Native American Herbalist’s Mastery

Bible [18 Books in 1]: 600+ Ancient

Healing Solutions & Medicinal Plant
Recipes | Cultivate Your Own
Enchanted Herb Sanctuary & Create the
First Home Herb Lab Reece Lopez
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmass.com/product/native-american-herbalists-mastery-bible-18-books-in
-1-600-ancient-healing-solutions-medicinal-plant-recipes-cultivate-your-own-enchante
d-herb-sanctuary-create-the-first-home-herb-l/
 NATIVE AMERICAN
HERBALIST’S MASTERY BIBLE
[18 BOOKS IN 1]

600+ Ancient Healing Solutions &

Medicinal Plant Recipes | Cultivate Your
Own Enchanted Herb Sanctuary & Create
the First Home Herb Lab

By
Reece Lopez
 © Copyright 2023 by Reece Lopez - All rights reserved.
This document is geared towards providing exact and reliable
information in regards to the topic and issue covered. The
publication is sold with the idea that the publisher is not required to
render accounting, officially permitted, or otherwise, qualified
services. If advice is necessary, legal or professional, a practiced
individual in the profession should be ordered.
- From a Declaration of Principles which was accepted and approved
equally by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a
Committee of Publishers and Associations.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of
this document in either electronic means or in printed format.
Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of
this document is not allowed unless with written permission from
the publisher. All rights reserved.
The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and
consistent, in that any liability, in terms of inattention or otherwise,
by any usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or directions
contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the
recipient reader. Under no circumstances will any legal responsibility
or blame be held against the publisher for any reparation, damages,
or monetary loss due to the information herein, either directly or
indirectly.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely,
and is universal as so. The presentation of the information is
without contract or any type of guarantee assurance.
The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and the
publication of the trademark is without permission or backing by the
trademark owner. All trademarks and brands within this book are for
clarifying purposes only and are the owned by the owners
themselves, not affiliated with this document.
 Contents
Introduction
Book 1: History of Herbalism
1.1 The Practice of Herbalism across the Decades
1.2 Ancient Foundations
1.3 Medieval Diffusion
1.4 The Printing Revolution
1.5 The Modern Era
1.6 A Brief History of Herbalism
1.7 Herbalism in Ancient Greece and Rome
1.8 The Middle Ages and Monastic Medicine
1.9 The Renaissance and the Materia Medica
1.10 Colonial America
1.11 19th Century Developments
1.12 Herbalism Today
1.13 Looking Forward

Book 2: Native American Culture

and Traditions
1.1 The Arctic
2.2 The Subarctic
2.3 Ancient American Indians
2.4 Spirituality and Ceremonial Practices
2.5 Languages and Oral Traditions
2.6 Trade and Commerce
2.7 Mythology and Folklore
Book 3: Native American Spirituality
3.1 Diversity with Overarching Rituals and Beliefs
3.2 Adaptations and Syncretism
3.3 New Religious Movements
3.4 Twentieth Century Developments
3.5 Cultural Revitalization
3.6 Looking Forward
3.7 Calendrical Practices
3.8 Initiation Rites

Book 4: The Native American

Medicine
4.1 A brief History
4.2 Traditional Medical Practices of Native Americans
4.3 Healing Through Symbols
4.4 Integrating Traditional and Modern Medicine
4.5 Healing With Plants
4.6 Land-Based Healing
4.7 Traditional Foods
4.8 Storytelling
4.9 Dance, Song and Ceremony
4.10 Intergenerational Healing
4.11 Looking Forward

Book 5: Healing Properties of Native

American Herbs
5.1 The Mystery of Native American Healing
5.2 Ancient Herbal Remedies
5.3 Chokecherry, Cattail, and Yucca
5.4 Nature's Pharmacy
5.5 Bridging Worldviews
5.6 Willow, Blackberry, and Mint

Book 6: Native American Healing

Herbs Vol. I
6.1 Echinacea
6.2 History and Folklore of Echinacea
6.3 Black Cohosh
6.4 Cranberry
6.5 American Ginseng
6.6 Saw Palmetto

Book 7: Native American Healing

Herbs Vol. II
7.1 California Poppy
7.2 Devil’s Club
7.3 Goldenrod

Book 8: Native American Healing

Herbs Vol. III
8.1 Goldenseal
8.2 Gravel Root
8.3 Hawthorn
8.4 Horsetail
8.5 Wild Yam
8.6 Skullcap
 Book 9: Native American Healing
Herbs Vol. IV
9.1 Elderberry Kombucha
9.2 Moon Tea
9.3 Sleepy Tea
9.4 Blackberry
9.5 Rosemary

BONUS: Herbalism Course

Book 10: Native American Herbal
Apothecary Vol. I
10.1 Red Clover
10.2 Mint
10.3 Cattail
10.4 Slippery Elm
10.5 Greenbrier

Book 11: Native American Herbal

Apothecary Vol. II
11.1 Licorice Root
11.2 Honeysuckle
11.3 Gooseberry and Currants
11.4 Persimmon
11.5 Willow

Book 12: Native American Herbal

Apothecary Vol. III
12.1 Yew
12.2 Agrimony
12.3 Aloe
12.4 Arnica
12.5 Spruce

Book 13: Native American Herbal

Apothecary Vol. IV
13.1 Angelica
13.2 Mullein
13.3 Blue Vervain
13.4 Lady’s Slipper
13.5 Magnolia
13.6 Mesquite

Book 14: Herbal Dispensary

14.1 Beech Tree: For Respiratory Ailments
14.2 Linden Tree: For Burn Relief
14.3 Birch Tree: For Skin Conditions
14.4 Elder Tree: For Headache and Congestion Relief
14.5 Beech Tree: For Poison Ivy Relief
14.6 Slippery Elm Tree: For Ulcer and Digestive Issues
14.7 Apple Tree: For Fever Reduction
14.8 Willow Tree: As a Natural Pain Reliever
14.9 Alder Tree: For Wound Cleaning
14.10 Hazel Tree: For Ulcer Healing
14.11 Pine Tree: For Improved Blood Circulation and Muscle Pain
14.12 Balsam Birch Tree: For Toothache Relief
14.13 Walnut Tree: For Accelerated Healing
14.14 Magnolia Tree: For Insomnia
14.15 Sycamore Tree: For Blood Purification
14.16 Wild Black Cherry: An Ancient Lung Remedy
14.17 Rubber Trees: A Natural Antifungal
14.18 Poplar Bark: A Burn Healer
14.19 Cinnamon: A Stomach Soother
14.20 White Oak: A Natural Antiseptic
14.21 Jacaranda Root: A Remedy for Oral Discomfort
14.22 Avocado Bark: An Antidiarrheal
14.23 Spruce Bark: A Cold Reliever
14.24 Oak: A Natural Dewormer

Book 15: Herbal remedies For

Children
15.1 The Broad Spectrum Benefits of Herbal Treatments
15.2 Herbal Solutions for Respiratory and Immune Health
15.3 Herbal Aids for Quality Sleep
15.4 Herbal Remedies for Digestive Discomfort

Book 16: Everyday Herbal Remedies

16.1 Defining Herbal Remedies
16.2 The Mechanism of Herbal Medicine
16.3 The Process of Herbal Treatment - An In-Depth Examination
16.4 Exploring Herbal Remedies for Common Health Issues
16.5 Natural Herbal Solutions for Allergies

Book 17: Native American Herbal

Recipes
17.1 Herbal Recipes for Back Pain
17.2 Herbal Recipes for Bee Stings
17.3 Herbal Recipes for Burns
17.4 Herbal Recipes for Muscle Pain
17.5 Herbal Remedies for Minor Burns
17.6 Herbal Remedies for Chapped Lips

Book 18: Herb Gardening For

Beginners
18.1 The Advantages of Herb Gardening
18.2 Essentials for Cultivating a Herb Garden
18.3 The Marvel of Planting Herbs: A Curated Selection for
Beginners
18.4 A Comprehensive Guide to Starting Your Herb Garden
18.5 Caring for Your Herb Garden

