NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINE

Introduction
This web page was designed to provide information about the ancient healing arts found within Native American Medicine. There are many different points of view, especially from non-native medical circles, and yet, they offer an insight that we could not overlook or ignore.
You may find that some of these views share in the same findings. We did not include all that we found simply because there is way too much and we chose to leave that adventure up to you - depending on what you're looking for. Also, this page is not designed to give it's readers any methods of application or instruction on how to do or perform any of these ancient medicine ways.
Please enjoy what is presented here in an effort to develop a deeper understanding of the Native American People and their Culture though their Medicine Ways.

Thank you,
WBC Research Department

Overview
Native American medicine refers to the combined health practices of over 500 (Federally Recognized Tribes - There were actually thousands more), distinct nations that inhabited the Americas before the European arrival at the end of the fifteenth century. Specific practices varied among tribes, but all native medicine is based on the understanding that man is part of nature and health is a matter of balance. The natural world thrives when its complex web of interrelationships is honored, nurtured and kept in harmony. Native American philosophy recognizes aspects of the natural world that cannot be seen by the eye or by technology, but which can be experienced directly and intuitively. Just as each human has an immeasurable inner life which powerfully influences well-being, so does nature include unseen but compelling forces which must be addressed and integrated for true balance to be achieved.

Native medicine may be as old as 40 to 60,000 years. Many of the cultures never developed a written language comparitive to the Europeans, so there was no documentation of Native American medicine at that level until Europeans arrived 500 years ago. Until recently, documentation has been limited to the observations of those outside the culture. Such writing describes the outward appearances of Native American medicine, but cannot capture its rich subtlety, and is therefore an incomplete documentation. Native medicine must be embodied in a lifestyle that honors all creation, and cannot be reduced to an academic body of knowledge and technique. Native American elders generally decline opportunities to share knowledge for fear their sacred knowledge would be exploited. Those who carry the teachings outside the culture risk excommunication.

Intrinsically holistic to a degree conventional medicine is only beginning to conceptualize, Native American medicine addresses imbalance on every level of life, from the most personal inner life to the most overt behavior. Disease is not defined by physical pathology, but viewed from an expanded context that includes body, mind, spirit, emotions, social group, and lifestyle.

Without a known written language, native medicine never crystallized as a formal body of knowledge with standard practices. Native Americans understand that there are endless ways to achieve balance, and that effective treatment is a marriage of a skilled, compassionate practitioner and committed patient. The uniqueness of each healer's approach is not simply tolerated, it is prized. Of equal importance is the patient's choice to heal. Patients' preferences are always honored. To disregard them, or to use even subtle force, could never effectively establish harmony.

Native American medicine historically included many sophisticated interventions that have been lost in whole or in part, such as various forms of bodywork, bone setting, midwifery, naturopathy, hydrotherapy, and botanical and nutritional medicine. Ceremonial and ritual medicine is the largest surviving piece of Native American medicine, but is still only a small part of what was available 500 years ago.

An undocumented living tradition can only survive through living practitioners. As whole tribes died out, much traditional knowledge was lost. And as the number of indigenous Americans drastically decreased, so did native pride. More Native Americans took up European ways, especially the Christian religion. Fewer people took interest in keeping the traditions alive.

There is evidence that some of this decline may be reversing. Native Americans are increasingly interested in preserving their culture, and healers from other perspectives are keen to learn ancient native wisdom traditions. Elder healers view interest from outside their culture with skepticism. Although some elders feel that sharing native medicine across cultures might help preserve it, most do not trust non-native cultures to honor the integrity of the teachings. Perhaps the power of Native American medicine is seen most dramatically in the fact that despite 500 years of tragic decline, it remains as fluid today as ever, a constantly evolving, living response to the needs of its people and the times.



Native American Medicine II
Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
by: Linda Chrisman

Definition
According to Ken "Bear Hawk" Cohen, "Native American medicine is based on widely held beliefs about healthy living, the repercussions of disease-producing behavior, and the spiritual principles that restore balance." These beliefs are shared by all tribes; however, the methods of diagnosis and treatment vary greatly from tribe to tribe and healer to healer.

