Chapter 6: Native American Healing and Curanderismo

How many distinct Native American tribes are there?

556

What is smudging? What herbs are used?

A cleansing and purifying using smoke from burning sacred herbs, usually sweet grass, sage, cedar, or tobacco. Also used to purify sacred prayer instruments.

What is the medicine wheel?

A conceptual scheme and a major ceremonial observance. The sacred hoop makes up the circumference, and the interior of the circle is divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant represents a direction, a totem, an element, a color, a kingdom, a quality, a season, and a gateway to the individual. It has four colors: white, black, yellow, and red. It has North, South, East, West representing the astrological system. Your birthdate within the circle is whee each person is represented.

What is Curanderismo (to heal)?

A cultural healing tradition found in Latin America

What is a trance?

A half conscious state, sometimes through hypnosis.

What is peyote?

A hallucinogenic herb. Used to see teaching visions, it provides a connection to the sacred world.

What is a sing?

A healing ceremony, a highly specialized singer guides it. It lasts 2-9 days and nights.

What is the bear dance?

A man dances in a circle and wears a bear head, the people hit it with switches and speak out negativity and when they finish he goes into the river and washes the negativity away.

Healer's diagnostic methods take in account:

All aspects of ones inner self, lifestyle, emotions, social setting, and natural surroundings. The overall picture.

What are medicine objects?

Anything that makes medicine that relates to the great spirit in a sacred way.

Willow bark

Aspirin

Healers use medicine objects to assist them and treatments consist of:

Ceremony, touch, herbs, singing, drumming, and sometimes peyote

Listeners?

Do not go into trance but listen to the person's story and on that basis identify the cause of the illness.

Star gazers

Enter trance states to read cause in the stars.

What are some native American names for god?

Great spirit, creator, great being, great mystery, above being, the one who oversees all things, he who gives life.

Healers received their knowledge by ___ and ___

Healers receive their knowledge by fasting and asking for guidance fro above.

What are the three kinds of chants?

Holyway - attracts good Ghostway - removes evil lifeway - treat injuries and accidents

What is the sun dance?

It includes the sweat lodge, the pip ceremony, monthly prayer rituals, and a yearly ceremony. 3 or 4 days in July.

What is a vision quest?

It is a time of fasting, praying, isolation, and exposure to the elements, all of which contribute to a mystic experience with the goal of understanding self and communicating with the Great Spirit.

What does making medicine mean?

It is how people give thanks to the spirit who helps, guides and nourishes and clothes them. A process of achieving positive outcomes.

Why is the number 4 significant to Native Americans?

It is incorporated into their daily lives through prayers, ceremonies, and activities. It is believed to be the number of completeness.

What is a pipe ceremony?

It takes many different forms depending on how this sacred knowledge was given to the various tribes. The pip represents the universe to Native American people.

What are the three levels of healing?

Material level, spiritual level, mental level

Hand tremblers?

Pass their shaking hands over the body of the person, when the hands stop trembling, the locale of the illness is found and the cause can be identified.

What are some interventions that can be integrated into your nursing practice?

Positive thinking, touch, positive affirmations, gratitude

What is drumming and chanting?

Powerful ways to bring oneself in balance with self, others, and the world. Drumming harmonizes people with the heartbeat of mother earth. Chanting is a form of prayer through music.

Goldenseal

Promotes scab formation, sore throat, canker sores, tonsillitis and infected gums

What are some key factors that promote long life?e

Respect mother earth, good health habits, a sense of joy and a purpose in life, also exercise, eating wholesome food, rest.

What is the sweat lodge ceremony?

Ritual to cleanse body, mind, heart, and spirit. Fire under rocks and pour water on the rocks.

Where is the circle seen?

Sweat lodge, the bowl of sacred pipe, the sacred hoop, and the medicine wheel. The camp is circular, tepees and the people sit in a circle in all ceremonies. Represents cooperation.

When something is taken from the earth, what is done?

The natives give an offering, such as tobacco, in return and say a prayer that the item taken will be used in a good manner.

What is soul loss?

When a disease comes upon a person and when individuals stop being generous and become selfish and dishonest.

Divine guidance is thought to come through __ and ___

dreams and visions

Supernatural infection

evil spirit or by a person magic and placing a hex on the victim.

natural illness

genetic disorders, dysfunction of the body, improper self care, infection, and psychologic conditions.

Foxglove

heart problems

What are shamans?

holy people who can heal and are knowledgeable about natural medicines.

Purple cornflower

immune system disorder

In health, the goal is to be

in harmony with all things, which means first being in harmony with oneself.

Mold

infections

What are two types of illnesses in Curanderismo?

natural and supernatural