Conclusion
Introduction
Since prehistoric times, humans have utilized plants for their
medicinal properties. Ancient texts from cultures all over the world
contain evidence of herbal remedies, including Unani manuscripts,
Egyptian papyri, and Chinese literature. Archaeological findings
suggest the use of medicinal plants dates back over 4000 years in
Native American, European, Mediterranean, and other societies
globally.
Even today, traditional herbal therapies remain widely used for
many reasons. Population growth, insufficient access to
pharmaceuticals, high costs of conventional treatment, side effects
of many prescription drugs, and the evolution of drug resistance
have all contributed to a renewed interest in utilizing organic
materials as sources of medicine for a broad range of ailments.
Indigenous cultures have long viewed Native American traditions as
a rich repository of healing plants. The forests boast a diverse array
of aromatic and medicinal flora, often gathered as raw ingredients
for pharmaceuticals and natural wellness products.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 80% of
the global population uses herbal medicines for common health
issues. The WHO estimates over 21,000 plant species have
potential medicinal benefits. For most of the world's population,
plants and their extracts form the basis of primary health care. At
some point, more than 30% of all plant species have been utilized
for medicinal purposes in human history. In developed nations like
the United States and United Kingdom, plant-based medicines may
account for up to 25% of all pharmaceuticals, while in rapidly
emerging countries like India and China, that figure may be as high
as 75%. As a result, medicinal plants have far greater economic
value globally compared to other regions. In many countries, the
healthcare system for rural populations relies heavily on traditional
herbal medicine, generating two-thirds of the plant species used in
modern pharmaceuticals.
Medicinal herbs offer a relatively safe option, with minimal or no
side effects. Their greatest advantage is alignment with natural
healing processes. The universal truth is that herbal therapies can
benefit people of all ages and genders. Over the past two decades,
the use of herbal medicine has grown tremendously. This book
provides all the essential knowledge required to understand the rich
history and holistic healing practices of native herbalism.
Book 1: History of Herbalism
The plants used as herbal medicine have been practiced for a long
time. Blooming vegetation has been present for roughly one
hundred and twenty-five million years, but the first proto-humans
didn't arrive approximately five million years ago. While blooming
vegetation has been around for a long time, people didn't even
begin to evolve until much later. And, of course, plants have always
been an essential part of the diet of human beings. Our paleolithic
ancestors’ forebears consumed many plants and exhibited and
utilized them for therapeutic purposes.
1.1 The Practice of Herbalism across the
Decades
This book offers a comprehensive examination of the rich history
and evolution of herbal medicine across cultures worldwide, from
ancient times to the present day. It illuminates how indigenous
healing traditions laid the groundwork for modern botanical
therapies. Tracing the enduring relationship between humans and
plants, it reveals the depth of ancestral plant wisdom that remains
relevant today.
1.2 Ancient Foundations
The roots of herbalism stretch back to the dawn of humankind, with
evidence of medicinal plant use among hominins 60,000 years ago.
Though flowering plants predate the emergence of early humans by
millions of years, our ancestors quickly recognized their nutritional
and therapeutic properties. During the primal days of the Paleolithic
era, observational knowledge of local botany was imperative for
survival. Plants provided both sustenance and remedies, becoming
deeply ingrained in traditional practices.
Across ancient civilizations worldwide, rich empirical plant
pharmacopeias developed. The Ebers Papyrus of ancient Egypt from
1500 BCE documents over 700 herbal formulas, including remedies
still used today. Classical Greek and Roman physicians like
Hippocrates relied extensively on curative herbs, influencing the
foundations of Western medicine. Great healing systems like
traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda codified their
sophisticated plant knowledge in early texts like the Pen Ts’ao and
Charaka Samhita, preserving these time-honored traditions.
1.3 Medieval Diffusion
In medieval Europe, monasteries became centers of herbal learning,
cultivating medicinal gardens and translating classical herbals into
Latin and European vernaculars. Herbal compendia like the Physica
of Hildegard von Bingen recorded women’s healing plant lore.
Vernacular texts like the Trotula disseminated traditional remedies
more widely. As literacy spread, folk herbal knowledge that was
once passed orally diffused across the continent. University scholars
expanded on empirical herbals through early botanical studies and
observation. While retaining its empirical roots, European herbalism
became more formalized and academic during the Middle Ages.
1.4 The Printing Revolution
The advent of movable type enabled the proliferation of herbals
across Europe’s languages. Printed books like the Gart der
Gesundheit made plant knowledge increasingly accessible during
the Renaissance, fueling interest in herbalism among physicians and
the public. Voyages of discovery introduced exotic new botanicals
into the Western materia medica. Botanical gardens allowed
empirical study of foreign herbs. Mainstream medicine diverged
from traditional herbalism, but folk practices persisted in rural
areas. Although professionalized medicine dominated cities, printed
herbals allowed traditional plant wisdom to spread further than ever
before.
1.5 The Modern Era
As science advanced, modern medicine shifted away from plants
toward synthetic pharmaceuticals and clinical practice. Yet
contemporary herbal resurgences demonstrate the enduring appeal
of holistic botanical remedies. Today’s herbal community integrates
traditional plant wisdom with scientific analysis, bringing ancestral
wellness traditions into the modern mainstream. While herbalism
has evolved across eras, its foundations remain rooted in the
ancient empirical plant knowledge that has served humanity for
millennia.
This book has traced the winding journey of herbal medicine over
the centuries, revealing its diverse cultural threads while
highlighting the universal human connection to the botanical world.
As scientific understanding expands, time-honored herbal traditions
continue providing holistic plant-based care just as they have for
countless generations past. The future of herbalism will integrate
high-tech analysis with ancient wisdom passed down through the
ages.
1.6 A Brief History of Herbalism
Herbalism, the use of plants for their medicinal value, has an
extensive history across many cultures worldwide. The origins of
herbal medicine can be traced back to the very beginnings of
human civilization, and plants continue to play an integral role in
healthcare today. This chapter will provide an overview of some of
the key developments and pioneers throughout the evolution of
herbalism in Europe and North America.
Section 1.1 - Herbalism in Ancient Civilizations
The first records of herbs being used medicinally come from ancient
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China, dating back over 5,000
years. Clay tablets from Sumeria describe medicinal uses of plants
like garlic, poppy, and henbane. The Ebers Papyrus from Egypt,
written around 1550 BCE, documents over 700 herbal formulas and
remedies. Ayurvedic medicine in India and traditional Chinese
medicine both have long-established herbal pharmacopeias that are
still referenced today. Across these ancient cultures, healers and
herbalists passed down knowledge of curative plants through oral
and written traditions.
1.7 Herbalism in Ancient Greece and Rome
Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations further expanded on the
herbal wisdom of older cultures. Greek philosophers like Aristotle
studied botany and zoology, influencing the early development of
medicine and pharmacy. Theophrastus, a student of Aristotle, wrote
Historia Plantarum, the first Western treatise focused entirely on
botany, documenting the medicinal uses of plants. In ancient Rome,
Pedanius Dioscorides authored De Materia Medica, a comprehensive
encyclopedia describing over 600 plants and their medical
applications that remained influential through the Middle Ages.
Greek and Roman medicine incorporated herbs both for
preventative wellbeing and therapeutic treatments.
1.8 The Middle Ages and Monastic Medicine
With the fall of the Roman empire, much knowledge of plants was
preserved and expanded on in monasteries across Europe during
the Middle Ages. Monks carefully cultivated herb gardens and
translated ancient herbal texts into Latin and local languages.
Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th century abbess in Germany, studied
and wrote extensively on herbal medicine for both physical and
spiritual ailments based on her own observations. Medieval
hospitals run by monks also utilized herbal remedies alongside
spiritual healing. As Europe transitioned into the Renaissance era,
interest grew in empirically studying the natural world.
1.9 The Renaissance and the Materia Medica
By the Renaissance, the empirical study of plant-based medicine
was reinvigorated. One pivotal publication was the 16th century
Italian herbal manuscript De Materia Medica by Pietro Andrea
Mattioli, a translation of Dioscorides' ancient text updated with
Mattioli's own commentary. De Materia Medica became a seminal
medical reference across Europe for centuries. Energized by
expeditions bringing plant specimens from the New World,
herbalists of the era like John Gerard and Rembert Dodoens
compiled herbals cataloguing Western and newly encountered
plants. With the invention of the printing press, herbals and books
on herbal theory became more widely available.
1.10 Colonial America
Early American colonists brought herbal knowledge from Europe but
quickly learned medicinal uses of native plants from Indigenous
peoples. European methodology was combined with Indigenous
herbal wisdom and African healing practices among slaves to create
a distinctly American ethnobotanical tradition. Midwives and home
herbalists provided community wellness care using local flora. As
certain herbs like Echinacea became associated with Native
American medicine, they were adopted into the Western herbal
pharmacopeia too. The exchange of herbal knowledge in Colonial
America was uneven though, occurring within a larger context of
injustice.
1.11 19th Century Developments
In the mid-19th century, botanical medicine diverged from
mainstream medicine in America and England as pharmacy shifted
toward industrial mass production of drugs. However, herbalism
persisted in various folk healing systems. Samuel Thomson
developed an herbal wellness philosophy based on Native remedies,
while the Eclectics used botanicals as gentler alternatives to harsh
allopathic treatments. As germ theory arose, pharmaceuticals were
increasingly valued for their ability to target specific microbes,
overshadowing holistic plant medicines. Yet many practicing
herbalists and naturopaths continued to utilize traditional remedies.
1.12 Herbalism Today
Though herbalism was marginalized from conventional medicine for
decades, it has seen resurgence in recent years. With rising interest