Origins
The healing traditions of Native Americans have been practiced in North America since at least 12,000 years ago and possibly as early as 40,000 years ago. Although the term Native American medicine implies that there is a standard system of healing, there are approximately 500 nations of indigenous people in North America, each representing a diverse wealth of healing knowledge, rituals, and ceremonies.

Many aspects of Native American healing have been kept secret and are not written down. The traditions are passed down by word of mouth from elders, from the spirits in vision quests, and through initiation. It is believed that sharing healing knowledge too readily or casually will weaken the spiritual power of the medicine.

There are, however, many Native American healers who recognize that writing down their healing practices is a way to preserve these traditions for future generations. Many also believe that sharing their healing ways and values may help all people to come into a healthier balance with nature and all forms of life.

Benefits
Native American medicine can benefit anyone who sincerely wishes to live a life of wholeness and balance. These benefits may be physical, emotional, or spiritual. There is, however, the understanding that "the diseases of civilization," or white man's diseases, often need white man's medicine. In those cases, Native American medicine can be an important part of an integrative approach to healing. For example, the most successful programs for treating alcohol addiction in Native communities have combined Western approaches to psychological counseling, social work, and traditional Native American healing practices.

Such inherited conditions as birth defects or retardation are not easily treatable with Native American medicine. Native healers also believe that some illnesses are the result of a patient's behavior. Sometimes they will not treat a person because they do not want to interfere with the life lessons the patient needs to learn. Other illnesses are not treated because they are "callings" or initiation diseases. Native healer Medicine Grizzly Bear Lake explains, "The calling comes in the form of a dream, accident, sickness, injury, disease, near-death experience, or even actual death."

Description
Native American medicine is based upon a spiritual view of life. A healthy person is someone who has a sense of purpose and follows the guidance of the Great Spirit. This guidance is written upon the heart of every person. To be healthy, a person must be committed to a path of beauty, harmony, and balance. Gratitude, respect, and generosity are also considered to be essential for a healthy life. Ken Cohen writes, "Health means restoring the body, mind, and spirit to balance and wholeness: the balance of life energy in the body; the balance of ethical, reasonable, and just behavior; balanced relations within family and community; and harmonious relationships with nature."

Theories of disease causation and even the names of diseases vary from tribe to tribe. Diseases may be thought to have internal or external causes or sometimes both. According to Cherokee medicine man Rolling Thunder, negative thinking is the most important internal cause of disease. Negative thinking includes not only negative thoughts about oneself but also feelings of shame, blame, low self-esteem, greed, despair, worry, depression, anger, jealousy, and self-centeredness. Johnny Moses, a Nootka healer, says "No evil sorcerer can do as much harm to you as you can do to yourself."

Diseases have external causes too. "Germs are also spirits," according to Shabari Bird of the Lakota Nation. A person is particularly susceptible to harmful germs if they live an imbalanced life, have a weak constitution, engage in negative thinking, or are under a lot of stress. Other people or spirits may also be responsible for an illness. Another external source of disease is environmental poisons. These poisons include alcohol, impure air, water, and some types of food.

Native American healers believe that disease can also be caused by physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma. These traumas can lead to mental and emotional distress, loss of soul, or loss of spiritual power. In these cases the healer must use ritual and other ways to physically return the soul and power to the patient. Some diseases are caused when people break the "rules for living." These rules may include ways of showing respect for animals, people, places, ritual objects, events, or spirits.

Native American healers have several different techniques for diagnosing an illness. These may include a discussion of one's symptoms, personal and family history, observation of non-verbal cues like posture or tone of voice, and medical divination. More important than the particular technique is the healer's intuition, sensitivity, and spiritual power.

There is no typical Native American healing session. Methods of healing include prayer, chanting, music, smudging (burning sage or aromatic woods), herbs, laying-on of hands, massage, counseling, imagery, fasting, harmonizing with nature, dreaming, sweat lodges, taking hallucinogens (e.g., peyote), developing inner silence, going on a shamanic journey, and ceremony. Family and community are also important in many healing sessions. Sometimes healing happens quickly. Sometimes a long period of time is needed for healing. The intensity of the therapy is considered to be more important than the length of time required. Even if the healing happens quickly, however, a change in life style is usually required in order to make the healing last.

