The Element Encyclopedia of Native Americans by Adele Nozedar

Author:Adele Nozedar
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780007519446
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

MEDICINE MAN

Also known as the shaman, the medicine man was the healer of a people, able to converse with the spirits in order to bring about this healing.

Sometimes the position of medicine man was hereditary; at other times the position was attained because of the obvious gifts and attributes of a certain individual.

Many great leaders and tribal chiefs were also medicine men. These include Black Hawk and Sitting Bull.

MEDICINE SOCIETY

An alternative name for the Grand Medicine Society, otherwise called the Midewiwin, particularly belonging to the Ojibwe people. This particular Medicine Society at times counted over 1,000 members. Its rituals were said to have been initially performed by superhuman, supernatural beings in order to help Nanabozho, an important mythological figure who was able to provide a bridge between mankind and the spirit world, after the death of his beloved brother Chibiabos.

A fully initiated member of the Medicine Society would not only be able to heal but to harm, to influence the course of events such as battles and the weather, and would also be able to ensure the overall health, material and spiritual, of the tribe.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.