The Night Has a Naked Soul

Book excerpt: In a work that spans nearly two centuries, anthropologist Alan Kilpatrick explores the occult world of the Western Cherokee, expounding on previously collected documents and translating some forty new shamanistic texts that have never been disclosed to outside audiences. For over a hundred and fifty years, the Cherokee Indians have been recording their medico-magical traditions in the native script of the Sequoyah syllabary. These texts, known as idi:gawe':sdi, deal with such esoteric matters as divining the future, protecting oneself from enemies, destroying the power of witches, and purifying one's soul from all forms of supernatural harm. As one of the few scholars able to translate the discourse, Kilpatrick underlines the critical role of transformational language in the ritual performance. His book challenges conventional wisdom about Native American folk medicine, witchcraft, and sorcery by introducing a new body of shamanistic thought and by placing this thought in the context of growing anthropological literature on indigenous folk beliefs.