A medicine bundle may also be used in Native American healing. The medicine bundle is a bag made of leather or an animal pelt in which the healer carries an assortment of ritual objects, charms, herbs, stones, and other healing paraphernalia. The bundle is a concrete token of the medicine power that the spirits have given the healer, either for healing in general or for healing a particular illness. The bundles vary according to clan, tribe, and individual. Native American medicine is not covered by insurance unless perhaps the practitioner is a licensed health care provider. Most Native healers do not charge a set fee for their services. Healing is considered to be "a gift from the Great Spirit." Gifts to the healer are welcomed, however. The offering of a gift "ensures success of treatment because healing spirits appreciate generosity." Gifts may include groceries, cloth, money, or another personal expression of respect and appreciation.

Frequently the only gift that is required is a pouch of tobacco.

Preparations
The medicine person tells the patient what preparations are necessary before the healing ceremony.

Precautions
A medicine person is essential to ensure safe healing through Native American medicine. People with hypertension should watch themselves during a sweat lodge ceremony for a possible increase in blood pressure. People with asthma may have difficulty when sage or cedar is used in a ceremony. People who are claustrophobic may find the close, hot, dark environment of a sweat lodge overwhelming.

Side effects
Some herbs may cause vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea. From the Native American point of view these reactions are usually welcomed and considered a form of purging or cleansing of the physical body.

Research & general acceptance
There has been no formal scientific research conducted on Native American healing practices. Medicine people do not write down their practices out of fear that they might be misused by people who are not trained in their sacred ways. The most prominent users of this form of medicine are Native Americans or others who want a spiritually based approach to medicine.

Training & certification
Native American medicine has been passed down by word of mouth for thousands of years. Healing power can come from one's ancestors, another healer, or through training and initiation. Generally, healers train under one primary mentor. Today, however, with the ease of long-distance travel and communication, many healers have several mentors. Training as a medicine person is a long process that requires strength, sacrifice and patience. Denet Tsosi, a Navajo medicine man, said that it took him six years to learn one of the chants.

KEY TERMS:

Medicine bundle
A leather bag or animal skin in which a Native American healer carries herbs, stones, and various ritual objects as a sign of his or her healing powers.

Peyote
One of the dried tops of the mescal cactus. Peyote contains mescaline, a hallucinogen that is sometimes used in Native American healing ceremonies.

Shaman
A person who serves as an intermediary between humans and the supernatural world, using special powers to cure illness, foretell the future, etc.



THE SWEAT LODGE

The House of the Stone People
Lakota lineage holder Paul GhostHorse gives us insight into the purifying ritual

New Life Journal
by Paul GhostHorse

The old Greeks wrote about strange people to the north who would whip themselves with pine boughs and climb into little huts with hot stones to make their bodies perspire. A contributor for Smithsonian Magazine wrote years ago about the discovery in Siberia of structures made from the rib bones of mastodons with piles of stones in each center. In Finland it's called a sauna. Naturopathic physicians call it hydrotherapy. My Lakota grandfather called it Tunkan Ti, the house of the Stone People, or Inipikaga, ceremony to renew the life force. The structure is called "tezi," meaning Mother Earth's womb. Warm, dark and safe, our spirits grow inside the structure, and as we exit we are reborn each time, greeting all of our relatives in creation with the words "Mitakuye Oyasin," or "We are all relatives." It is a "keya," the turtle, as well. Shaped like a turtle with the earthen altar as its head, it represents "Turtle Island," our North American continent, named so from old stories that speak of the Earth coming out of the water on the back of a giant turtle. It is our church, our hospital and our university that we never graduate from. The White Nation calls it Sweat Lodge, but there is so much more, in addition to sweating, that happens inside.

