Copyright © 2006 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Swimmer: Photo courtesy Smithsonian Bureau of American Ethnology

PARK HILL, OKLAHOMA – There is a certain mystery surrounding the medicine practices of the Cherokee for some, and for others it is a way of life. Borne of traditions and embedded in the minds of those who live their lives in a traditional and cultural based society, the medicine is more than mystery and far beyond any magic. But, for most Americans this is the stuff movies are made of. It is the intrigue of something sacred, something feared at times, and something often misunderstood. First printed in the 1930s, The Swimmer Manuscript is both a valuable research source and a small window into traditional Cherokee cultural societies.

"There is a part of this book that connects me to my heritage – it speaks to me about many things I have always known or heard of. It isn’t the perfect script, however. A key ingredient in each of Swimmer’s descriptions is missing. But it is a book of wonder. I think this type of book has been anticipated by both Cherokee and non-Cherokees the world over", said Roy Hamilton, Cherokee citizen, historian, and President and Interim Executive Director of Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc.

Noksi Press, in cooperation with the Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, reissued The Swimmer Manuscript. “This book is a significant contribution toward better understanding Cherokee spiritual beliefs,” said Cherokee Heritage Center Archivist Tom Mooney.

The Smithsonian Bureau of American Ethnology recognized in the late 18th century that Native customs and practices were being forever lost or changed. As the westward movement continued to shrink tribal lands, a small team of anthropologists went to document Native American cultures.

“There are many statements in the descriptions and relations of early travelers on the American continent of the amazing skill of the native doctors and on the extraordinary results obtained by them,” Mooney writes. And later he quotes from a Medicine Man these words, “Now then! Ha, quickly thou last come to listen, red Otter, thou art staying in Sun Land . . . Now thou hast come to rest on the white cloth, and wilt thou pull the disease away with it.”

James Mooney spent many of his years living among the Eastern Cherokees. His two major works, Myths and Legends of the Cherokees and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees remain among the definitive literature ever written about Cherokee culture. The Swimmer Manuscript was completed by Frans M. Olbrect, following the untimely death of James Mooney. In the course of his work these men befriended many Cherokees, among them a medicine man named Swimmer. This manuscript records many of the Cherokee beliefs regarding diseases and cures. It also discusses color symbolism, sacred numbers, ghosts, little people, birth and burial practices. We plan this to be the first in a series of publications aimed at preserving Cherokee culture to provide greater access to valuable information previously found only in rare books.

"The Swimmer Manuscript, Cherokee Sacred Formulas and Medical Prescriptions", Tom Mooney, Editor $34.95 + $5.00 S&H. Order from Cherokee National Historical Society, Box 515 Tahlequah, OK, 74465 or call 918-456-6007. For more information on the Cherokee Heritage Center and its upcoming shows and exhibitions, call 918-456-6007 or visit the CHC web site.

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