Taking the gourd, he begins to rattle it and to sing, thereby to
charm the animal that has entered the body of the sick Sioux. After
singing _hi-he-hi-hah_ in quick succession, the chorus _ha-ha-ha,
hahahah_ is more solemnly and gravely chanted. On due repetition of this
the doctor stops to smoke; then sings and rattles again. He sometimes
attempts to draw with his mouth the disease from an arm or a limb that
he fancies to be affected. Then rising, apparently almost suffocated,
groaning terribly and thrusting his face into a bowl of water, he makes
all sorts of gestures and noises. This is to get rid of the disease that
he pretends to have drawn from the sick person. When he thinks that some
animal, fowl or fish, has possession of the sick man, so as to cause the
disease, it becomes necessary to destroy the animal by shooting it. To
accomplish this, the doctor makes the shape of the animal of bark, which
is placed in a bowl of water mixed with red earth, which he sets outside
of the wigwam where some young men are standing, who are instructed by
the doctor how and when to shoot the animal.
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