Such events as going into a trance can be ascribed to the work of witches.
The way to cure a “witched” person is through the use of complicated prayer ceremonies that are attended by friends and relatives, who lend help and express sympathy. The victim of a witch is in no way responsible for being sick and is, therefore, free of any punitive action by the community if the ILLNESS causes the victim to behave in strange ways. However, if an incurably “witched” person is af- fected so that alterations in the person’s established role severely disrupt the com- munity, the victim may be abandoned (Kluckhohn & Leighton, 1962, p. 244). Box 9–1 presents selected beliefs of a traditional Cherokee medicine man.