Johan Turi's Medical Knowledge

An Account of the Sami p. 126

Sore throat

“In summertime, one takes a frog which is called rihccecuoppu (Rana arvalis or Rana temporaria). And one finds a young one during the summer and places it alive in a saltbin, wrapped in a white cloth. And there it will quickly die. And it must have white markings, at least mostly. If it is black and ugly, it will damage and poison the patient. And when one finds a pretty one of these frogs, as described above, one chops it up and cooks it in milk and then drinks it down. And that is a remedy for a sore throat.

And skin eruptions can also be treated by being rubbed with this same kind of frog. The Sámi recite a charm when doing this, but the rubbing helps even without the words, as long as the person does not do it out of mockery. If frogs are made fun of, then they can afflict people so seriously that they can even die from it.”

Muitalus sámiid birra p. 126

Ja lea velá iežá goansta čottavihkái

De lea váldojuvvon geasset cuoppu, mii gohččojuvvo rihccecuoppun. Ja dat váldojuvvo geasset rihccecubbo čivga ja biddjojuvvo eallinaga sáltti sisa vilges liinni sisa ‒ ja de son jápmá fargga. Ja dat galgá vielgat, juobe eanas oassi vilges girjjit. Jos lea čáhppat ja fasti, de billista ja bostá. Ja go dal lea váldán dan čáppa sortta, nugo lea ovdalis juo muitaluvvon, de galgá čáhppojuvvot veaháš ja vuššojuvvot milkkiin ja juhkkojuvvot dat. Ja dat adnojuvvo čottavihkái dálkkasin.

Ja go ruoppit šaddet, de lea dálkkas dasa nai vuoidat dainna cubbuin. ‒ Muhto sámit lohket soames lohkosiid, muhto gal dat ábuha veaháš vaikko ii loga ge, go ii fal daga bilkideame dihte. Jos cubbuid bilkida, de dat gal bostá nu nai, ahte váldá heakka olbmos.

Sami text screenshot

Discussion

An Account of the Sami p. 126

An Account of a Certain Girl

There was a girl who had a somewhat swollen neck. And she took one of this same kind of frog and pressed it to the affected spot. And when she had finished pressing with it, she threw it to the ground so that the frog was injured. And that frog became angry and afflicted her even worse. And it was one of the poisonous kind: it was black-speckled, the kind one should beware of.

And that girl became ill and went to see doctors in Luleå, but they couldn’t help her and she died. A Sámi doctor examined her affected area and said: “you have pressed this with a frog and then thrown the frog to the ground so that it became angry, and it has afflicted you worse. And this cannot be reversed: it has damaged your blood so much that it cannot heal.”

Muitalus sámiid birra p. 126

Dás vuolde muitalus ovtta nieidda birra

Dan nieiddas bohtanii čeabet veaháš, ja de válddii dan seammá cubbo ja dettii dainna dan vihkebáikki. Ja de go gearggai deaddimis, de bálkestii eatnamii nu ahte cuoppu bávččagii ‒ ja de suhtai nu ahte bosttii velá bahábut. Ja dat leai muđui nai dat sorta mii bostá ‒ dat leai čáhppesgirjjat, mas galgá váruhit. Ja dat nieida skihppái bahui ja manai Luleju doaktáriid luhtte, muhto ii dat ábuhan ‒ son jámii.

Okta sámi doavttir geahčai dan su vigi ja muitalii, ahte “don leat deaddán cubbuin, ja leat bálkestan eatnamii nu ahte cuoppu suhtai, ja de bosttii bahábut, ja dan ii nagat jorgalit, dat lea vara billistan juo nu ahte ii buorrán.

Sami text screenshot

Discussion

An Account of the Sami p. 126

An Account of the Frog

“The frog lives sometimes in the water, sometimes on land. It mates in the spring, at the same time as the pike. It mates in marshy areas. And it makes a sound like that of a reindeer calf. But it has been noted that the frog falls to earth from above, like insects that fall upon the snow. It is certain that the frog falls to the earth from the sky, because it can be found in the mountains on top of the snow when there is no melted water around.

The frog is a creature that, if one dares take it in one’s hand and the frog happens to pee, that hand acquires healing power. If one only presses an affected area with such a hand, the pain will diminish at once. And the frog is also a remedy for when one has skin eruptions around the mouth: one presses and rubs the frog on the affected area.”

Muitalus sámiid birra p. 126

Muitalus cubbo birra

Cuoppu orru čázis, ja orru goike eatnamis. Giđđat lea gođđu seammá áigge go hávggas. Su gođđu lea jeakkis. Ja dat atnet dakkár jiena ‒ ruvget dego bohcco miesit. Muhto lea fuomášuvvon, ahte cuoppu gahččá badjin vulos, nu go iežá nai divrrit, mat gahččet muohttaga ala. Dat lea vissis, ahte cuoppu gahččá eatnamii balvvas dainna go gávdno duoddaris muohttaga alde, gos ii leat suddi olamearis.

Cuoppu lea dan lágáš divri, ahte guhte duostá váldit gihtii, ja go cuoppu gožžá gieđa ala, de šaddá dan olbmo giehta dálkkasgiehta. Go dakkár gieđain dušše deaddila ge vihkebáikki ala, de geahppu várka dakkaviđe. Ja go ruobbu njálbmi ‒ dasa lea maiddá dálkkas cuoppu, go suinna deattaša ja vuoiddada.

Sami text screenshot

Discussion

An Account of the Sami p. 127

Another Account of the Frog

Once when a woman was crossing a marsh, she caught sight of a rock in the water and stepped on it. But it was not a rock at all but rather the mother of the frogs. It was as large as a person’s head. And that frog attached itself to the woman’s leg, so that the woman could not get it off her except by dislodging it with her staff. And that leg began to hurt in the area where the frog had grabbed her. She went to the doctors in Luleå, but she died just the same. And as a child she had made fun of frogs and then she became afflicted only when she stepped on their ancestor. This happened to Lunta-Ándaras’s wife, on the shore of the lake Vuoskkojávri.

Muitalus sámiid birra p. 127

Cubbos nubbi muitalus

Go leai okta nisu vázzime jeakki, ja de oaidná ovtta geađggi jeakkis, ja duolmmastii dan ala. Ja dat ii lean ge geađgi, muhto leai cubbuid eadni ‒ mii leai nu stuorat dego olbmo oaivi ‒ ja de cuoppu roahkuhii iežas gitta juolgái, nu ahte ii ožžon luovos muđui go gálggai soppiin. Ja de álggii bávččastit dat juolgi, masa darvánii cuoppu. Ja son manai Luleju doaktárii, muhto son maiddá jámii. Ja dat leai mánnán bilkidan cubbuid, ja de easka bosttii go soittii máttu ala boahtit. ‒ Lunta–Ándarasa áhkkái lea nu geavvan Vuoskkojávregáttis.

Sami text screenshot

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