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Practitioners of this native system, also called Shamanic healing, see themselves as conduits of healing energy from a spiritual source such as a powerful animal, or spirit guide. Before attempting a cure, the spiritual cause of the illness is first addressed. While healing techniques are unique to each tribe, all subscribe to the ancient belief that illness results when the body’s harmony with nature is disrupted. Herbs are commonly used to guide and assist healing for a wide range of emotional and physical illness. In North America, Cherokee medicine is perhaps best understood because the great chief Sequoia developed a form of written language and described more than 100 types of medicinal herbs.
Purification is often central to indigenous medicine and may include the sweat lodge ceremony to cure disease. Drumming, dance ceremonies and chanting are also part of the indigenous healing traditions. A Shaman’s intuitive and healing gifts are typically recognized at an early age or less frequently passed from one generation to the next.
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