in natural remedies and integrative care models, herbs have
become a major part of the global health industry. Consumers seek
out herbal supplements for preventative wellness and therapeutic
uses, with origins traceable back to traditional systems like
Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine. With advanced scientific
analysis, we continue to uncover new active compounds and
applications for medicinal plants. As humanity’s primary form of
medicine for millennia, herbalism remains vitally relevant today.
1.13 Looking Forward
While herbalism has endured periods of repression and renewal,
plants remain just as valuable in modern healthcare as centuries
ago. Today’s herbal community strives to honor the diverse cultural
roots of herbalism while adapting to an evolving world. More
research is needed on traditional plant medicines, but emerging
studies validate their mechanisms and efficacy. Herbs likely hold
further secrets that science has yet to unravel. By learning from
both ancient wisdom and current botany research, herbalists
continue building knowledge to benefit human health into the
future. The history of herbalism shows that plants will always be
allies to those who study their gifts closely.
Book 2: Native American Culture and
Traditions
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, are the
indigenous peoples living in the western hemisphere prior to
European colonization. They consisted of diverse agricultural and
hunter-gatherer societies, domesticating plants like corn, beans,
squash, and tubers, as well as animals like turkeys, llamas, and
alpacas. Major civilizations like Cahokia and Teotihuacan, with
estimated populations in the tens of thousands, relied on these
resources to thrive.
At the start of the 16th century, indigenous peoples inhabited every
region of the Americas. Like other colonized peoples, they faced
discrimination under governmental policies well into the 20th and
21st centuries. The ravages of introduced diseases, military
conquest, and slavery decimated populations. Yet Native Americans
have been among the most active in reversing political dominance
and reclaiming self-determination in areas like education, land
ownership, religious freedom, the legal system, and cultural
rehabilitation.
Based on distinct cultures, indigenous Americans and their
descendants are often categorized into American Indians and Arctic
Peoples. American Indians are further classified by their original
geographical locations, including Middle America, South America,
and North America. Scholars also use comparative analysis between
societies to understand human civilization, arts, paleontology,
chemistry and more by examining parallels and contrasts. This
contributes to structured academic study and interpretation.
The cultural area approach, developed in the early 1900s, framed
cultural dialogues. For instance, the Northwest Coast cultural area
was defined by salmon fishing, woodwork, living in large
towns/villages, and hierarchical structure. These co-occurring
cultural traits define an area's distinct "culture." The exact number
of Native American cultural areas is fluid as territories merge or
divide. Most cited are: High and Low Arctic,
Northeastern/Southeastern U.S., Plains, Southwest, Great Basin,
Northwest Coast, California, and Plateau. Some combine Northeast
and Southeast into Eastern Woodlands, or Plateau with Basin as
Intermontane.
1.1 The Arctic
The Arctic area is located at and above the Arctic Circle,
encompassing northernmost Alaska and Canada. The climate is
extremely cold most of the year with a flat terrain. Due to its high
northern location, the day cycle is disrupted - the sun may only rise
for an hour or two in winter, while summer sees a reversed
night/day ratio.
The original indigenous peoples are the Eskimo (Inuit, Yupik/Yupiit,
Aleut) - their native languages belong to the Eskimo-Aleut family.
Many Alaskan communities prefer "Native Alaskans" over "Native
Americans," while Arctic Canadians identify as Inuit.
Hunting/gathering were the main subsistence methods. Though
winters were harsh, the long summer sunlight encouraged plant
growth, attracting huge caribou herds/other animals inland. Coastal
diets relied heavily on marine mammals/fish. Social organization
was based on fluid bands tied by kinship and marriage. Domed
homes were common, made of lumber framed with soil or snow.
2.2 The Subarctic
The Subarctic region, excluding the Maritime Provinces which are
part of the Northern Northeast, stretches across modern-day Alaska
and most of Canada, south of the Arctic. It is dominated by a
marshy, coniferous boreal forest ecosystem characterized by cold
temperatures and generally flat terrain.
The main tribes are the Innu, Cree, Ojibwa, Chipewyan, Beaver,
Slave, Carrier, Gwich'in, Tanaina, and Deg Xinag (Ingalik). Their
native languages belong to the Athabaskan and Algonquian
families.
Social organization typically consisted of small, kinship-based
bands, though larger groups would gather at preferred fishing sites
periodically. Hunting moose, caribou, beavers, fish, and fowl was
common. Plant foods like berries, roots, and sap were also
gathered. In winter, semi-subterranean homes provided shelter
from harsh conditions, while more mobile tents or lean-tos sufficed
in warmer months.
2.3 Ancient American Indians
Until about 12,000 years ago, Asia and North America were
connected by land. Though most Paleo-Indian migration routes are
obscured by geological processes, evidence unearthed through
erosion and sedimentation provides insights into their lives and
cultures.
Academics categorize Paleo-Indians into Clovis and Folsom-related
cultures in parts of interior North America, and pre-Clovis peoples
whose distribution is just becoming clear through recent research.
These ancient populations coexisted with Pleistocene megafauna
like mammoths, mastodons, giant bison, saber-toothed cats, and
short-faced bears in a dynamic landscape. Though megafaunal
bones at sites imply big game hunting, Paleo-Indians used diverse
resources.
The Clovis culture is older, with characteristic slender, lanceolate
fluted points. Flakes removed lengthwise from the base created a
channel or "flute" on both flat sides. Attached to spears, these were
found on mammoth kill sites, along with side scrapers and tools to
process meat. Slightly younger Folsom points have a distinct
shoulder and convex base. Paleo-Indian ingenuity and adaptation is
clear despite scarce archaeological evidence.
2.4 Spirituality and Ceremonial Practices
Spirituality was integral to Native American life, guiding their
relationships to the natural world and one another. Religious
ceremonies and rituals were tied to the seasonal cycle, wildlife
patterns, and agricultural events. These practices connected the
physical and spiritual realms, often involving dance, music, fasting,
offerings, and trance states induced through prayer or
hallucinogens. Rituals marked life transitions like birth, puberty
rites, marriage, and death. Sacred objects, carvings, and clothing
invoked spiritual powers during ceremonies led by religious leaders
like shamans, priests, or medicine men. While tribes had distinct
beliefs, commonalities included animism, shamanism, kinship with
nature, and reverence for forces like the sun, moon, animals, rivers,
and mountains. Elders passed down oral histories, morals, and
taboos through rich mythologies full of archetypal figures and
supernatural events explaining creation, morality, and humankind's
place in the universe.
2.5 Languages and Oral Traditions
Oral transmission of language, literature, history, and spiritual
beliefs was critical, as most tribes did not have a written tradition.
Native American languages are extremely diverse, with around 300
languages spoken from 12 main language families prior to
colonization. This linguistic diversity resulted from geographic
isolation of bands and tribes. Oratory skills were prized, seen in
speeches, prayers, stories, and songs using evocative language and
metaphor. Storytelling passed on creation myths, heroic legends,
animal tales, and ancestral wisdom. Orators memorized and
performed epic songs, poems, and stories during sacred rituals and
social gatherings. These narratives offered moral guidance and kept
alive cultural practices, history, and identities. Languages connected
people to land and worldviews. The suppression of Native American
languages under assimilation policies disrupted cultural continuity.
Many tongues became extinct or endangered, though revitalization
efforts today are strengthening linguistic diversity.
2.6 Trade and Commerce
Trade and commerce were integral to Native American life in the
Subarctic and beyond. Long-distance trade routes spanned the
region, facilitating the exchange of both practical and sacred goods.
Caribou hides, animal furs, copper, volcanic rock for tools, herbs,
and other items were commonly traded. Trade fostered intertribal
relationships and enabled groups to acquire necessities like seal oil
from coastal tribes or buffalo hides and jerky from the plains. Trade
networks spread innovations like tobacco, horses, and guns widely
once introduced by Europeans. The fur trade expanded significantly
after European contact, altering economies. Subarctic tribes like the
Cree and Innu became middlemen between coastal tribes and the
Hudson's Bay Company. Despite devastating epidemics, Subarctic
Natives adapted creatively to economic shifts while retaining
spiritual traditions.
2.7 Mythology and Folklore
Storytelling is integral to Native American culture. Myths and
legends were passed down orally, imparting wisdom, morals, and
spiritual beliefs. Tales feature archetypal heroes, supernatural
entities, and anthropomorphic animals. Origin myths explain natural
phenomena and human origins. Cautionary tales provide guidance
and meaning. figures like the Wîsahkêcâhk the trickster teach
through humor. Myths underscore the interconnectedness of the
physical and spiritual realms, often portraying the consequences of
imbalanced behavior. Shamans recount spiritual encounters to heal
souls. Stories connect past and present generations through shared
symbolism and teachings at the heart of Native identity. Oral
traditions endure despite cultural losses from colonization,
perpetuating indigenous worldviews through stories.
Book 3: Native American Spirituality
The indigenous religions of the Americas encompass the sacred
customs and beliefs of Native North and South Americans. Prior to
the 1950s, these traditions were dismissed as fading relics of
primitive societies lacking money, literacy, political structures, or
other hallmarks of civilization. They purportedly lacked religious
texts, doctrine, or moral codes. But scholars of religion,
anthropology, and practitioners have since revealed diverse,
resilient spiritual worlds with capacity to inspire.
Yet loss pervades their history after 500 years of political, economic,
and religious domination. Academics may lament the disappearance
of elaborate rituals, but locals often feel a greater sense of loss
when even simple, regular practices and the religious grammar
woven into historically significant languages disappear. This
represents the vanishing collective memory of entire lifeways,
including formal mythologies and informal threads that comprised
them. Still, despite modernity's impacts, remarkable continuities
and highly adaptive innovations persist, as total isolation grows
impossible.
Native Americans frequently assert certain customs are just ways of
life, not religion. Translating the concept into native languages is
