The Medicine Wheel

The Navajo creation story explains that medicine was brought to the people by an ancient owl. This owl sent down a magic bundle containing the powers of healing to the new world. For thousands of years Navajo people have used this knowledge to heal and live in harmony with each other. As a product of two worlds, Dr. Lori Alvord was one of the first people to combine modern medicine with Navajo beliefs by overcoming cultural differences.

For the Aborigines their spiritually involves everyday objects such as plants and animals which are connected to their ancestors. Their spirituality and beliefs are kept alive by passing on their knowledge through ceremonies and “Dreamtime” stories. The “Dreamtime” stories are how the Aborigines explain the beginning of the Earth and the foundation of their core beliefs. In most of the stories, ancestral spirits came to the Earth and as they moved along they created the plants, animals and even rocks. One the spirits did their job, they morphed into stars, watering holes and other objects. An example of these “Dreamtime” stories is the “Rainbow serpent” which is about a serpent who “pushed out the land to make mountains, she spilled water over the land to make rivers, lakes and billabongs. She also made the sun and fire, and all colours of the rainbow.”

In Aboriginal teachings, the medicine wheel is sacred because it represents the various components of a healthy, well-rounded individual. Like wellness, the medicine wheel represents an “active state of health in which an individual progresses toward a higher level of functioning, thus achieving an optimum balance” (as cited in Fain & Lewis, 2002, p. 7). The medicine wheel is divided into four major sections, each representing a major part of a person (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual). In order to achieve balance in one’s life, one must analyze each of these components, and work to improve communications within one’s self. Intrapersonal communication is vital to the development of self-concept and self-esteem,

Every person on this planet has a set of beliefs and values that they implement into their daily lives, helping them understand the world, humanity, and themselves. This set of beliefs and values can be called a worldview. The worldviews and ways of knowing of Indigenous Peoples (in this paper, specifically Indigenous Peoples of North America) have existed for centuries, yet often they remain in juxtaposition with Western (in this paper, specifically Eurocentric) ways of knowing and Western worldviews. One way of knowing is reliant on science, order, and the

Indigenous traditions represent the oldest cultures which associate the quest archetype with a search for real knowledge of the external world, which was otherwise unavailable to people with little technology to search the external environment empirically. Indigenous quest characteristics come through an active need to learn about a harsh world in order to survive adulthood. With such cultures having limited methods of acquiring knowledge of the external world, the quest then serves as a function to show the development of knowledge needed in order to survive in indigenous society

By erecting alters in homes and placing shrines in fields and along trails, they try to drive away the evil spirits that infect their people. If a treatment from a Shaman does not work, the people do not blame the shaman. Instead, they see that the evil spirits could not be driven from the person’s body. Symbols and patterns were decorating on the clothing that the Hmong women made from hemp. These patterns and symbols were created from dyes that came from vegetables and were used to drive away evil spirits and attract friendly ones.

31). In the PowerPoint; slide twenty-five, Gladys devoted her life to understanding her culture as well as carrying out the duties of the chosen one. She succeeded at this task because it came as natural as breathing. Although she never attended high school, she received her education at home from her nanus. Her great-aunt Emma Baker began with a story of where the Mohegans came from where it had been passed down from other generations. Gladys was young at the time when she was receiving this proud gift that she was destined for, she still understood the value of her lessons. The most important lesson Gladys learned for the medicine trail is only good medicine is allowed for healing. If good medicine was not being used, the spirits would make her medicine tainted and ineffective with the result of harming herself and others. It was taught that she should surround herself with items that brought good spirits such as ancient artifacts, silver, quartz (p. 40). These constant reminders and lessons on how to provide protection and continue comforting for her members gave Gladys strength in discovering not just her culture but other Indian’s

