They were the doctors of the tribe, but their main purpose was to deal with the spirits which the Indians believed were all around.
Traditionally, medicine people are called upon to prevent or heal the physical and mental illnesses of individuals as well as the social ruptures that occur when murders and other calamitous events take place within a community. Some medicine men and women undergo rigorous initiation to gain supernormal powers, while others become experts through apprenticeships; many complete a combination of these processes.
The medicine person commonly carries a kit of objects—feathers of particular birds, suggestively shaped or marked stones, pollen, hallucinogenic or medicinal plants, and other items—that are associated with healing. In some cases these materials are considered to have been drawn out of the body of the practitioner at his or her initiation to the healer’s arts. Correspondingly, the work of healing often involves the extraction of offending substances from the patient’s body by sucking, pulling, or other means. In some cases an object must be physically removed from the patient (e.g., the healer removes a projectile from a wound); in cases where the nature of the offending substance is metaphysical, however, the healing ritual focuses on achieving mental and spiritual health. In such cases a symbolic object may be “removed” from the patient by sleight of hand.
Credit : Britannica
Picture Credit : Google