difficult or impossible. Cosmological and philosophical issues
underlie this paradox. In Western traditions, religion and activity are
distinguished as that ultimately authorized by the supernatural -
outside, beyond, or transcending observable nature and human
reason. No such antithesis exists in most indigenous worldviews.
Revelation is embodied in plant and animal life, mountains and
clouds. Where native cosmologies conceive of a domain apart from
the tangible world, like the Iroquois Sky World or Puebloan
underworlds, the boundaries remain porous - metaphysical
separation of upper, middle, and under tiers is fleeting and
traversable.
Native religious practice seems to conceive of the more sacred
rather than separate sacred and profane. A flow of spirit, energy, or
sentience inhabits all things, unevenly distributed. Religion refers to
links between living humans and other beings or entities, however
imagined - deceased ancestors, unborn generations, animal and
plant life, mountains, springs, clouds. Also beings not ordinarily
perceptible but thought to occupy and influence this or another
reality entirely, like mythic figures. All participate in religion's web of
relationships.
3.1 Diversity with Overarching Rituals and
Beliefs
The incredible diversity of Native American spiritual traditions
reflects the hundreds of distinct languages once spoken across
North America. Linguists categorize these into 30-50 language
families, indicating tremendous variation between tribes. For
instance, Iroquois elders discuss the Original Instructions from a
masculine, Christian-like Creator. By contrast, Koyukon myths
portray the Raven deity as flawed and not all-powerful. Pueblo and
Navajo rituals differ starkly as well.
While generalizations inevitably oversimplify this religious diversity,
some common threads emerge. Geography is crucial, seen in
localized rituals and longhouses modeled after the earth. Oral
transmission of wisdom preserves connection to ancestors and land.
Speech, actions and thoughts are believed to influence the wider
world, with some knowledge restricted. Active participation takes
priority over doctrinal truth. Family and community are paramount.
Generosity is a moral and spiritual obligation, exemplified by
potlatches where resources are distributed.
Underlying these diverse practices is a shared worldview of
interconnection and responsibility. Proper conduct toward humans
and nature alike is key. Reciprocal relationships with all living things
are honored, modeled after provision from plants and animals. At
the heart of many rituals is restoring balance and harmony between
realms. While tribes have unique traditions, common principles of
respect, renewal, and peaceful coexistence resonate through the
incredible diversity of Native American spirituality.
3.2 Adaptations and Syncretism
While European colonization caused catastrophic losses, indigenous
religions also adapted creatively to new realities. Blending Christian
concepts with native beliefs produced religious syncretism, with
traditions evolving to preserve community identity. For instance,
Andean customs honoring sacred mountains and the apu mountain
spirits persisted covertly through surface Catholic rites. Though
oppressed, indigenous nature worship andreciprocity with the land
endured through centuries of colonialism.
Across Mesoamerica, syncretic folk Catholicism incorporated pre-
Hispanic motifs. The Virgin of Guadalupe united Spanish and
Nahuatl traditions in revering Tonantzin, an Aztec maternal earth
goddess. Mayan communities blended apostles and saints with
figures like the ancient rain god Chac. Yucatec Mayan shamanism
and healing ceremonies continued clandestinely, with shrines to the
spirits surviving within Catholic churches. Under superficial
conversion, core indigenous rituals, deities, and values subsisted.
3.3 New Religious Movements
As native communities faced ongoing crises under colonial rule,
visionary movements often arose in response. While seen as
heretical deviations by authorities, these new indigenous faiths
melded Christianity with native traditions to critique oppression.
One major movement was the 1780 Great Andean Rebellion against
Spanish rule, led by José Gabriel Condorcanqui, or Tupac Amaru II.
Claiming descent from the last Inca emperor, Tupac Amaru II drew
from Inca prophecy of a redeemer king to spark an independence
struggle. His execution only intensified the rebellion. Tupac Amaru
II became a folk hero and symbol of indigenous resistance.
In 1890s Guatemala, the Cult of the Talking Cross prophesized the
end of white rule through spiritual revelations to Mayan peasants.
Blending Mayan millenarianism with Catholic crosses, the
movement foretold divine punishment for oppressors and the
restoration of Mayan sovereignty. Though violently suppressed, the
cult endures today in syncretic Mayan religion. Across the Americas,
native prophets repeatedly sparked messianic activism against
colonialism by hybridizing Christian and indigenous symbols.
3.4 Twentieth Century Developments
In the mid-1900s, native groups increasingly controlled their
religious futures on their own terms. The Pan-Indian movement
linked diverse tribes to promote indigenous self-determination.
Articulating shared political goals while allowing spiritual autonomy
for each tribe fostered solidarity. Pan-Indian consciousness also
stimulated pride in native traditions threatened by assimilation
policies. From the 1970s Red Power movement to present day idle
no more activism, Pan-Indian values continue mobilizing native self-
representation.
The formation of the Native American Church in 1918 served to
protect indigenous peyote religion from federal suppression.
Combining peyote ritual with Christianity, this fusion church
exempted ceremonial peyote use from drug prohibitions. The Native
American Church bolstered the resilience of native spirituality. Its
model has since inspired neo-shamanic churches blending
psychedelics with varied spiritual traditions.
Many tribes also won legal recognition to use eagle feathers, an
essential sacred resource, in the 1960s-70s. The American Indian
Religious Freedom Act of 1978 formally acknowledged native rights
to practice customary spirituality and access sacred sites. Advocacy
throughout the 20th century enabled indigenous self-determination
over spiritual practices after centuries of religious persecution.
3.5 Cultural Revitalization
Since the 1980s, strengthening indigenous identity through spiritual
revitalization has become a priority for many tribes. Reconnecting
youth to native languages, ceremonies, and customs combats the
intergenerational impacts of cultural repression. From language
immersion programs to traditional naming and coming of age
rituals, cultural education grounds identity. Elders mentor young
leaders, passing on ecological knowledge and traditional arts like
beading, drum-making, or canoe building.
Revitalization also involves reclaiming sacred histories and
ceremonies banned by colonizers. For instance, the World Renewal
movement among northwestern tribes reestablished suppressed
rituals like potlatch gift-giving ceremonies and the sun dance.
Cultural centers like the House of Tears Carvers in British Colombia
educate new generations in the rich artistic heritage of totem poles
and other woodcarvings essential to native spirituality.
By preserving indigenous lifeways within an evolving world,
communities remain vibrant through continuance ofNative values,
beliefs, and practices. Culture and religion are intertwined for
indigenous ways of life. Spiritual revitalization sustains lands,
traditions, and collective strength.
3.6 Looking Forward
The changes brought by colonization fractured but did not erase
Native American religions after centuries of persistence. Going
forward, native faiths continue adapting in a globalized world while
reconnecting to ancestral roots. Indigenous theology analyzes
colonial harms to sacred traditions while reimagining a decolonized
future. Political activism works to protect land-based spirituality and
indigenous sovereignty. Linguistic and cultural revitalization
programs pass traditions to youth.
Diverse native communities balance modernity and ancient wisdom
in their own ways. Change did not start with European contact.
Indigenous religions naturally transform across history, while
upholding core values and ties to sacred homelands. Respecting
native spiritual self-determination supports cultural self-
preservation. The vitality of Native American religions persists.
Through continuity and change alike, indigenous cultures creatively
sustain their worlds.
3.7 Calendrical Practices
Global cataclysms often marked the passage of time, perhaps
spurring calendar development. The predictable motion of stars was
a visible calendrical marker in the wake of worldwide destruction. In
South American myths, the death of primordial beings was linked to
the catastrophic demolition of early worlds and stars rising into the
skies.
The Makiritare of Venezuela's Orinoco River relate how the stars,
led by Wlaha, were forced aloft when Kuamachi, the evening star,
sought vengeance for his mother's death. Kuamachi and his
grandfather tricked Wlaha and the stars into climbing dewaka trees
to collect ripe fruit. When Kuamachi tried to pluck the fruit, the
trees collapsed and burst, flooding the forest. Kuamachi magically
fashioned a boat to escape with his grandfather, breeding
dangerous water creatures like the anaconda, piranha, and caiman
along the way. From the treetops, Kuamachi flung the stars down
one by one to drown and be devoured, until the ragged survivors
finally ascended a ladder of arrows into their ordained positions in
the heavens.
3.8 Initiation Rites
Many South American peoples mark the transition to adulthood with
ritual ceremonies for both young men and women. Since initiation
represents a kind of re-creation and new era, earlier religious
elements often appear in the rites. The actual ceremony is typically
timed to coincide with major calendar transitions, linking the human
subject's transformation to fundamental cyclical changes in the
cosmos and society for success.
For instance, the Amazonian Baniwa seclude girls during initiation.
Their bodies are painted red, covered in heron down, and enclosed
in two baskets. Elders make theatrical speeches then beat the
initiate to break her flesh. Pepper is applied to her lips, then she
spits into a nick cut in the dirt floor as chants sound. She tastes
various foods. After the baskets open, she steps forward, is
adorned, and paraded to music and chants.
These acts memorialize events in the primordial first world. The
original female being was Amaru, a formless watersnake. For
Amaru's initiation, she was placed in a basket with blessed foods
while her female followers stole ceremonial flutes from the men.
Insects and worms tried boring through before a little armadillo
burrowed up into the women's abode. Yaperikuli the Creator guided
the men down the passage, and their meeting began life's
generative cycle. So one girl's rite aligns with cosmic reproductive
renewal.
Book 4: The Native American Medicine
4.1 A brief History
Native American healing practices have been followed in North
America for 12,000 years or more. Though "Native American
medicine" implies a single system, North America had some 500
distinct indigenous nations, each with rich healing knowledge,
rituals, and ceremonies. So the term misleads.
Much of Native American healing remains shrouded in mystery,
never recorded but conveyed through oral histories, vision quests,
and initiation rites. Some believe openly sharing medicinal