The Stone People Lodge is most importantly a place of purification and prayer meant to heal the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual parts of the serf through ritual. Native families who have preserved the ceremony have done so by suffering through years of persecution. Christian churches were assigned by our Government to run the early concentration camps called Reservations, where food and supplies were denied to those who would not accept forced Christian conversion. My family was one of those who suffered to keep the instructions given to us by the Creator Spirit through prayer and purification. These sacrifices are why we still have our ceremonies today.

The whole structure is gathered and assembled with prayer. Saplings used are spoken to as "spirit to spirit" and "two-legged to standing people," as they are given offerings in exchange for their "robe." Even a song is sung to them to ask for their help. The trees help us willingly; they rarely say "no," and we always remember to thank them. Holes for the saplings are made into Our mother Earth, and into these holes are placed prayer with tobacco or cornmeal. The cut saplings are shaped into a structure that looks like an upside-down basket (see photo this page). In the center of this, a small pit is dug to receive the hot stones, When this pit is opened, it is said that Grandmother is listening to our words, thoughts and intentions for this sacred place.

Our stones are gathered far away in the West where the lava has spilled onto the earth. Offerings are made to these (stone) People, and we listen to them with our spirit to find the ones who are willing to come with us. We are reminded that all things are alive and have consciousness according to their nature. It may seem strange to talk to a stone. But, try it sometime when no one is looking. Sit quietly with a stone and listen closely. It may take a few attempts to quiet your mind and connect spirit to spirit. See what answer your mind reflects from this part of creation that will still be here long after we are earth again.

We awaken and recreate fire in a pit called "old man four generations." The fire itself is called "oehunkeshni," or fire without end: It is a spirit and also very much alive. This spirit enters the stones and paints their face red and is brought into the "inipi" (place where we renew our life force) through these Stone People. The structure is covered in blankets instead of traditional buffalo hide. Water, sometimes infused with plant medicines, is offered to the hot stones. The water gives them voices as they hiss in their own language. The old songs are sung in the same order they have been sung for a thousand years, like a very old, worn and familiar path. A spirit or angel shows up as it has for a thousand years and asks, "Grandson or Granddaughter, what is it you need?." "We ask for health and help for our People!" "Wichozani na wokiyektelo."

Those who were taught this ceremony, passed down through generations, were taught without any thought of personal gain. There is never any charge for this ritual, as it was given to the two-legged for free and must be given freely for the help of one's people. Families and extended families will sweat together. Men and women who are unrelated rarely sweat together as they are a distraction to each other. traditional people do not sweat naked in mixed company. Men and women who have committed themselves to the responsibility of learning this way give years of service to learn the songs, the prayer and the ritual. Everyone who leads a Sweat Lodge has someone they are responsible to so that no one is on their own to do as they please. There are many who pretend to know these ways and exploit people. There are some who mean well but may hurt people through their own inexperience. East of the Mississippi, there are fewer traditional native people due to the ethnic cleansing that took place here generations ago and the prejudice that still exists today. Fortunately, President Jimmy Carter passed the Freedom of Religion Act for Native People in 1978, and now prayer does not have to be practiced invisibly.

If you have the opportunity to participate in this ceremony, always be respectful to that family and nation's tradition by following their guidelines of conduct. The rules are in place for important reasons that may be understood later. If you cannot find your local inipi, then jump in a sauna and do your hydrotherapy. Purify yourself and keep your prayer inside and private. Know that Spirit hears all and knows your intention, no matter where you are. Hetchtu, Mitakuye Oyasin. As I have said, we are all related.

Paul is the son of Lakota elder Buck GhostHorse and intercessor for the Sungleska Oyate Sundance in Washington state. He follows the traditional teachings of his family.

© 2007 Natural Arts



The Medicine Wheel - Animal Spirit Guides

Of all the people on the planet who respect nature, it is the indigenous tribal nations of the world who respect it the most. In the West particularly, it is the Native American tribes, and their elders, that we need to look to for guidance in saving Mother Earth from ecological destruction. The United States of America, as the wealthiest country in the world, must be much more cautious about avoiding the kind of runaway growth that comes when greed is placed above the common good. We have not had sustainable growth in this country for a long time.

