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Indigenous view to wholistic medicine
1. Indigenous view to
wholistic medicine
Iroquois Medical
Botany
Chapters 1 & 2
Chapters 2 & 3
Monday March 5, 2012
Amanda, Emily, Jewell, Sujane, Terry
2. Outline
Chapter 2: Folk conceptions of health and medicine
How and why folk medicines work
Discussion question
Chapter 3: Conceptions of illness in traditional Iroquois culture
Iroquois notions regarding causes of imbalances in human beings
Offensive behavioural acts or taboo violation
Unfulfilled desires
Things, events, people and places that radiate or exude evil
Witchcraft
Borrowed notions
Internal manifestations of imbalances as they relate to native, etiological
categories
Relationships existing between etiological categories and symptoms
Iroquois “disease” categories
3. What is folk medicine?
An umbrella term used to define traditional
medicine.
Treatment of ailments outside clinical medicine
by remedies and simple measures based on
experience and knowledge handed down
from generation to generation.
Includes Indigenous medicine
(i.e. Haudenosaunee).
4. Folk conceptions of health and
illness: Understanding logic
Must put aside
cultural notions of
✗
discrete categories,
causes and effects
Amoebae, viruses
and bacteria
Distinctions
between physical
and mental
illnesses
5. Folk conceptions of health and
illness
Foundational principle in folk medicine- the
notion that every thing and event of the universe
has a life force, soul or power. A balanced
universe or cosmos is at the base of good health.
6. Folk conceptions of health and
illness
Ill health implies that the
inherent balanced life force or
power of some thing, event,
person or place has become
upset.
Balance can be upset in an
unlimited number of ways.
Exertion of life force or
power upon any person,
place, thing or event may
either: (1) upset, (2) maintain
or (3) restore balance.
7. A delicate state of balance
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Tornadoes
Hurricanes
Too much/little rain
Insufficient amount of wild or domesticated plants
and/or animals
Loss of a battle
Bad luck at hunting
8. Disease causations
Fegos (1959)
(1) How illnesses are thought to be manifested
Object intrusion
Spirit/demon intrusion
Soul capture or straying
(2) How the experienced imbalance/illness is
thought to be brought about*
Sorcery/black magic
Sleep and dreams
Ritually bad states and moral delinquency
9. Haudenosaunee medical beliefs:
disease causation (1)
How the experienced imbalance/illness is thought to be
brought about (previous).
Violation of rules and regulations established by the
Creator or other supernaturals to govern mankind‟s
behaviour in relation to all other things and events in
the universe.
Violation of rules during non-waking hours, while spirit
is in the spirit world (i.e. while an individual is
dreaming).
10. Haudenosaunee medical beliefs:
disease causation (2)
Illness is the result of offensive,
abusive or improper behavioural
interactions.
Illnesses in children, up to a
certain age, are introduced
by the offensive, improper, or
immoral behaviour of adult
kinsmen.
Negative power responsible
for death resides in or near
the corpse for a period of
time after death.
11. Medical treatment
aka restoring spiritual balance
To restore balance, the sick individual or societal
member(s) must observe signs of imbalance.
Symptoms are manifestations of the individual‟s
spirit force becoming imbalanced through such
actions as:
Abusive, improper, offensive or immoral
behaviour (e.g. alcohol or drugs).
Once symptoms appear certain variables will
determine the action of the sick individual.
12. Symptom severity
Stages of symptom severity Restoring spiritual balance
(treatment)
“Mild”– symptoms are few in Self-treatment
number and do not require drastic No treatment – where occasional
alterations in everyday routine imbalances are seen as normal
• Low degree of discomfort in a and expected
relatively short period of time
“Serious”– number and intensity, Turn to others for help in restoring
and/or duration of symptoms spirit to a balanced state
experienced or observed • Friend
increases • Relative
• Professional or culturally
recognized individual
“Severe” – See “serious” treatment above
• Immobilization
• Great discomfort (e.g.
degenerative illness, imminent
death)
13. How and why folk medicines work
Healing through restoring
spiritual balance (v. human
mastery).
Involves faith in otherworldly
powers (v. reason and faith
in worldly powers).
Faith is critical in reducing
anxiety and stress.
Recovery from a wide
variety of aliments is at the
base of medicines success
(both folk and scientific).