knowledge diminishes its spiritual potency. Yet many Native healers
recognize documenting their practices helps preserve customs for
future generations. Some also feel teaching others their healing
methods and guiding philosophies can help all achieve greater
balance between nature and life.
Anyone genuinely seeking a holistic, balanced life can benefit from
Native American medicine, manifesting physically, emotionally, or
spiritually. However, "white man's diseases" or maladies of modern
civilization often require Western medicine. Here, traditional Native
remedies can complement treatment, like blending Native healing
into successful alcohol addiction programs for Native communities.
Native American medicine struggles with congenital disorders like
mental disabilities and birth defects. Some illnesses stem from a
patient's actions, making some healers reluctant to interfere with
life lessons. Certain sicknesses are considered callings or initiation
diseases and go untreated.
A spiritual worldview underlies Native American medicine. Health
means following the Great Spirit's guidance etched into each
person's mind and conscience to fulfill one's purpose. Robust health
requires dedication to a beautiful, harmonious, balanced life.
Trauma can also cause illness by inflicting mental, emotional, or
spiritual wounds, causing anguish, soul loss, or depletion of spiritual
power. Healers then physically return the patient's spirit and
strength through ceremonies. Some sickness results from
disregarding "rules for living" about respecting people, places,
animals, objects, events, or spirits.
Diagnosis employs various approaches like discussing
symptoms/history, observing nonverbal cues, and divination. The
healer's intuition, sensitivity, and power matter more than
technique.
Insurance rarely covers traditional Native healing unless the
practitioner is a licensed medical professional. Most Native healers
don't charge fixed fees. Healing ability is considered "a gift from the
Great Spirit." Gifts are customary, however, to "ensure treatment's
success as healing spirits appreciate generosity." Gifts range from
food and clothing to money, but tobacco suffices.
4.2 Traditional Medical Practices of Native
Americans
Native American traditional healing comprises a holistic medical
system with diverse indigenous therapies promoting wellbeing.
Healers treat acute and chronic conditions while encouraging
healthy lifestyles. Though practices vary between tribes, common
principles include integrating biological, psychological, social and
spiritual health. Daily rituals like sunrise runs maintain physical and
spiritual fitness. Myths convey health lessons. Herbal remedies,
manipulative therapies, ceremonies and prayers prevent and treat
illness holistically.
These traditions sustained wellness for millennia before Western
medicine. Native diets, seasonal rituals, medicinal plants and
lifestyle harmony with nature promoted longevity. But as younger
generations abandon these traditions, diseases like diabetes have
arisen. Elders maintaining traditional practices enjoy better health
than acculturated youths. Indigenous medicine’s emphasis on
whole-person wellness provides crucial insights for modern
healthcare.
4.3 Healing Through Symbols
Ceremonies play a key role in Native American health, though their
therapeutic value is often overlooked by allopathic providers.
Patients, families and communities participate, with greater
attendance amplifying healing energy. Singing, dancing, music and
prayer contribute vital energy.
All cultures utilize symbolic spiritual practices for healing. Native
American rites employ rich symbols to restore equilibrium and
stimulate biological, psychological, social and spiritual recovery.
Ritualistic integration of symbols can generate immense therapeutic
synergy.
4.4 Integrating Traditional and Modern
Medicine
Today, many Native Americans blend customary practices with
modern medicine. Ceremonies, herbalism and Western treatments
coexist. Spiritual remedies remain integral to health maintenance
and illness treatment. But many biomedical providers are uneasy
with spirituality in healing.
Nurse practitioners versed in holism and biological, psychological,
social and spiritual wellness can bridge perspectives. Involving
patients' families and communities mitigates isolation in allopathic
settings. Considering spiritual disharmony may aid diagnosis.
Blending customary and modern approaches leverages their
respective strengths. Integrative care respecting traditional Native
American practices can foster more holistic wellness.
4.5 Healing With Plants
Beyond specific herbs, native healing systems understood the wider
medicinal gifts of local plants found through close relationships with
the land. Southwest tribes used over 200 plants for remedies.
Northwest people crafted medicine from wild roots and barks. The
Cherokee had plant uses for over 500 species. This ethnobotanical
expertise treated ailments holistically.
However, colonization ruptured connections to ancestral
environments. Many sacred plants were displaced through
relocation and ecosystem loss. Revitalizing plant wisdom nurtures
decolonization today. Indigenous herbalists integrate traditional and
local plants in accessible ways, sharing remedies through
workshops, blogs, books, and social media. Hands-on learning heals
both culture and body.
4.6 Land-Based Healing
As indigenous health is intertwined with the land, healing often
occurs through nature connection. Among Northwest tribes, cedar
bathing and purification restores balance and resilience. For Navajo
people, walking the Beauty Way path grounds wellness in sacred
geography. Alaskan tribes gather medicinal seaweeds, while
Amazonians use forest medicines. Place fuels identity.
Sacred site protection also sustains health. Destruction of
ancestrally significant environments causes collective spiritual harm.
Preserving access supports ceremonies that heal people and the
planet. Nature provides solace amidst intergenerational trauma.
The land roots cultural persistence.
4.7 Traditional Foods
Nutrition and food sovereignty are central to holistic indigenous
health. Colonization undermined traditional diets with processed
imports, provoking chronic disease. But reviving indigenous
foodways counters this. The intertribal deer tribe in Wisconsin
stewards ancestral wild rice beds. Maori elders pass down
Polynesian crops and practices. Alaska Natives protect subsistence
whaling and salmon fishing rights. returning to foods like bison,
mesquite, and heirloom corn revives health, agriculture, and
ecosystem balance.
4.8 Storytelling
Storytelling is vital medicine across Native cultures. Oral narratives
connect past and present, transmitting cultural values. Stories
explain sickness through imbalances needing restoration. Animal
tales impart natural wisdom. Sharing personal experiences builds
empathy and healing. For many tribes, winter storytelling season
binds community during hardship. Stories affirm indigenous
knowledge, history, and worldviews to support resilience.
4.9 Dance, Song and Ceremony
Ritual gatherings draw on communal energy to heal. Drumming,
dancing, and songs invoke ancestor spirits and natural forces. Sweat
lodges cleanse mind and body. Peyote ceremonies realign with the
Great Spirit through prayer. Sundances test spiritual endurance to
gain wisdom. Steeped in generations of tradition, indigenous
ceremonies mend bodies, spirits, and communities. Even amidst
efforts banning rituals, they persisted underground. Ceremonial
continuation is resistance.
4.10 Intergenerational Healing
Historical loss wounded indigenous communities through family
separation, cultural repression, and land dispossession. This
compounded into intergenerational trauma affecting wellness today.
Healing cannot ignore root causes. Some tribes incorporate mental
health approaches like narrative therapy sharing inherited pain to
process it. Culture camps immerse youth in languages, art, and
customs denied past generations. Strengthening bonds and
knowledge across generations can mend ancestral suffering.
4.11 Looking Forward
The intersecting layers of indigenous healing show health is
communal, reciprocal, and land-rooted. Lasting change integrates
traditional medicine, decolonization, sustainability, and community
wellness. More cross-cultural education, youth mentorship,
language revival, sustainable agriculture, sacred site protection,
intergenerational sharing, and accessible healthcare resources can
actualize this vision. The gifts of ancestors, plants, and place
endure. Guided by indigenous wisdom, healing the people is healing
the planet. All flourish together.
Book 5: Healing Properties of Native American
Herbs
Many North American native plants like elderberry, echinacea, and
witch hazel are now popular natural remedies. But numerous other
indigenous flora have extensive medicinal histories. People have
required plants since antiquity for survival and to enhance health
and comfort. Here are some of the most potent native herbs and
their traditional uses by Native peoples that still inform modern
medicine.
Gooseberry & Currants
North American tribes traditionally used gooseberries and currants
medicinally. The Comanche gargled berry tea for sore throats.
Prairie Potawatomi made eyewash from the roots to clean eyes or
soothe tired, irritated eyes.
Willow
Many tribes like the Choctaw and Delaware made toothbrush-like
twigs from Peachleaf Willow and other species. Brushing cleaned
teeth, while tannins promoted gum health.
California Poppy
All poppy plant parts have medicinal uses - roots, flowers, leaves,
seed pods. Costa Rican tribes made potent blossom tea to clean
hair and kill lice. Ohlone mashed seedlings with bear fat for hair
tonic. Mendocino region tribes squeezed roots to relieve toothaches,
stomachaches, headaches. Nursing mothers applied root juice to dry
milk and wean babies. Pomo women made strong seedpod tea for
the same purpose.
Milkweed
Various Native nations used the milkweed's roots, stems and leaves
medicinally. Miwok applied the latex to remove warts. Cheyenne
prepared dried tops into eyewash and snow blindness remedy.
Cherokee, Delaware and Mohegan used pleurisy root tea for
coughs.
Persimmon
Cherokee harvested fruits pre-frost for astringent syrup to treat
dysentery. Choctaw sun-dried fruits into loaf for the same. Catawba
used bark mouthwash for thrush and fruit poultices for warts.
Rappahannock ate bark for heartburn relief.
Nettle
Miwok and Hesquiaht applied fresh nettles topically for joint/muscle
pain from formic acid's blistering, blood flow boosting effects.
Cherokee drank nettle tea for digestive tonic. Cree valued it highly
for pregnancy and childbirth.
Spruce
American Indians understood drinking spruce needle tea prevented
sickness in winter. When Quebec residents suffered 1500s scurvy,
Iroquois shared this vital cure.
Yew
Okanagan and other Northwest women traditionally used yew
berries as birth control. Quinault made bark decoctions for kidney
problems, tuberculosis, and arthritis. Cowlitz applied foliage
poultices to injuries, but it's toxic if ingested.
5.1 The Mystery of Native American Healing
Native American healing traditions are as diverse as the tribes
themselves. Healing methods varied greatly, with medicine people
acting as spiritual leaders using rituals, rites and medicinal
knowledge. Most tribes saw health as a continual process of
maintaining spiritual, mental and physical strength. Balance
between oneself, community and environment was key, and the
Creator would protect against illness if this harmony existed. Herbal
remedies were integral, treating more than just physical ailments to