The growth we have experienced in the last twenty years, particularly economic, has been acquired in an unstable fashion where the few have prospered at the demise of the many, and the environment has been, increasingly, harmed. Runaway corporate greed and scandal have become commonplace, as the recent round of media attention has uncovered. But the fact is, this has been going on for a long time and, for every company that gets caught, there are many behemoths that escape detection. What has to change is our irreverence for this Earth that sustains us.

Planet Earth is the Love planet. Of all the planes of existence in the Universe, this is the only planet where Love can be expressed and experienced fully. It is Love that sustains and nurtures our existence and our ability to interact, therefore, it is extremely important that we do a much better job of caring for this Earth.

There is a magic in Nature that Native Americans experience in a very special way. There is a lot to learn from the way in which they experience this magic. It is transforming. Some tribes like the Choctaw (my nation) do believe that animals are deities in disguise, placed here on earth to carry messages of Divinity, messages that each of us can learn from.

Tribespeople from Nations like the Choctaw, Mayan and Lakota spend a great deal of time observing the behavior and other characteristics of animals as a way of "divining" guidance for their own lives. Animals are considered to be sacred, as is all of nature.

SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINE PATH

The Native American Medicine Path of the Choctaw, Shawnee and Lakota is based on the American Indian principle of the Medicine Wheel, as is the way of all Native Americans. Medicine is anything that brings you closer to Great Spirit, to the Divine. In our tradition, all space is sacred space. Every place on the planet holds a specific energy connection to some living creature and is to be honored for that reason.

The Medicine Wheel is used to gather together the energies of animals (creature beings), us two-leggeds, the Stone People, Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon, the Sky World (Star Nation), the Subterraneans, the Standing People (trees), the Sky Brothers and Sisters and the Thunder Beings. In our Native teachings, we consider these to be all our relations.

So, the Native American Medicine Path is the study of these energies, all our relations, who we see as part of one whole that we call Great Spirit, who has created what we refer to as the Great Mystery. The Medicine Wheel is our symbol for Great Mystery. It is life, the afterlife, rebirth and the act of honoring each step along the way. It is the experience of living in a natural, free and spontaneous way.

One who studies the Great Mystery, a person who follows the Native American Medicine Path is said to be walking the Good Red Road. The Good Red Road runs South to North and is also the means by which we communicate with our ancestors to receive guidance from them. Travel on the Good Red Road eventually leads one to what we call the Blue Road (referred to as the Black road in some native traditions) of Spirit which runs East to West.

In the tradition of the Native American Medicine Path, this Universe is called the Dreamtime. The world is considered to be our Earth Walk and each lifetime that we live is a direction. Every direction is to be honored as part of Great Mystery.

THE COMMON GOOD

In our tradition, the most important principle is that of The Common Good. This landscape that we all experience is the very body of the Great Spirit. The greatest aspect of this body is equanimity. Equanimity is the understanding that we are all the same, we are all equal, because we are all part of Great Spirit and equal participants in the Great Mystery.

Honor is a very important way of life in this tradition. The Common Good is that which is of equal benefit to everyone. Honoring the Common Good means serving Great Spirit by serving others selflessly, and in a way that people reap the reward together as a community. It also means serving the needs of those who have far less than you do.

Honoring the Common Good means no individual in the tribe advances unless the whole tribe advances together. Individuality in service is the act of using your God-given talents to serve the common needs of the community, before tending to your personal advancement. It means putting us first rather than me first. “Us” is extended far beyond that of immediate family.

For the Choctaw, this principle is so important that, in addition to a tribal insistance on it being practiced regularly, once each year there is a ceremony called the pot-latch. In this ceremony, the tribal members give away everything they own and go without for a period of time, to help the tribe. This ceremony is done as a reminder that selfishness and the “rat-race,” “get ahead” mentality so common in the modern age has no place on the Good Red Road. A person who claims more than his share is shunned by the rest of the tribe and considered to be crazy.