14. Manifestations of folk illness
Recall: folk conceptions of disease causation in
human beings often involve the notion that an
individual has somehow upset his/her inherent
spiritual balance.
Once culturally instituted, an individual who
knowingly violated or offended a particular person,
place, thing or event would expect to have his/her
balanced spirit force upset in some way.
Symptomatic manifestations would expect to
follow.
Examples: hypertension, increased heart rate, increased
secretion of gastric juices and anorexia.
15. Factors contributing to the success of
folk medicine (1)
Ceremonial techniques and procedures
reduce the degree of symptomatic discomfort
or remove symptoms all together.
Therapeutic techniques (performed individually or
communally).
Heightened by psychoactive drugs, rhythmic dancing,
singing or chanting and the repetitiveness of beating
drums or rattles.
16. Factors contributing to the success of
folk medicine (2)
Practical application of various plant and
animal drug materials.
Work on a symptomatic basis.
Counteract/intensify built in biological mechanisms of
defense, resistance, and recovery.
Examples: coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, sleep and
sweating.
17. Factors contributing to the success of folk
medicine (3 & 4)
Use of all drug materials is accompanied by the
placebo effect.
Combines both factors (1) and (2).
All medicines enhance the expectations and hopes of
the patient, reduce anxiety and stress, and ultimately
enable built in mechanisms of recovery and resistance
to function effectively.
Other practical medical techniques.
Include the placebo effect.
Examples: surgical techniques, sweat baths and the
avoidance of certain foods.
18. How and why folk medicines work:
summary
Treatment reduces anxiety, fear and stress.
Discomfort (or symptoms) may be easily put to rest or
removed through individual or communal ceremonies
and therapeutic techniques.
Drug materials work to counteract or intensify built in,
biological mechanisms of resistance and recovery.
19. How and why folk medicines work:
summary (continued)
Both active and inactive
drug materials involve the
placebo effect in that they
relieve anxiety and stress.
There are the additional
benefits of other “practical”
therapeutic techniques.
There is a placebo effect
accompanying all
therapeutic techniques,
whether considered
practical or not.
20. Discussion question
What are some of the similarities and/or
differences between how (and why)
medicines work in folk and western culture?
21. Haudenosaunee
notions regarding causes of imbalances in
human beings
Dichotomy separating „natural‟ and/or
„empirical‟ aspects of Haudenosaunee
medicine from the „supernatural‟ or „magical‟
Haudenosaunee is a result of Western influence
on the Haudenosaunee people.
What Westerners often see as empirical or non-
magical causes of human imbalances, such as
those we would call accidents or „bad luck‟,
the Haudenosaunee would not separate from
the spiritual realm or from power in the universe.
22. Factors leading to the false understanding that
Haudenosaunee medical practice traditionally separated
their medical practice into spiritual/magical and
empirical/pragmatic ways;
Gradual adoption of European practice and
understanding of medicine, accompanied by
Haudenosaunee herbalists and medical practitioners
desiring European scientific credibility.
Haudenosaunee fear of being ridiculed by outsiders
for sharing their traditional and spiritual notions of
health and medicine.
Recent practice of avoiding all talk of traditional ways
with non-Native Americans.
Cultural belief that medicine or ingredients of
medicines should not be shared with non-believers
because if one did share, the medicine and its
administrators would lose their power.
Haudenosaunee fear of losing social status by giving
away secret medical knowledge.
23. Critical to native physiology is the belief that the blood is
the carrier of the life force of an individual.
Vitality exists within the blood when in a state of equilibrium
and when the blood is disturbed = a state of disequilibrium.
The traditional Haudenosaunee would consider our
„symptoms‟ to be external manifestations of a disturbed
state in the inner vitality carried by an individual‟s blood.
24. How internal validity can be disturbed
1. Violating the ways set out by the
Creator for maintenance of a
balanced universe ( i.e. violation
of a taboo).
2. Denying oneself of either their
earthly or spiritual desires.
3. Interacting with anything
thought to radiate negativity
and evil (e.g. a corpse,
menstrual blood, powerful
charms.)
4. Offending someone who has the
power to manipulate spirit forces.
25. Riddle 1
I am often hidden in the
depths of your soul.
To reveal myself through your
dreams is my goal.
I may give you some pain if
you don‟t fulfill me.
