After just a cursory examination of native history it is easy to see the connection between certain cultural elements. Part of do-ne-la-we-ga (the Cherokee concept of the Greater Circle) is the belief that everything in nature is connected. To remove one element from its environment will have an immediate and profound effect on the whole. Once this concept is understood, it is easier to bring the soul into harmony with nature. This is not a unique concept among native tribes.
Similarities
Despite slight variations in theme, most native spiritual philosophies share this common element. When studying these concepts, it is important to remember that native spirituality is not religion in the modern sense of the word. While these beliefs are integral to cultural and spiritual understanding, they are not limited to physical churches and established holy days. Rather, native spirituality is an outlook on the interrelatedness of life. To understand how these elements work with one another is to understand the “medicine” of the universe.
Defining Medicine
Medicine is a broad term, standing for the healing powers contained within all living things. Knowledge of these forces empowers an individual with the ability to aid the sick. This is among the traits seen throughout native North America. With obvious variations in the healing powers of one verses the power of the group mind, nearly every tribal group adhered to this most basic principal. These concepts withstood the forces of relocation and the scattering of tribes to emerge as unifying force for many. In the modern world of advanced medicine these beliefs are still integral part of native North America.
Medicine
The native concept of “medicine” takes spiritual forces and knowledge of the environment and binds the two into a healing focus. At one time, spiritual medicine was at the heart of healing practices throughout native North America. Like any modern nation, these tribes now employ scientific methods for medical needs. However, spiritual healing practices remain firmly in place among many tribes and are used to aid science. In essence, spiritual medicine walks the same path as scientific medicine. Among many tribes, this medicine is preventative as well as curative. Individual practices vary depending on the interpretation of this interrelationship with nature. It is in these individual practices the unique aspects of tribal beliefs become apparent.
Sources:
English/Cherokee Dictionary Online. http://www.wehali.com/tsalagi
Michael Garrett. Walking on the Wind. (Rochester: Bear and Company Publishing, 1998).
Ruth Bradley Holmes and Betty Sharp Smith. Beginning Cherokee. (Norman; University of Oklahoma Press, 1977).
Thomas E Mails, The Cherokee People: The Story of the Cherokees from Earliest Origins to Contemporary Times. (New York: Marlowe and Company, 1996).
Carl Waldman. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
Join the Conversation