This principle of The Common Good is practiced to instill equanimity in the people. It is practiced to cultivate the understanding that one should only take what one really needs and should spend the rest of one’s time in service to the tribe, to his/her community. In fact, the tribal member who sets her own needs aside in order to take on the burdens of the tribe is held in highest esteem. We say that this practice insures one a place on the Blue Road with our ancestors who have crossed over.

SACRED LAW

Our principle of Sacred Law is based on the mystery of the creature being, Crow. For us, Crow is a mystical creature who represents the principle operating behind illusion. We call the Great Mystery an illusion because we believe this Dreamtime we all live in is just that, a dream conjured up by Great Spirit behind which the true Reality exists unending.

In our tradition, many of the Wichasha Wakans (medicine men and women) have the ability to shape-shift, to change physical form as a means of experiencing different aspects of Great Mystery. Shape-shifting, in its most powerful aspect, is the ability to travel to different planes of existence in order to experience the fantasmagorical nature of the Divine.

Crow is the vehicle for this to happen. Having experienced the illusory nature of the Dreamtime, and the world of the ancestors, one comes to understand that the only reality is Great Spirit, the creator of the Dreamtime and Great Mystery.

Crow is our symbol for Sacred Law. We regard Sacred Law to be greater than the law established by societies to perpetuate agendas designed to control the masses. Sacred Law is God’s calling. It is the law of Great Spirit, the will of the Divine that has become completely active in the heart of a purified being. Following Sacred Law is the act of cleaning the heart and then following it. We consider Sacred Law to be the awareness of the source of energies that we call all our relations.

RESPECT FOR MOTHER EARTH AND ALL LIVING BEINGS

In the Choctaw tradition, the earth is the Divine Mother. This earth gives us life and sustains us. Nature is God. Would you shit where you eat? Yet that is exactly what we are doing today. In the name of “progress,” we are destroying the very environment that sustains us. And more and more, progress is just another name for personal greed.

On the Good Red Road, we do not exploit nature for personal gain. We consider crimes against the earth to be crimes against God and humanity. Anything taken from Mother Earth must be given back, and given back in such a way as to sustain the environment for generations to come. We also believe that the creation of products that harm the environment is unnecessary and should not be tolerated. Humankind is a very ingenious species. In partnership with God, products that truly serve the needs of humanity can be created without ever doing damage to Mother Earth.

For every tree torn down, another can be planted. Cars can run on batteries instead of costly and polluting petroleum. Energy sufficient enough to light and heat every home can be produced from wind mills and the sun. These environmentally-safe technologies exist now. The only reason they are uncommon is that the greedy who currently control these markets don’t want to introduce the technologies in a way that would be inexpensive and sustainable, because they fear losing annual revenue increases and they fear competition. It is their greed that keeps the harmful technologies in place.

Another important principle in this regard is that people must not be exploited either. It is a long-standing fact that the most powerful people in business and government have created and maintained an economic and social system that ensures they will always have a large pool of people to draw from for their workforce.

For many there is a “glass-ceiling” that will never move. And opportunities do not exist for every qualified person. In this way, even the economy is manipulated to serve the desires of the greedy at the expense of the needy.

People are not products. They are not commodities to be marketed and traded like baseball cards! God exists within everyone equally. For this reason, especially when it comes to money, all people should be treated with great respect. And their weaknesses must not be exploited for anyone else’s gain or pleasure.

THE CREATURE BEINGS

Animals are considered to be sacred in the Native American Medicine Path. The creature beings are deities in disguise. They have much to teach us. Each of their qualities, each of their characteristics is an energy that, when observed, holds a powerful message that can be used to advance human consciousness.

For this reason, we have always chosen to live side-by-side with our fellow beings, the animals; only taking them as food when absolutely necessary, and only after praying for the privilege of taking their flesh for our own sustenance. Animals are our relations.

PRESERVATION OF NATURE

In addition to respecting Mother Earth, an important principle of this path is that of preserving nature for generations to come. For us, this means making the effort to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of all lands. We see all of nature as a sanctuary for the worship of all our relations.

These are the basic principles of the Native American Medicine Path of my ancestors.

Hyemeyohsts 'Wolf' Storm

I was born and raised on the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations of Montana. I am an enrolled Indian, and I am a Breed, which means a mixed blood person.

