The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. James Mooney

the tonic properties of the plant had not the same decoction been used by the women as a hair wash, and by the ball players to bathe their limbs, under the impression that the toughness of the roots would thus be communicated to the hair or muscles. From this fact and from the name of the plant, which means at once hard, tough, or strong, it is quite probable that its roots are believed to give strength to the patient solely because they themselves are so strong and not because they have been proved to be really efficacious. The remaining five plants have generally pronounced medicinal qualities, and are used by the Cherokees for the very purposes for which, according to the Dispensatory, they are best adapted; so that we must admit that so much of their practice is correct, however false the reasoning by which they have arrived at this result.

      1

      To appear later with the collection of Cherokee myths.

      2

      Brinton, D.G.: The books of Chilan Balam 10, Philadelphia, n.d., (1882).

      3

      Brinton, D.G.: Names of the Gods in the Kiché Myths, in Proc. Am. Philos. Soc., Philadelphia, 1881, vol. 19, p. 613.

      4

      One of the High peaks of the Smoky Mountains, on the Tennessee line, near Clingman’s Dome.

      5

      Haywood, John: Natural and Aboriginal History of East Tennessee, 267-8, Nashville, 1823.

      6

      Ibid., p. 281.

      7

      Wood, T.B., and Bache, F.: Dispensatory of the United States of America, 14th ed., Philadelphia, 1877.

1

To appear later with the collection of Cherokee myths.

2

Brinton, D.G.: The books of Chilan Balam 10, Philadelphia, n.d., (1882).

3

Brinton, D.G.: Names of the Gods in the Kiché Myths, in Proc. Am. Philos. Soc., Philadelphia, 1881, vol. 19, p. 613.

4

One of the High peaks of the Smoky Mountains, on the Tennessee line, near Clingman’s Dome.

5

Haywood, John: Natural and Aboriginal History of East Tennessee, 267-8, Nashville, 1823.

6

Ibid., p. 281.

7

Wood, T.B., and Bache, F.: Dispensatory of the United States of America, 14th ed., Philadelphia, 1877.

8

The Cherokee plant names here given are generic names, which are the names commonly used. In many cases the same name is applied to several species and it is only when it is necessary to distinguish between them that the Indians use what might be called specific names. Even then the descriptive term used serves to distinguish only the particular plants under discussion and the introduction of another variety bearing the same generic name would necessitate a new classification of species on a different basis, while hardly any two individuals would classify the species by the same characteristics.