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Show Medicine and Cures 73 10. Baking powder or soda â€" when a person had a very sore throat, the mother would wash her hands thoroughly and pour baking powder over the index finger, she would then stick her finger down the sick person's throat and with the powdered index finger, swab the sore throat. The baking powder would start to bubble and loosen the mucous stuck in the throat area. The patient would usually vomit because the gag reflex area would be stimulated and this would bring up the mucous as well as the baking powder. This procedure is called sat' ma que. Beliefs The Utes had many beliefs about ways to avert danger, injury, and even death. Unusual events were often taken as signs of danger, and some natural things like lightning were not understood and so were frightening. Important events like childbirth were often dangerous and so a group of beliefs grew up around them, and some of the practices which were prescribed or forbidden would actually help the mother or her child. Like the use of the old cures, many of these beliefs are gradually disappearing. Many young people, however, still do not comb their hair or whistle at night because their parents taught them not to, even though they do not really believe that bad things will happen to them. 1. When the owl hoots at night or a bird flies into the house, it generally means death will occur in the immediate family. 2. Whistling at night might cause the coyote (similar to the present day boogie-man) to attack. 3. Mirrors must be covered when it rains because lightning will strike the mirrors. And any dogs in the house must be thrown out, as they too attract the lightning. 4. Sweeping the floor or combing the hair at night indicates that something evil will happen. 5. When someone dreams about blood, it means that the dream may come true, if he doesn't tell anyone about it immediately after waking up. If he tells someone about the dream, it will not happen as severely as it happened in the dream. For instance, if someone dreams about someone else getting killed in a car accident and sees |