My first book, SEVEN ARROWS, introduced the Medicine Wheels to the world, for the first time. It also revealed, to our modern world what the Indian wars were like from the Indian and Breed perspective. After SEVEN ARROWS was published, I traveled extensively, lectured, and was a guest teacher at a few Universities in the United States and Germany.

Beginning in my youth, I had the greatest fortune to become the apprentice of the brilliant and powerful Zero Chief, and Holy Woman, Estcheemah. She was a Mayan Breed Indian who was born during the bloody and sorrowful Indian Wars of the late 1800's. She was one of the wisest and most powerful Medicine Chiefs of her time, and a Carrier and teacher of the Medicine Wheels. She taught of the histories and sophisticated knowledge of the Zero Chiefs.

It took me years to prepare myself and discover how to share with the world, in my writing and teaching - - - the Knowledge of the Medicine Wheels and the story of my most precious teacher, Estcheemah. I needed time to mature, to contemplate the true face of Greatness that Estcheemah revealed to me. For many years I have traveled extensively sharing the Medicine Wheel knowledge with our world's people.

I am an artist and teacher, as well as a writer. I strive to teach how we all can treasure our Living Earth and look to Her for the symbols and meaning in our lives. Consequently, all of my art is, in some way, an honoring of our Living Planet and also a celebration of the many diverse cultures and peoples, throughout human history, who have loved and cherished our Mother Earth. In this way we can find our common ground, our Earth heritage, which bridges across race, gender, culture, religion, and all other human invented boundaries. The responsibility and care of our Earth is in our hands, as Earth Citizens.

My books: SEVEN ARROWS, THE SONG OF HEYOEHKAH and now LIGHTNINGBOLT are very direct in what they have to tell about Life and Learning. In Seven Arrows I share these words from my teachers: "The Universe is a Mirror of the people, and each person is a mirror of every other person." I invite you to look into the ancient Mirror of our Medicine Wheels, revealed in my books, and discover the timeless reflection of your own Self and Life.

Title: Seven Arrows
Author: Storm, Hyemeyohsts (Wolf)
New York : Harper & Row, 1972.
Description: 374 p. illus. 25 cm.
ISBN: 0060141344

Good Links:
Native American Culture
Native American Spirituality
Medicine Wheel One of many views.

Footnote:
The Native American Medicine Wheel by design is the same within all native nations and tribes with only a few exceptions or differernces. Those differences are found with the animals and colors used, which also means that the discription of their particular influences are varied as well.

As an example:
East is Yellow and the Eagle - Illumination; who sees things far away;
West is Black and the Bear - Introspection; who is the symbol of strength;
North is White and the Buffalo - Wisdom.
South: Some native people use the color Green to represent the South where others use the color Red;
Green is often the Mouse and Red is often the Coyote: both represent: Innocense; they see things closely - both of these animals are tricksters.

The choice, or accepted use of the colors and animals, are just as individual as each nation and tribe. But remember, there are rules of nature that govern these things much in the same way as in European Heraldry with their Shields, Coats of Arms, Family Crests, Banners and Flags.

RESOURCE LINKS:

Welcome To Earth
Native American Medicine - By: Laurance Johnston, Ph.D.
Traditional Herbal &Plant Knowledge, Identifications
Exploring Kainai Plants and Culture
Sacred Lands - Medicine Wheel
Circle of Life - Medicine Wheel

OTHER SOURCES:

"The Medicine Way" by: Kenneth Meadows
"Earth Medicine" by: Kenneth Meadows
"American Indian Medicine" by: Virgil J. Vogel
"The Book of Ceremonies" by: Gabriel Horn
"The Fourth World of the Hopis" by: Harold Courlander
"Wizard of the Upper Amazon" by: F. Bruce Lamb

There are many publications available about Native American Medicine and it just depends on what your particular interest is as to what you will find. Not everything about Native American Medicine Ways has been or will ever be published. There are, however, many indepth articles available on line. To find these publications you may do a Google search by title or author.

You may also go directly to:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon.com
Google