promote peace and spirituality.
In 1832, explorer George Catlin lived among the Mandan tribe in
North Dakota, meeting their medicine man Old Bear. Catlin
observed ceremonial teachings and herbal medicine preparation,
though most supplies were gathered from the surrounding area or
traded over long distances when unavailable locally. The land and
environment profoundly influenced indigenous healing.
5.2 Ancient Herbal Remedies
Goldenseal, an antibacterial perennial herb, was used by Cherokee
and Iroquois to treat inflammation, illness and boost immunity.
Recent research suggests its alkaloids may have anticancer
properties. Saw palmetto fruit from the southeastern palm tree
relieved urinary and respiratory conditions for tribes across the
continent, indicating pre-Colonial trade networks. Ginseng stems
and roots have been used medicinally in Asia for millennia and by
Native Americans for pain, digestion, stamina and more. Garlic acts
as an expectorant and worm preventative, with a similarly ancient
worldwide medicinal history. These and countless other plants
composed the intricate botanical knowledge that sustained Native
American health for generations.
5.3 Chokecherry, Cattail, and Yucca
More native plants served as staple medicines across tribes. Their
ecosystem roles highlight natural interconnection.
Chokecherry
Chokecherry trees, Prunus virginiana, treated several conditions.
Dakotas brewed dried chokecherry stems into tea to stop diarrhea.
Cheyenne healers utilized pulverized chokecherry pits on cuts or
wounds. The berries offered antioxidants when eaten or crushed
into pemmican. Chokecherry connects medicine, food, and culture.
Cattail
Cattail's edible shoots, leaves, and pollen made it a vital food, while
additional parts treated ailments. Seminoles applied crushed cattail
leaves to burns and boils. Dakota tribes used cattail down like
cotton for wound dressing. The Pawnee utilized cattail pollen as a
styptic. Cattail demonstrates nature's versatility.
Yucca
Soapweed yucca had over 40 uses among Southwestern tribes like
the Apache. Stems were chewed for stomach disorders. Juice from
yucca roots soothed skin conditions. Fibers made clothing and
basketry. Yucca exemplifies indigenous resourcefulness.
5.4 Nature's Pharmacy
These plants represent just a fraction of the vast indigenous
botanical expertise. Hundreds more local herbs served each tribe.
Native groups discovered which environs offered which gifts. They
learned preparation, dosage, and combinations. This empirical
wisdom cured, nourished and supported communities over
generations through intimate environmental knowledge.
Loss of plants through colonialism and cultural disruption required
adapting medicinal practices. But herbal skills persisted. Traditional
plant uses provide time-tested therapeutic insights. Indigenous
botanical knowledge gifts a holistic paradigm where nature
balances people.
5.5 Bridging Worldviews
Integrating indigenous herbalism with modern medicine can bridge
cultural divides in healthcare. Mutual respect allows traditional
expertise to complement clinical practice through an integrated
model. Some clinics now employ Native healers alongside doctors to
more holistically serve indigenous patients. Medical schools are also
incorporating Native plant medicines into curricula to broaden
perspectives. This fusion can support both native health access and
cultural preservation.
More cross-cultural education helps practitioners understand health
through a Native worldview of interconnection and balance. Hands-
on workshops where herbalists demonstrate traditional skills offer
experiential learning. Culturally sensitive care improves outcomes
by addressing spiritual and communal well-being beyond physical
symptoms. A diverse healing toolkit strengthens community
resilience.
When diverse healing systems work cooperatively, they can
overcome harmful divides. Returning to ancestral wisdom helps
restore indigenous community health and environments disrupted
by colonization. Nature's pharmacy remains open to all who listen.
5.6 Willow, Blackberry, and Mint
Native peoples had intricate knowledge of local botany for healing.
Willow trees offered remedies from roots to bark. Blackberry leaves
and berries treated varied ailments. Fragrant mints soothed many
conditions. These diverse plants illustrate indigenous medicinal
expertise.
Willow
Several willow species served medicinal purposes, especially Salix
alba. Native Americans used willow for pain relief based on its
salicylic acid content, a chemical similar to aspirin. Chewed willow
bark was applied to wounds by Seminole people to stop bleeding.
Cherokee healers made a tea from willow roots for fevers. Iroquois
used willow sap as a topical antiseptic. Willow remains an important
plant teacher today.
Blackberry
Both wild blackberry leaves and roots were utilized by Native
Americans. Okanagan-Colville people boiled blackberry roots into
tea for diarrhea. Cheyenne healers applied crushed blackberry
leaves to draw out infections. Blackberry leaf tea was used for
stomach aches by Micmac and Maliseet tribes. The berries offered
vitamins, while vines became rope and baskets. Humble blackberry
treated diverse needs.
Mint
Indigenous groups used native mint species like Mentha arvensis for
medicine and food. The Shoshone drank pennyroyal mint tea for
coughs and colds. Mint leaves were Cheyenne remedies for
headaches and upset stomachs. Mint tea promoted digestive health
and wellbeing among many tribes. Wisconsin tribes added wild mint
to pemmican for flavor and nutrition. Inhaling mint's aromatic oils
clears airways and soothes sickness.
Book 6: Native American Healing Herbs Vol. I
6.1 Echinacea
Echinacea is one of the most popular herbal medicines in American
folk herbalism. Native Americans and herbalists used it extensively
for generations before it gained popularity in Europe in the 1900s.
Though it has numerous traditional uses, a major role is supporting
healthy immune function. Historically it also had various other
applications. Today it’s a widely available supplement, and
continues to be researched scientifically.
There are 9 species native to North America, concentrated in
Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. These perennials belong
to the Asteraceae family, like sunflowers. They thrive in rocky,
disturbed soils in open prairies, fields, and along railroad tracks. E.
purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida are most common
commercially.
Echinacea is named for the Greek word for hedgehog, referring to
its spiny seed heads. E. purpurea is most heavily cultivated but
overharvesting has eradicated its natural range. E. pallida and E.
angustifolia are harder to grow.
6.2 History and Folklore of Echinacea
American Indians and traditional herbalists valued echinacea, used
by tribes like the Pawnee, Dakota, and Omaha-Winnebago for
immune support and treating illnesses in people and horses. It was
also used for baskets and tools.
In the late 1800s, American Eclectic doctors drove its popularity,
especially E. angustifolia. Renowned Eclectics like John King praised
it globally, making it the most prized Eclectic herb until the schools
closed in the 1930s.
Meanwhile in the 1950s, a Swiss naturopath studying echinacea in
the U.S. brought back seeds he thought were E. angustifolia but
were actually E. purpurea. The species American herbalists used
was E. angustifolia, but German researchers focused on E. purpurea,
which became more widespread. Ironically, the species with the
most proven historical uses got the least scientific attention.
Cautions:
Avoid if allergic to Asteraceae family plants.
Preparations:
Tea, tincture, capsules from fresh or dried root; fresh plant juice;
tea, tincture or capsules from aboveground parts.
6.3 Black Cohosh
The flowering perennial black cohosh grows wild across parts of the
U.S. and Canada, thriving in old growth coastal forests and
biodiverse areas. The U.S. and Canada produce and cultivate most
global black cohosh. The 3-6 foot stalk has clusters of tiny white
flowers. The therapeutic root is best harvested late July through
early September.
American Indians relied on this remedy for various uses. The rough
rhizome gives it the Algonquian name “rough”; its strong smelling
blossoms earned it “bugbane” for repelling insects.
Black cohosh has long been used for women’s health. Germany’s
Commission E approves it for relieving premenstrual and menstrual
discomfort. It is also popular for easing menopause.
Black Cohosh Mechanisms:
Black cohosh helps balance hormones, either acting as a mild
estrogen or regulating estrogen production in the body. This makes
it useful in preparations that stabilize female hormone levels, often
to reduce hot flashes from low estrogen.
Cautions:
Avoid confusion with poisonous blue cohosh. Use during pregnancy
only under medical supervision.
Preparations:
Tablets, teas, tinctures from chopped, dried roots.
6.4 Cranberry
A Thanksgiving staple, the North American cranberry has
antimicrobial properties that make it a versatile medicinal herb.
Traditionally used for urinary tract infections, it also benefits asthma
and dry mouth. Cranberries' health and nutritional value made them
prized by Native Americans and colonists alike. Research shows
cranberries can prevent urinary and stomach infections by inhibiting
bacteria like E. coli and H. pylori. Their extracts demonstrate
antiviral, anticancer potential in vitro. Dried, powdered berries or
extracts provide medicinal potency, often with anti-caking agents.
Valued for centuries, the ubiquitous cranberry remains a powerful
healing plant.
6.5 American Ginseng
Related to but distinct from Asian ginseng, American ginseng was
used preventatively by Native Americans like the prized Chinese
herb. The wild plant became lucrative once exported. Like Asian
ginseng, it can stimulate energy, concentration and immunity in
healthy adults and memory in elders. trials show American ginseng
lowers blood sugar in type 2 diabetes by reducing fasting and post-
meal glucose levels. Thought to be an adaptogen that aids stress
resilience, studies show it boosts immune cell function and has
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects in labs. Small
studies suggest it may benefit ADHD, colds and cognition. However,
more research is needed to confirm effects. Due to interactions, it
should not be combined with warfarin without medical guidance.
The dried mature root is used in drinks, extracts or capsules.
6.6 Saw Palmetto
This southeastern American palm produces therapeutic blue-black
fruit used historically as food and medicine by Native Americans and
early settlers during famine. Its popularity declined in the 1950s due
to lack of scientific explanation.
Standardized saw palmetto extracts have been used for over a
century to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, which causes urinary
symptoms in most men over 50. Multiple studies show saw
palmetto extracts relieve BPH symptoms as effectively as
conventional drugs with fewer side effects. Dried, chopped or
powdered berries can be made into teas, tinctures or capsules to
harness the plant's therapeutic potential. After decades of
traditional use, saw palmetto's efficacy for prostate health is now
validated by extensive scientific evidence.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
gestemd en zeide „mi góedoe pikíen mass’ra, san’ doe joe agen”. 183 „Mi
de síki, néne” 184 was dan het antwoord. Op verzoek van mijn moeder
zou néne mij wat afleiding bezorgen, door mij een anansi-tori te
vertellen. Eerst maakte zij eenige gebaren, haalde diep adem en toen
begon zij:

