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or to the thighs, where children sit. The left thumb denotes a good hunter, while pointing toward the consultant's house cattle room denotes a person rich in animals and food. Those who are clairvoyant are identified by two spots on the forehead designating the additional sight (eyes) of such persons. |
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The negative attributes usually include physiological abnormalities, malformations, or other distinguishing featuressuch things as a growth on the head, buck teeth, missing teeth, a large neck, a large navel, a lame leg, a hairy chest, a scar, a big nose, big ears, a hernia, leprosy, deafness, a body protrusion, blindness, and a beard. Each person is further singled out by identifying his or her gender (breast versus penis), age (one breast for an older woman, two for a young woman), generation (forehead for the father of your father), and place of birth in the family. The birth position is shown by the consultant's touching the stick to the finger of the adviser's hand, which indicates the appropriate birth order. The thumb indicates first son or daughter, the index finger second son or daughter, and so on. |
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Each deceased elder who is discussed is identified as having died of a particular illness. That is done by noting the predominating symptom that preceded his or her death. Death accompanied by fever and headache is noted by pointing to the head. Women who died in childbirth are indicated by pointing to the stomach. People who died of starvation or from internal problems accompanied by a swollen stomach are also noted by the stomach. Respiratory failure is indicated by pointing to the nose, leprosy by rubbing the stick across the fingers to suggest that they are missing, hernia by pointing to the groin, and snake bite by making an S-shaped sign in the air and indicating where the person was bitten. A serious infection that led to death is indicated by pointing to the site where the infection began. Suicide is noted by pointing to the area between the neck and the chin, since hanging is the most common means. |
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To identify or locate a person, a sacred area, or a practitioner or treatment center that should be used, the club is pointed in the appropriate direction. After a direction is given, the adviser may mention communities in that direction and then neighborhoods to narrow down the possibilities. If the treatments are to be given at the adviser's own house or in one of the houses of the extended family, that is indicated by making a line on the ground in front of the adviser or pointing to the adviser's solar plexus. Houses in other neighborhoods or communities that need to be visited are indicated both by pointing in the appropriate direction and by drawing a line on the ground away from the adviser. Thus, for example, if a medication container is required, a circle is drawn next to the adviser if the family's own medication container should be used, while it is drawn away from the adviser if he needs to seek it out elsewhere. |
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The consultant also specifies the exact spots in the house where treatments are to be done. The south side of the house is indicated with a counterclockwise motion around the stone, the north side with a clockwise motion, the main cattle room by pointing toward it, the upstairs by making a circular motion in the air over the stone, and the upstairs bedroom by drawing a line on the ground right |
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