Indians of the Mesa Verde

by Don Watson

When a person becomes ill, a family council is held and it is decided that a medicine man, or doctor, must be called. The father, or some male relative, mixes a small amount of corn meal with powdered turquoise and wraps it in a corn husk. This he takes to the medicine man and, placing it in his hand, tells him what is wanted. The medicine man agrees to come in the evening. During the day the family prepares food, while the doctor prays and prepares his medicines. In the evening the doctor comes to the patient’s home and prepares for the examination. Smearing ashes on his hands, as protection against witches, he removes the patient’s clothing and feels over his body, searching for the cause of the illness. Upon completing his diagnosis, the doctor mixes a medicine of powdered herbs and water and gives it to the patient to drink. Then, after assuring the patient that he will recover, the doctor leaves.

If, however, the patient fails to recover and grows worse, the entire medicine society is called in. Again, the father takes corn meal and powdered turquoise to the medicine man and requests that the society perform a healing ceremony. If the patient’s condition is critical, the doctor agrees to bring the members of the society in the evening. If there seems to be no immediate emergency, he agrees to bring them after four days have passed.

During the four-day period, preparations are made. The priests pray and get their ceremonial equipment ready and each morning, in order to cleanse themselves, drink emetics that cause them to vomit. The family of the sick person prepares great quantities of food so the priests may be fed and all members of the family cleanse themselves by vomiting each morning. If the emetic does not cause vomiting, a long feather is thrust down the person’s throat until the desired result is obtained.

On the evening of the fourth day the patient is taken into the kiva of the medicine society. Two men, armed with bows and arrows, are stationed outside the kiva to keep witches away. On the kiva floor the priests have made a small painting by using corn meal of different colors and around the painting are prayersticks, fetishes of the curing animals, rattles, eagle feathers, bags of herb medicines and other ceremonial equipment. Upon entering the kiva, the patient sits down or, if he is very ill, lies down in front of the meal-painting.

The doctors, faces painted and wearing only their loincloths, are seated behind the painting. They are singing and the songs, which continue for some time, are an effort to induce the spirits of the curing animals, the mountain lion, bear, badger, wolf, eagle and shrew to enter the kiva. These animals have great supernatural healing powers and their spirits must be present in the kiva. As the singing continues, two doctors step out and do a short dance, then another doctor comes forward to prepare the medicine. Stirring some of the powdered herbs into a bowl of water, he ladles it out to the patient and all other persons in the kiva.

Now it is time for the most important part of the ceremony: they must find the object which is causing the disease. One of the doctors rubs ashes on his hands and begins to search the patient’s body for the object which a witch has shot into it. After careful search, he locates the object and sucks it out of the patient’s body. Spitting the object into his hand, he shows it to everyone. It is a centipede!

The doctors have also found that the patient’s heart has been stolen by witches and now they must get it back. Two of the doctors smear themselves with ashes and, with stone knives in their hands, climb out of the kiva. Soon the people hear sounds of fighting down on the trash pile in front of the cave. There are loud cries and the sounds of struggling, and blows being struck. Then all is quiet and other doctors go out to bring the two back. One of the doctors is unconscious and must be carried into the kiva and both show the marks of a furious struggle. But they have recovered the patient’s heart—it is a little ball of rags. When the ball is cut open, a grain of corn is found in the center and this is given to the patient to swallow. Now that he has recovered his heart he will soon be well.

The ceremony is over and as the patient returns to his home the doctors put away their ceremonial equipment. Soon the women of the patient’s family bring food which they have prepared and the medicine men have a fine feast. Baskets of corn meal are also brought to the medicine men in payment for the cure which they have effected.

At any time of the year there may be sickness in Cliff Palace but there is always the greatest amount in the winter. Seldom during the cold season are the people entirely free from it. The medicine men carry out the prescribed ceremonies, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. When they effect a cure there is rejoicing but when they fail there is sadness in the city and the relatives of the unfortunate person are plunged into mourning.