Vroeger waren al onze vaders hanen.….

Nu, een moeder had drie dochters; en de vader van die meisjes was
een haan, die in de struiken nabij het huis woonde. Wanneer Moeder
voeder had voor Vader, zong ze driemaal:

Kakkadoedel, kakkadoedel! 185

Iffi joe biérti, kom mi da. 186

Vader kwam dan te voorschijn en na den inwendigen mensch versterkt

te hebben, verdween hij weder in het struikgewas.

Op zekeren dag zou Mama inkoopen gaan doen in de stad. Het oudste
der meisjes, Mina geheeten, zou dien [324]dag voor Vader zorgen. Het
jongste kind werd naar school gezonden, en de twee anderen gingen
lekkernijen koopen met het geld, dat de moeder had gegeven, om eten
voor Vader te koopen.

Toen nu Vader vroeg, waar zijn middageten gebleven was, antwoordde

Jet, de tweede dochter, dat Mina bezig was met koken. Vader verdween
toen weêr in zijn struik.

De beide meisjes gingen nu beraadslagen, wat ze zouden doen.

Eindelijk kwamen ze overeen, Vader te slachten en hem Moeder als
spijs voor te zetten.

Zoo gezegd, zoo gedaan.

Mina zong driemaal:

Kakkadoedel, kakkadoedel!
 Iffi joe biérti, kom mi da!

Vader verscheen als gewoonlijk. Hij werd gevangen genomen en

geslacht. Inmiddels kwam het jongste kind uit school en vond hare
zusters druk bezig, in een kuil achter de keuken veêren te begraven. Zij
mocht Moeder niets vertellen van hetgeen zij gezien had. Vader werd in
de soep gekookt en de kinderen smulden naar hartelust.

Toen Moeder thuis kwam en naar Vader vroeg, antwoordde Mina:

„Eenige makkers zijn Vader komen halen, om te gaan kaarten”.

Toen was Moeder gerust. Ze kreeg haar aandeel van de soep, maar
kon toch niet eten. Het was alsof ze een voorgevoel had, dat het Vaders
vleesch was.

Het jongste dochtertje had evenwel verklaard, dat toen ze thuis kwam,
Mina en Jet bezig waren veêren te begraven in een kuil achter de
keuken.

Moeder vatte toen argwaan. Ze vroeg Mina of hetgeen ze haar als maal
had voorgezet Vaders vleesch niet was. Mina antwoordde natuurlijk
ontkennend. [325]

Doch toen Vader weken wegbleef en maar niet terugkwam, werd

Moeder boos op Mina.

Leisah, de jongste, ten einde raad, liep naar de rivier en zong:

Papà kári mi Leisah, 187

Mamà kári mi Leisah,
Mina kári mi Skoema! 188

Moeder liep haar na, maar zij kon haar kind nog slechts bij het haar
grijpen. Leisah verdronk en Moeder behield eenige strepen in de palm
harer hand.
Arme Leisah!

Sedert dien tijd hebben alle menschen strepen in de palm van de hand.

No. 27. Legende van Leisah. II.

Er wordt verhaald, dat in zeker dorp twee echtelieden woonden, die dol
waren op kinderen, maar er zelf geen hadden.

We moeten trachten, op welke wijze dan ook, aan een kind te komen,
zeiden zij.

Eens kwam een oude vrouw bij hen aan huis, vroeg de vrouw naar haar
welstand en naar dien van haren echtgenoot. De vrouw des huizes
antwoordde met droevige stem:

„Wij zijn, met Godswil, wel”.

„Wat scheelt U dan, Mevrouw?” vroeg de oude.

De vrouw des huizes deelde hare grieven mede, waarna de oude vrouw
haar een wees van acht dagen in handen gaf.

Het kind behoorde tot de vrouwelijke kunne en kreeg den naam van
Jacoba. Zij werd opgevoed als kind des huizes. [326]Toen zij twaalf jaar
was, moest ze voor huishoudelijke bezigheden beginnen te zorgen,
hetgeen zij met vlijt deed.

Eens wandelden de twee kinderliefhebbers langs het strand. Daar

zagen ze een meisje onbeheerd liggen en zij vroegen haar het een en
ander.
Daar zagen zij een meisje onbeheerd zitten …—Zie blz. 326.
Het kind werd naar huis medegenomen en kreeg den naam van Leisah.
Spoedig werd zij het troetelkindje, waarom Coba, hierover jaloersch,
haar begon uit te schelden.

De vondelinge begon te kwijnen van verdriet, omdat Coba haar

aanhoudend plaagde en treiterde.

Van dat alles vermoeid, zong zij het navolgende, waaruit haar
voornemen bleek:

Papà kári mi Leisah,

Mamà kári mi Leisah,
Coba kári mi Skóema.
Skoema mi na, Skóema mi sa tan! 189

De arme Coba werd weggejaagd, maar Leisah hield niet op met

treuren, en op zekeren dag keerde zij terug naar de plaats, waar zij
gevonden werd.

Haar pleegmoeder liep haar na als een pijl uit den boog, maar kon haar
niet inhalen.

Leisah was reeds in het water gesprongen, toen haar moeder

aankwam. Wel werd zij nog bij het lange haar gegrepen, maar door de
zwaarte zakte zij hoe langer hoe dieper en werd zij onder de golven
begraven. Zoo was Leisah weêr naar haar land teruggekeerd, omdat zij
uit schuim geboren was. De moeder, die haar troetelkind eindelijk had
moeten loslaten, hield de striemen van het haar in de hand. [327]

No. 28. Verhaal van het land van „Moeder Soemba”.

Er wordt verhaald, dat in een dorp een moeder met hare dochter
woonde en dat zij tot buren een moeder en dochter hadden, die zeer
wangunstig waren.
Het eerste meisje was allemansvriend; zij werd door iedereen bemind
en heette Akoeba 190 (Jacoba).

Akoeba nam haar buurmeisje Afi 191 tot vriendin aan, maar deze
benijdde haar in alles.

Eens kwam een oude vrouw bij Akoeba en gaf haar een kalebas ten
geschenke, zeggende:

„Ik ben een arm mensch; ik bezit niets op aarde, dat waarde heeft om
het U als geschenk aan te bieden; daarom hoop ik, dat ge deze
kleinigheid aan zult nemen, alsof het een kostbaar geschenk van een
rijk man was. Maar, mijn kind, deze kalebas moet gewasschen worden
in het land van ’Ma Soemba, opdat hij U gehoorzame.

Dat land is niet ver van hier, maar de wegen, die daarheen leiden, zijn
schier onbekend, daar er geen andere menschen wonen, dan ’Ma
Soemba zelve, die den sleutel aller tooverformulieren in handen heeft.

Het is niet gemakkelijk, ’Ma Soemba te naderen, als men niet vooraf is
ingelicht door betrouwbare personen.

Ge gaat van hieruit rechtdoor, tot daar, waar de weg zich in tweeën
splitst: de eene kant is schoon, de andere vuil.

Beloop den vuilen weg; aan het einde zult gij ’Ma Soemba vinden. Zij
zal U spreken en indien zij U iets vraagt, moet ge gehoorzamen, dan zal
ze Uwe kalebas wasschen, hoor, jonge dame!

Wanneer ge vreemde dingen ziet onderweg, spot er niet mede, maar

zing het lied, dat ik U zal leeren, nadat ge gevraagd zult hebben, om
voorbij te mogen gaan”.

Na verloop van een week ondernam Akoeba de reis, naar [328]de

aanwijzingen der oude vrouw. Toen zij een eind op weg was, zag zij
twee kankantries*, die aan het vechten waren.
Zij hielden op en het meisje ging voorbij, zingende:

Doegwèh a doegwèh, o! 192

Mi de bégi mi papà, mi passà 193
Doegwèh a doegwèh, o!

Zij liep door en zag twee voeten vechten. Ze verzocht en kreeg verlof,
door te gaan, onder het zingen van haar lied.

Iets verder trof Akoeba twee mátta’s* vechtende aan. Zij vroeg om door
te mogen gaan, hetgeen haar werd toegestaan, toen ze met haar lied
een aanvang maakte.

Eindelijk kwam zij aan het punt, waar de weg zich in tweeën splitste; de
eene zijweg was schoon, de andere vuil en onbegaanbaar.

Zij betrad den weg, die haar was aangewezen en zag vóór een huis een
vrouw, ’Ma Soemba, vol wonden en schurft zitten.

„Wat kom je hier doen!” vroeg zij aan het meisje. „Wees zoo goed en
wasch mij mijn rug af; er is water achter het huis”.

Akoeba waschte haar rug schoon, waardoor zij hare handen vol bloed
kreeg van de vele open wonden.

„Wasch je handen af en geef mij je kalebas, dan zal ik haar voor je

wasschen!” vervolgde de vrouw.

’Ma Soemba waschte de kalebas en gaf haar Akoeba terug.

„Keer nu naar huis terug en je zult je loon ontvangen. Bewaar je kalebas

goed en vrede zij verder met U”.

Het meisje vertrok en was na eenige uren weder thuis.

Of haar onderweg, bij het naar huis gaan, iets overkwam, wordt niet
verteld. [329]
Haar moeder wachtte haar met ongeduld en vroeg, of zij succes had
gehad.

„Ja!” antwoordde Akoeba.

Na eenige dagen kwam Afi haar vriendin bezoeken, terwijl deze juist
bezig was, haar kalebas te probeeren, waaruit zij tot hare groote
verbazing tal van gouden, zilveren en andere waardevolle voorwerpen
zag te voorschijn komen.
 … waaruit zij tot hare groote verbazing tal van gouden, zilveren
en andere waardevolle voorwerpen zag te voorschijn komen.—
Zie blz. 329.

Het wangunstige buurmeisje vroeg haar naar de herkomst, daar zij al

dat moois ook wel graag zou willen hebben.

Akoeba vertelde hare vriendin alles en leerde haar ook het lied.

Den volgenden dag, reeds vóór zonsopgang, ondernam Afi den tocht.

Toen zij de verschillende karikaturen tegenkwam, dreef zij den spot er

meê.

Deze vervloekten haar, zeggende:

„Loop en gij zult vinden!”

Zij bereikte de splitsing van den weg en daar begon zij hare vriendin op
de onbehoorlijkste wijze uit te schelden.