So you may want to seek
help if you intend to feel
free.
Who am I?
26. Unfulfilled desires
Dreams and dream
analysis
Symptomatic
Visitation
Unfulfilled desires can
lead to imbalances and
mental derangement
Possible treatment
27. Riddle 2
There are many things that possess a great deal
of power.
Some may appear sweet, others more sour.
Some examples include rats, racoons, and spiders
that bite.
Pregnant women, menstrual blood, and the
colour white.
May seem mysterious, but it‟s far from a lie.
Ladies and gentlemen, “Who am I?”
28.
29. Riddle 3
The following paragraph will provide
you with a good foundation.
It‟s a quote by Synderman who
elaborates on his observation:
Listen intently and maybe you‟ll see,
That a pointed black hat is superficial
debris.
“It may be seen that the Seneca
regarded certain types of illnesses as
due to the failure of the individual‟s
power to protect him from _ _ _ _ _ _ _
who place material objects in his
body.”
What am I?
30. Witchcraft
Witch derived from the verb root -atko- meaning “to
possess evil power”
Symptoms associated with witchcraft “The Specific
Seventeen Symptoms”
Capability of transformation
“Love medicines”
The category of “unfulfilled desires”
31. Offensive behavioural acts or taboo
violations
Rules established by Creator
Rules around menstruation
No sexual relations
No preparation of food
Not to come in contact with
anyone
Not to touch medicines
32. Offensive behavioural acts or taboo
violations
Mistakes in rituals
Cheating or using unfair
magical tactics
Neglecting False Face
Improper acts of supplication
before hunting
Not participating in medicine
society after having been
cured by it
Not properly making up or
completing a previously
performed “hurry up”
ceremony
33. Some Symptomatic characteristics in
conjunction with offensive behavioral act:
Shortness of breath Vomiting
Stricture Fever
Swelling of the body Swelling, stiffness of joints
Suppressed menses Insanity
Facial eruptions Totting of a limb
Diarrhea Bloody urine
Sterility Stomachache
Piles, sore mouth Pains in the sides
Bad luck in hunting Intensified soreness of
pregnancy
34. Offensive behaviour
Witchcraft
Once
broken some
things can
not be set
right
35. Borrowed Notions
European beliefs have entered into the statements of the
causes of disease
This includes the following diseases:
Smallpox
TB
Chickenpox
Measles
Malaria
Yellow fever
Scarlet fever
Typhoid
36. Internal Manifestations of Imbalances
What makes us ill?
The agent or mechanism involved in upsetting our
bodies vital force must be examined:
Taboo violation- the spirit of a major or minor deity
or the spirit force of the offended things or event
may be the agent causing sickness
Spiritual imbalance- from unfulfilled desires when
the soul is strained as a result of going against the
will of the spirit world
?otkõ? things/events- imbalanced spiritual forces
from the presence of physical objects
37. Internal Manifestations of Imbalances
Witchcraft the spirit of the
victim can be affected in 3
ways, the witch may:
Directly upset the spiritual
balance of another
Have magically implanted
an object or the spirit of
an object into a person
Transform him/herself into “The Evil Witch” by Earnest Smith Retrieved from:
http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/painting2.htm
an object or deemed
?otkõ? and directly
invade the victim to
cause spiritual imbalance
38. Internal Manifestations of Imbalances
Self Inflicted Examples Other-inflicted Examples
Taboo violation Taboo Violation
due to
Witchcraft
Unfulfilled desire Unfulfilled desire
Coming into Coming into
contact with contact with
things/events things/events
considered considered
?otkõ? ?otkõ?
Witchcraft Witchcraft
39. Etiological Categories and Symptoms
“As true of Haudenosaunee culture in general,
there do not exist precise categories of disease
causation for precise categories of symptoms”.
(pg. 46)
There is much overlapping of etiological
categories and symptoms
The relationships between the categories and
symptoms are dependent on the behavioural
history of the person experiencing the
imbalance
40. Etiological Categories and Symptoms
Symptom Etiological Category
External, well localized wound Witchcraft
?otkõ?
Behavioural or mental illness Witchcraft
Excessive drinking and craziness Witchcraft
Chronic illness (rheumatism, Unfulfilled desires
arthritis, respiratory disorders)
Psychosomatic or psychogenic Unfulfilled desires
illness Taboo violation
?otkõ?
