Among the An-ko-me-nums, or Flathead Tribes of Indians of the Pacific CoastCrosby, Thomas
History
Among the An-ko-me-nums, or Flathead Tribes of Indians of the Pacific Coast
Crosby, Thomas
Indians of North America -- Missions; Salish Indians
A cousin of Sallosalton’s, a bright youth who had attended our school,
in whom I had become very much interested, was taken very sick with a
fever, and the conjurer (witch-doctor) was called in. I visited him,
and saw that the old conjurer’s rattling and the additional noise of
the people beating time to his rattle or drum and boards, together with
the yelling and singing for hours, was only distracting the poor boy
and making him very much worse. I went to the town and consulted the
only doctor there. He came to see my young friend, and said he felt
sure that if the medicine were administered properly, and we could keep
the old conjurer away, there was good hope of his recovery. So I told
the people that we did not want the conjurer there any more, and that
they must help me to keep the lad quiet. Night after night I sat up in
order to administer the medicine and keep the old imposter away, and
thus give him the necessary quiet. But I found that secretly during the
day, while I was resting, they would call in the conjurer again, as his
friends had more faith in him than in our medicine and nursing.
Several days passed before I discovered their doings. But one day I
slipped into the house unexpectedly and found the old fellow rattling
over him, with a number of his friends keeping time with sticks on a
board, to assist the old imposter, as he said, “to get the power.”
I rushed in and ordered him to stop and leave. A day or two after I
found him again at the same thing, all painted up and nearly naked,
and partly stretched out upon the body of the sick man, howling and
rattling away. My indignation was aroused, and I said to him, “If you
don’t stop you’ll kill that boy. Leave at once! and if you don’t I’ll
bundle you out of the house.”
[Illustration: “One day I slipped in and found the old fellow rattling
over him.” _p. 121_]
He saw that I was making for him, when he got up and crawled out,
saying that he was there by invitation. Of course, the father, mother
and friends, who were responsible, were very much disgusted at my
action.
I continued my watch by the poor boy for several nights, and had the
joy of knowing that he was trusting in Jesus. However, I was suddenly
called away to the Fraser River, and, much to my regret, had to leave
the sick one. After I left they got the conjurer back, and finished
their work, for the boy died soon afterwards.
“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND MY SICK.”
It is lamentable to behold the superstitious dread of these people of
the power of the witch-doctor to do them harm.
During my stay at Nanaimo a bright, intelligent young man, about
nineteen years of age, by the name of Charlie, attended our school. I
missed him for some days, and on inquiry learned that he was sick. I
made my way to the old heathen house where he lived, and there found
him lying on a wretched cot, covered with his old dirty blanket.
I said, “Charlie, what’s the matter?”
“I am sick, sir,” he replied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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