Turner, J.T. Arnason, R.J. Hebda, T. Johns, 2012). Before the arrival of Europeans, Aboriginal peoples mastered the cultivation of food crops in a range of fertile areas. The “three sisters,” which was a phrase used to describe the three crops: corn, squash, and beans as they were planted together where each plant depended and supported the growth and nutrition of the others. The myriad of food supplies made it possible for the Iroquoian First Nations to find stable communities. As many Europeans started coming and settling into Canada, they brought many illnesses along with them from some being from the long journey and others due to lack of food. The Aboriginal people made an assortment of various ways to heal wounds, coughs, and rheumatism. Since many were nervous about taking the medicine from the Natives, they soon realized that these people had in them vast knowledge about the land and its many natural wonders they inhabited in. Barks of spruce and juniper trees were used to make tea which contained vitamin C and berries and plants were picked and used as remedies for many things. Many plants were also used for utility uses. Woods played as a prime importance for fuels and as major items for things such as buildings, totem poles, and weapons including spears, bows, and arrows. Dyes, abrasives, and recreation items were also made from plants. All these things

Many traditional Native medicines and healing practices were discouraged with the advent of Western medicine, but now there is a movement to return to traditional ways (Zubek, 1994, p. 1924). Modern Western medicine treats the symptoms to cure a diseased state when the body is out of homeostasis. Native American healing traditions do this as well with herbs and plants suited to the purpose. These Native healing traditions also include sacred rituals, chants, and purification rites to help bring the spirit and mind of the afflicted back into balance. In effect, treating the whole person, not only the disease. A blending of these two healing practices could bring about better prognoses for today's patients. The purpose of this paper is

The Plains Indians religious beliefs were quite similar and interesting. The Plains Indians believed in Animism. Animism is the belief that everything possesses a spirit. Besides Animism, the Plains Indians only worshiped one other “god.” That was the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit was the mother of all things. They would perform ceremonies for her. Sacred items were also important to the people of the Plains. They would have items that they believed had spiritual or talismanic powers. The items would be located in a pouch at the person’s side. The Medicine Man would also carry around multiple pouches with different talisman. This could come in the form of a peace pipe or a calumet or something that they

Blending old with new, traditional and modern Western medicine and treatment give the Navajo the best of both worlds culturally. Medicine from the Navajo perspective is about healing people by restoring balance and harmony to the spirit. Prayer as well as balance healing rituals like “Walking in Beauty” (O’Brien,

erosion of the Aboriginal culture.(chp.2). Restrictions placed on the cultural practices of the Aboriginal people ultimately led to the abatement of the Aboriginal traditional medicines.(p88). Losing their freedom to practice traditional therapeutics, the Aboriginal people eventually had to adapt to the culturally inappropriate ways of western medicines. The purpose of this paper is to examine the advantages of Aboriginal healing methods for the Aboriginal people, as well as to explain why these traditional methods continued to persist long after western style medicines were introduced.

Native American culture refers to the term medicine as “the essence of life or an inner power” (Portman & Garret, 2006, p.454). It is believed that each person has their own essence that is locked in a physical form “our body” and this way they can learn in body, mind and spirit. To be able to understand the roots of Native American traditional medicine, it is important to

Native American use medicine wheels to keep themselves healthy. Each Native American tribe can read and interpret the medicine wheel differently. In North America, there are hundreds or even thousands of medicine wheels that are used by Native Americans. The medicine wheel has four directions. These four directions represent North, South, East, and West. The four directions can also represent the stages of life. It can also animals, plants, and the seasons. On the other hand, it can represent the aspect of life and the elements of nature. It is believed by the Native Americans that all of these things are connected to powers and that they could harness this power for medicine. The medicine wheel represents balance. This is why it is a circle

In order to heal a fractured, sprained or dislocated bone, the natives would form a padding of wet clay or rawhide to form a cast around the injury. This restricted movement, thus allowing the bone to heal properly. In another method, used by the Ojibwas, they washed the fractured arm with warm water, then greased it, applied a warm poultice of wild ginger and spikenard to ease the pain, covered it with cloth, and bound the arm with cedar splints (Vogel 215). This procedure resulted in a sling that allowed the broken bone to heal correctly. When someone broke a bone, it was crucial that the bone be able to heal properly as the injured person was needed to return to work as quickly as possible. Some Native Americans often used specific drugs to suppress ovulation and control the menstrual cycle (Vogel 5). This drug's success started researchers on the road that led to the pill, a common form of birth control today. This demonstrates that many of the needs of the people of the past are similar to the needs of the people today. In 1536, an Indian chief, Domagaia, treated an abundant disease, scurvy, by boiling the leaves and bark of a 'magical tree' and then placing the dregs upon the legs of the people that had been exposed (Morsette 5).