Witchcraft
Lingering mild illness Taboo violation
Unfufilled desire
41. Haudenosaunee disease categories
There are no precise disease names with specific sets of
symptoms in traditional Haudenosaunee medicine.
For the traditional Haudenosaunee there are disease
phrases, instead of specific disease names.
There are two very general kinds of sickness;
1. General sickness
2. The second/ fatal sickness from which there is no recovery
42. Further criteria for evaluating the symptoms
that an individual is experiencing
1. Their number and severity
2. Their duration of existence
3. Whether they are internal or external symptoms
4. Whether symptoms are localized or generalized
5. Whether they were experienced by a male or
female
6. Whether they were experienced by a child or an
adult
7. The climate or season in which the symptoms are
experienced
8. Location symptoms were on body
43. The behavioral history of the
imbalanced or ill individual was
also evaluated.
This past behavior of the
patient is important, because
an ill individual would be
thought to have taken part in
one of the 4 known acts that
would disturb internal vitality.
The amount of importance
placed on the past behavior
of the individual is dependent
on;
1. The severity of the symptoms.
2. Length of time that the
symptoms stay with the
individual.
44. Just as disease diagnoses would change
over time, so would the treatment of
disease – Example:
“If the Indian had exhausted his
knowledge of herbs and the patient did
not improve, it was felt that the disease
was beyond the pale of natural
maladies and must be due to some
supernatural cause. So a clairvoyant
would be sought, who, by careful
scrutiny of the patient’s past and
interpretation of his dreams, would
determine what spirit was causing the
evil and prescribe the appropriate
medical ceremony for the appeasement
of the deity.” (pg. 50)
45. Examples of Haudenosaunee disease
phrasing and causation
“If a pregnant woman feels sore inside, legs or elsewhere, it
is a sign that the baby is sick in the same place.” (pg. 54)
“If a child is obstinate it may be that it had a difficult
childbirth” (pg.52)
“When a person has had a sunstroke, he should not
run any chances of exposure at the same date on the next
of succeeding years. There is particular danger at such
times” (pg. 53)
46. The end!
Thank you for your
attention.
Final questions or
thoughts?
Note about alternative name for Iroquois will be using Haudenosaunee for the rest of the presentation. Today, Haudenosaunee is more culturally appropriate.
Chapter one is an introduction to Folk medicine and why it works. For the most part it introduces the reader to the underlying ideas and principles surrounding folk healing/medicine. It helps to build a foundation of how and why folk medicines work and provides some specific examples with respect to Haudenosaunee culture. However,Chapter 3 addresses this topic in greater detail (by other group members later in the presentation).
Understanding the logic behind traditional/folk conceptions of health and medicine:Such distinctions and notions are often not relevant when analyzing traditional or folk conceptions of health and medicine.
- Universe and every thing, event in it are thought to be in delicate state of balance When balance is upset to some degree by the spirit force of any other person, place thing or event, that imbalanced thing or event will be observed to be in some way malfunctioning In such cases the earth or any thing or event on earth would be considered ‘ill’ in the same way that an improperly functioning or imbalanced person would be considered ill
Even when very general notions of disease causations in traditional societies are discussed, there is a problem of inappropriate categorizing. Resulting in lack of complete appreciation of and sensitivity to the ways members of other cultures see the universe and their place in it. * Concentrating on how the illness is thought to be brought about, we will be getting at the heart of how traditional people see personal illness
In such a conception of the causes of the disease in traditional societies, the important principle of faulty interactional behaviours with various things/events of the universe emerges as the cornerstone of disease etiological notions.
The latter of these beliefs results in the frequently observed cross-cultural phenomenon of “death sickness” to which children are especially vulnerable. Both of these etiological notions are clearly subsets of the broader belief that illness is the result of offensive, abusive, or improper behavioral interactions. In the case of death sickness, for example, the improper behavior would involve failure to take proper precautionary measures when coming into contact with the dead.
Variables: number of persistent symptoms, individuals ability to recognize symptoms, the perceived seriousness of symptoms, the cultural background of the defining person, group, or agency in terms of an emphasis on tolerance, stoicism, etc., available information and medical knowledge and availability of sources of help and their social and physical accessibility- Any or all of these variables determine what sort of treatments behaviour will be carried out or sought by the sick individual
Depending on symptomatic factors and individual biological and behavioural considerations, the sick individual may seek medical treatment at any one of these stages without necessarily passing through any other or others.
