Beliefs Concerning Witches, Pigmies, Giants, and other Fabulous Beings

The Dawn of the World, by C. Hart Merriam, [1910], at sacred-texts.com

p. 227

HOW WITCHES KILL PEOPLE

The Hookooeko of Nicasio and San Rafael say:

Our country is on the north side of San Francisco Bay and reaches from San Rafael to Tomales Bay. Before the white man came and destroyed us there used to be witches among the people. The people used to burn the dead. Sometimes after a burning the witches would save the ashes and burnt bones (called me'-cham yem'-me-um) and pound them up fine in a stone mortar and use them to kill with. The witches had two ways of killing people. One way was to put the powdered bones and ashes on the windward side of the house or rancheria of the person they wished to harm. Then the wind would blow the fine dust over the enemy. Next day he would have a headache and feel sick, and every day grow worse until by and by he died.

Another way was to take the hollow wing bone of a Turkey-buzzard and go to windward of the person to be injured. The witch then blew through the bone toward the person. The person soon had bad dreams and felt lonesome, and next day went crazy, and after a while died.

p. 228

With the right kind of a buzzard bone (called to'-kah) a witch could blow harm to a person from a distance as great as two miles.