ABSTRACT
The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. In
this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which
no native believes he could live. These preparations are secured from a
variety of specialized practitioners. The most powerful of these are the
medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial
gifts…. The charm is not disposed of after it has served its purpose, but
is placed in the charm-box of the household shrine. As these magical
materials are specific for certain ills, and the real or imagined maladies
of the people are many the charm-box is usually full to overflowing. The
magical packets are so numerous that people forget what their purposes
were and fear to use them again. While the natives are very vague on this
point, we can only assume that the idea in retaining all the old magical
materials is that their presence in the charm-box, before which the
body rituals are conducted, will in some way protect the worshipper.
