

      4 Ĭnyátĭl nzhóni bé̆oĭshkan.

      5 Bé̆hnandahĭ ĭnkéhĭ tógonĭl ádahĕ bé̆oĭshkan.

      6 Ĭndú̆h bĭnandáhĕ bé̆oĭshkan.

      7 Bĕh nashálolĕzh ndĕ; nashéyo shĭchí̃sĭgon zhóndolĕzh.

      8 Ndĕ shĭnklóho bĕh sanandáhĕ bé̆oĭshkan.

      9 Bĕh sanashádo bé̆oĭshkan.

      10 No oskóngo adĭshní daházhĭ bĕhnashádo ti ndĕ ta nashéyo gonzhódo.

      11 Shágocho paógo násha.

      12 Akúd ndĕ sa nzhóni yé̆sĭtchĭ yé̆atido.

      13 Pídi yú̆gga sa nzhóni yé̆kĭssĭn shí̃dĭl é̆ndo.

      14 Shĭtú̆h gozhóndolĕzh pógo hádĭshndi.

      1 Stĕnátlĭhăn, you are good, I pray for a long life.

      2 I pray for your good looks.

      3 I pray for good breath.

      4 I pray for good speech.

      5 I pray for feet like yours to carry me through a long life.

      6 I pray for a life like yours.

      7 I walk with people; ahead of me all is well.

      8 I pray for people to smile as long as I live.

      9 I pray to live long.

      10 I pray, I say, for a long life to live with you where the good people are.

      11 I live in poverty.

      12 I wish the people there to speak of goodness and to talk to me.

      13 I wish you to divide your good things with me, as a brother.

      14 Ahead of me is goodness, lead me on.

      While this prayer is worded as if uttered by the supplicant, it is in reality offered by the medicine-man in his behalf.

      There are head medicine-men and medicine-men of lesser degree. The man who becomes influential enough to be considered the head medicine-man of the tribe is more of a politician than a doctor of diseases, and in important cases only is he called to treat in a healing ceremony. It requires a particularly capable Indian to attain the position of head medicine-man, for to do so he must not only make the people subservient to his will, but must wrest the leadership from some other and usually older medicine-man who is himself an influential character. Unfortunately it is apt to be the most crafty, scheming man who gains such power over his tribesmen.

      A case in point was the recent strife between Das Lan and Goshonné. For some years the latter, an Indian of exceptional ability and withal apparently an honest man in his treatment of diseases, was the head medicine-man of the White Mountain Apache. Then it came to pass that the crafty old Das Lan of the Cibicu had his vision, in which was revealed a special message brought by Chuganaái Skhĭn from Kútĕrastan to the Apache people. This was the beginning of the present so-called messiah craze.