In order for folk medicine to work, the sick must have faith in the Creator and in the healer (otherwise healing will be unsuccessful).
- It will be remembered that folk conceptions of disease causation in human beings often involve the notion that an individual has somehow upset his/her inherent spiritual balance via an offensive, abusive, immoral or improper behavioral act.Once this ideas became culturally instituted, an individual who knowingly violated or offended a particular person, place, thing, event could expect to have his/her balanced spirit force upset in some waySymptomatic manifestations listed are considered psychosomatic illnesses or physiological responses (when individual is anticipating punishment)
(2) note: when plant or animal derived medicines are used, it is always assumed by the native that it is the spirit or power of the plant or animal that is effecting the cure.
Placebo effect: Important for understanding both Western and non-Western medical beliefs and practices. Significant principle which plays a large role in the success of many medical endeavors, folk or otherwise - underlying this idea is faith, and the belief in the Creator and healer.Note – some of the Haudenosaunee medicine has merit, and it does work cures even when suggestion is the sole ingredient having therapeutic power.
Reminder of what folk medicine is: Treatment of ailments outside clinical medicine by remedies and simple measures based on experience and knowledge handed down from generation to generation.
Exude
The creator has established rules that are to be followed. If someone violates one of these rules or does an offensive behavioral act then they will become sick.There are rules around menstruation. These rules include no sexual relations; no preparation of food; not to come in contact with anyone else. The book states this is because women are to thought to be contaminated with evil. This text used Fenton’s work as a one of the bases for information as Leroy has said that Fenton gathered information and put it into his own understandings. So, from my understandings from what I have been taught. Women are not evil. There are these rules around menstruating women because at this time they are very powerful and will disrupt the regular energies or different things.Illness may result from having sexual relations with a woman who is menstruating.Food that is prepared by a menstruating woman will be spoiled; as well as most medicine touched by a menstruating woman would be spoiled. Even if the woman is no longer present the food will still be spoiled. To come in physical contact with a woman who is menstruating will spoil the blood of the other person – make them sick or an internal object may be involved in causing the sickness from not avoiding menstruating women.
Some other offensive behavioral acts or taboo violations include:Mistakes in rituals (For example, Eddie Thomas told us in a class last year of a ceremony when his grandmother passing being shortened by one day, later his uncle died suddenly. – this was believed to be because the ceremony was not performed correctly)Cheating or using unfair tactics for the purposes of winning a gameNeglecting False Faces by not “feeding” them corn mush or tobacco, or by not guessing their desires, neglecting spirits of the dead, neglecting powerful medicine charms or the tutelaries of charms that may be held knowingly or unknowingly by a familyNot making the proper prayers before huntingWhen you have been cured by medicine from a medicine society then you are required to participate in this society. Not properly making up or completing a previously performed “hurray up” ceremony that was designed to expedite matters in certain critical cases of illness. Not performing this ritual properly can affect the immediate family or future generations of the offender as well .
There are many different kinds of symptoms that someone can have in conjunction with offensive behavioral acts.Some of these for example can include: shortness of breath, swelling, stiffness or joints, diarrhea, or insanity
You must be careful not to offend or make a witch jealous for fear of retaliation in the form of making you sick or your family sick. Dave Williams spoke of this happening to him. When he did readings someone went after his children and made them sick.When some taboos are broken some things can be done to make them right, but in other cases once the taboos is broken nothing can be done to fix it. As sated in the book one of these offensive acts is threatening to burn down the long house
European beliefs have entered into the statements of cause of disease. In particular, with European introduced diseases. The causes of European diseases align with the causes assumed by Europeans at that time.The term “catching a cold” is often used for certain symptoms as well.It is believed that there was a lot of contact between the Haudenosaunee herbalists and the dispensary, since some of the disease causations are similar.Along with European causations they often included traditional Haudenosaunee beliefs as well.For example Piles may be caused by eating food prepared by a menstruating women; diarrhea and eating a lot of fruit. The European beliefs, Pierce wrote the causes of Piles is: diarrhea and indigestible foods.
Beyond these general terms, there are further criteria for evaluating the symptoms that an individual is experiencing, including;