When the general public thinks of Native healers and "physicians", the words "Medicine Man" seems to naturally fall out of their mouths. Guess what? This is another situation where there was no gender bias, and there were just as many Medicine Women as Medicine Men.

Each Nation, tribe and village had medicine people; whether male or female was of no consequence. Children who were born with the gift of healing were taken by the medicine person as a young child and taught healing ways. They were taught to recognize the healing plants, trees, roots, berries and wild herbs. They were taught how to make poultices, teas and other healing foods.

Medicine Women were the local psychologists, therapists, physicians and marriage counselors. In some tribes, the Medicine Women were given the responsibility of making the warriors' shields for it was believed that she had special powers that would give those war shields added protection for the owners.

The practicing of medicine ways was a full time job for the responsibility for the well-being and emotional balance of the villagers belonged to the Medicine Woman. In return for her services, she was cared for by the members of the village. She always had food, shelter, her needs met, assistance when it was needed, and special spirit gifts that showed the honor and respect of her people. This was how the Medicine Women were "paid".

The art of being a Medicine Woman has not been lost. There are more practicing Medicine Women alive today than ever before using the same old natural ways combined with the new technology that has been developed. There are herbalists, naturalists, aroma therapists, massage therapists - those who teach spirituality, awareness, meditation skills - and on and on. The Medicine Woman continues to care for her family and loved ones with all the tools available to her so they can walk in balance, and live life in health and harmony. May it ever be so. Aho.

MOONTIME MEMORIES

In this New Age that we are entering, women from all walks of life are being called upon to remember, honor and take up the wisdom of the Grandmothers. This week we will speak of the moontime - the time of month when women observe their cycles. At that time women are most closely in touch with the Great Mystery and the wisdom of our Ancestors.         

Modern society has taught us that we are unclean during our periods. Native American society, as well as many others, forbid women to partake in ceremonies for that reason. But that isn't the true way of it and the reasoning behind this exclusion is only a modern day misunderstanding of the truth.

As the moon controls the ebbs and flows of the tides, so it does with the ebbs and flows of our energies. The energy released by a woman during her moontime is an outward flow - a destructuring energy that is meant to break through old forms, ideas and beliefs. We are shedding the old and calling forth the new. That is why we do not participate in ceremony at this time.

In the beginning we chose not to participate. Our power is greatest during our cycle and we could virtually over-ride a man's power and cause his magic not to work. Mankind of old understood this and this truth will once again be understood by all.

We have been given the greatest gift of all - that of bringing life into the Universe. Our blood is the most nourishing substance known to mankind and we are honored when we choose to live this life as a woman.

In past times a young woman was honored with gifts and celebrated with ceremony when she had her first period. Great Chiefs have been known to put off battles until after a young girl's first period was celebrated. Our young women didn't need to prove themselves to be women by having sex and acting out. They knew their self worth and were proud of it. Today we aren't told of the power we hold and our true role in the over all plan. Instead we are taught that our periods are "the Curse" and we are sold products that make life bearable while we are enduring it. Is it any wonder so many of us suffer from PMS and other gynecological problems?

Woman (and men) are being called to go back to the old ways of honoring our moontime. If we are part of a tribe we should consider building a Moonlodge where the women can go during this time to rest, reflect and bring forth the wisdom of the Grandmothers. Much prophecy and knowledge from the Ancestors comes through when the moon time is honored.

Medicine Women

Plains Indians used various wild berries and herbal plants in ceremonial rites that celebrated the gift of life from Mother Earth and the continuation of its people. The women gathered herbal plants and stored them for seasoning or flavoring and for medicinal purposes in healing. The knowledge of herbal medicine was not confined to the women, but generally women seemed to be more familiar with various herbal potions and brews. In some tribes, a woman - usually the wife of a medicine man - learned secrets in healing natural illness with herbs by assisting the medicine man. In other tribal communities women learned the art of doctoring with herbs from their mothers and grandmothers. In general, if a woman inherited the right to become a medicine woman, her powers still had to be validated by a dream in which a spirit, in the form of a human, an animal, or perhaps just a voice, gave her personal knowledge. Women who had the gift for curing spent considerable time wandering around the areas surrounding their encampment, gathering herbs and other natural ingredients to prepare their medicines. In most Plains tribes, a medicine woman was not allowed to practice by herself until she reached middle age and older. The power to heal usually remained with a woman until her death.
Like her male counterpart, a medicine woman was considered by early Plains Indians to have a special connection to the spirit world and that link is what empowered her to heal. Emotional afflictions required supernatural remedies to recapture the soul. Generally all healers called upon the aid of an ally from the spirit world to guide them in curing illness. Plains Indians believed that both physical and emotional illness reflect an imbalance between the natural world and the spirit world. A healer's task was to restore harmony and balance using herbs, poultices or spoken formulas.

In some tribes, women who acquired supernatural abilities became shamans. Shamans were believed to possess the power to influence the good and evil beings in the spirit world. A woman who wished to become a shaman usually sought training from an established shaman in her community. If the old shaman chose her as successor, the younger woman took over the shaman's position when she passed away. The new shaman used the songs and the formulas she inherited, as well as her own creations, to cure disease, predict the future or control the weather. Plains Indian women gained respect and prestige by practicing medicine in their communities. The realm of medicine women in the culture of early Plains Indians was probably one of the women's most powerful roles.