„Zij dacht mij wat op de mouw te spelden, maar ik ben wijzer, dan ze
denkt. Het is uit wangunst, dat ze mij heeft gezegd, dien vuilen weg te
loopen. Zij wil niet, dat ik in haar geluk zal deelen. Ja! Zoo zijn de
menschen!—Maar ik neem dien schoonen weg.”

Op het einde gekomen, trof zij ’Ma Soemba aan, bezig obia 194 te koken.

’Ma Soemba verzocht haar, haar te willen wasschen, maar de juffer

begon haar uit te schelden.

„Geef me Uwe kalebas, dan zal ik haar uitwasschen; vrees niets”, zei de
vrouw. [330]

Doch juffer Afi bedankte haar niet eens, doch zei slechts: „Geef mij mijn
kalebas terug, want je maakt haar weêr vuil met jou handen”.
Vol blijdschap kwam zij weêr thuis bij moeder, die haar dadelijk vroeg, of
alles in orde was.

„Zeker, Mama, onze buurvrouw wilde mij misleiden, maar ik ben wijzer
dan ze denkt.

Ik ben klaar gekomen en zal haar bewijzen, dat niet alleen zij in ’t bezit
is van een wonderkalebas”.

Toen zij nog denzelfden dag het voorwerp raadpleegde, weigerde het;
het gaf geen resultaat. Haar vriendin ried haar toen aan, de kalebas
slechts in geval van nood te gebruiken. Doch Afi antwoordde, dat ze
geld noodig had en begon andermaal haar kalebas te raadplegen. Toen
kwam er allerlei ongedierte uit te voorschijn, dat haar doodde.

Zoo wordt het spreekwoord weêr bewaard:

Ba’ sóekoe, ba’ fínni, ba’ tjári. 195

No. 29. Boen no habi tangi.

Ondank is ’s werelds loon! Dat wil zeggen: boen no hábi tangì.

Er was eens een koning, die een zoon had, dien hij naar Holland had
gezonden, om te gaan leeren.

Doch toen de jongen terugkeerde, zei hij op zekeren dag:

„Vader, ik wil gaan wandelen, maar liefst alleen”.

„Het is goed, mijn jongen, gij kunt gaan”.

Den volgenden dag vertrok de jongen, en toen hij achter in den tuin
kwam, zag hij daar een dorren vijgeboom, die hem vroeg:
„Mijnheer, is het waar, dat ondank ’s werelds loon is?”

„Ik weet het niet”.

„Ja, het is waar, dat ondank ’s werelds loon is, want zie, ik heb aan uw
vader vruchten gegeven; hij heeft [331]mijne vruchten op brandewijn
gezet en ze gestoofd. En nu ben ik oud geworden; ik kan niet meer
bloeien en nu wil hij mij tot brandhout maken”.

De jongen erkende de waarheid dier woorden en antwoordde:

„Gij hebt gelijk”.

Toen trok de jongen verder en ontmoette een druivenboom, die den

jongen dezelfde vraag deed, en toen hij zijn wandeling vervolgde, kwam
hij langs een groot vuur met een slang er in, die blijkbaar in angst
verkeerde. En ook de slang vroeg aan den jongen, of het waar is, dat
ondank ’s werelds loon is. De jongen antwoordde niet, maar greep een
stok en nam de slang uit het vuur; doch nauwelijks had hij het dier
gered of het kroop tegen hem op en slingerde zich om zijn hals. De
slang wilde hem dooden.

„Van daag”, riep de jongen uit, „zie ik toch, dat ondank ’s werelds loon
is, want, kijk, ik heb u uit het vuur genomen en nu wilt ge mij dooden”.

Doch daar kwam juist een awari* voorbij, die dezelfde vraag tot den
jongen richtte, waarop deze antwoordde:

„Ja, het is waar, ondank is ’s werelds loon, want zie, ik heb de slang uit
het vuur genomen en nu wil ze mij dooden”.

„Ga mij wijzen”, hervatte Awari, „hoe gij de slang uit het vuur hebt
weggenomen”.

De slang kronkelde zich weêr om den stok en Awari gooide hem in het
vuur.
Daarop vervolgde Awari tegen den jongen:

„Laten wij heengaan en laat de slang in het vuur blijven”.

„Goed, doch dan moet gij met mij meê naar huis gaan; want ik wil mijn
vader en moeder wijzen, wie mij van den dood gered heeft”.

„Neen, dat doe ik niet, ik ben geen mensch; ik ben maar een dier”. [332]

Doch de jongen drong aan en zei: „ga meê”, waarop Awari

medegegaan is.

Thuis gekomen bij zijn vader en moeder, sprak de jongen tot Awari:

„Wel, Awari, wat wilt gij nu tot belooning hebben?”

„Niets wil ik hebben, maar als gij mij elken morgen een kip wilt geven,
dan ben ik tevreden”.

De koning zeide:

„Het is goed; kijk, hier heb ik een hok vol kippen; elken morgen kunt ge
er een komen halen”.

Maar dat beviel de koningin in het geheel niet; zij riep haar kokkin en
sprak tot haar:

„Morgen moet ge de awari dooden, want zoodoende raak ik al mijn

kippen kwijt”.

Den volgenden morgen kwam Awari, om de beloofde kip te halen, toen

de kokkin met een emmer water aankwam, die zij over de awari
omkeerde. En natuurlijk was Awari dood.

Hevig ontsteld en met heftige gebaren kwam de jongen toesnellen en

toen hij daar zijn redder dood zag liggen, riep hij uit:

„Het is toch een waar spreekwoord: boen no hábi tangì”.

No. 30. Geschiedenis van Kopro Kanon*.

Er was eens in een dorp een vrouw, die drie zoons had, waarvan de
oudste Mininimi heette, de tweede Krimintaria en de jongste Kopro
Kanon.

Zij had Mininimi en Krimintaria lief, maar Kopro Kanon niet; daarom
werd hij verwaarloosd en zat hij vol schurft 196 en jaws*. Als het etenstijd
was, riep de moeder alleen de twee ouden, zingende: [333]

Mininimi kom njam!

Krimintaria kom njam!
Kopro Kanon tan de! 197

Arme Kopro Kanon was stokmager en stonk van vuil. Zijn moeder wilde
niets van hem weten. Ach! Arme Kopro Kanon!

De twee oudste knapen zagen er rond uit van dikte.

De duivel, die menschenvleesch lust, had zijn oogen op hen gericht en

wachtte met ongeduld een gunstig oogenblik af, om hen te vangen.

Hij was juist op wacht, toen hij hoorde, op welke wijze de knapen
geroepen werden. Den volgenden dag kwam hij ter plaatse terug en
zong het lied met een heel grove stem.

Kopro Kanon had zijn broeders lief en zei hun:

„Gaat niet, want dat is de stem uwer moeder niet. Het komt mij voor, de
duivel te zijn”.

Zij waren hem gehoorzaam.

De duivel, die begreep, dat zijn zware stem de oorzaak was, dat de
jongens niet tot hem kwamen, ging toen bij een smid, om zijn tong te
laten vijlen.
 De duivel … ging toen bij een smid om zijn tong te laten vijlen.—
Zie blz. 333.

De smid verbood zijn cliënt, bakoven* te eten, als zijn tong gevijld was,
daar zijn stem anders weêr grover zou worden.

„Ik zal aan Uw bevel voldoen”, antwoordde Joost hem.

Doch geen tien minuten van de smederij zijnde, ontmoette hij een
vrouw, die bakoven rondventte. De gulzigaard kon zijn lust niet
bedwingen en vroeg haar:

„Joe no séri mi toe sensi bakóeba?” 198

De bakove ging in één hap naar binnen.

Satan ging toen weêr de wacht houden en zong het lied met
donderende stem. [334]

De ongelukkige Kopro Kanon waarschuwde zijn broeders weêr om niet

te gaan, daar het slechts des duivels stem kon zijn, die zoo dreunend
en dof klonk.

De verdelger der wereld ging terug naar den smid, zonder eenig succes
te hebben gehad. Zijn stem was veranderd, daar zijn tong door bakove
vergiftigd was. De smid zei hem:

„Als iemand onder behandeling van een dokter is, moet hij diens
voorschriften opvolgen; anders loopt hij gevaar. Denk niet, dat een
patiënt den dokter kan foppen, neen, hij fopt zich zelf!”

„Maar, waarom zijt gij zoo hatelijk tegen mij?” vroeg Satan.

„Omdat ge vol leugens zit, vent. Ge spreekt tegen uw geweten.”

„Ben ik dan een leugenaar?”

„Een gevaarlijke ook. Denkt ge soms, dat ik niets anders te doen heb,
dan ieder oogenblik te zitten hameren en vijlen in uw bek?”

Na een flinke bestraffing begon de smid weêr te vijlen.

„Zing het lied nog eens, opdat ik U keure.”

De duivel zong.

„Hoe is het nu, goed niet waar?”

„Dank U vriendelijk, tot wederdienst”.

Satan ging naar zijn bestemming en begon met een altstem te zingen,
waardoor de twee knapen zijn slachtoffer werden. Toen de moeder hun
riep, antwoordde Kopro Kanon met droevige stem:

Mininimi no de,
Krimintaria no de,
Kopro Kanon wawán de. 199

[335]

De moeder ging toen naar Kopro Kanon, voedde hem van toen af en
verzorgde hem goed. Zij kwam te sterven en Kopro Kanon begroef
haar.

Wie kinderen heeft, mag het eene niet boven het andere voortrekken,
maar moet van allen evenveel houden.

No. 31. De Meermin of Watramama.

Er wordt verteld, dat het water beheerscht wordt door de

Watramama. 200
De Watramama is half mensch, half visch; zij heeft een zacht-gele tint
als een Indiaansche, een schoon gezicht, prachtige donkere oogen en
lang zwart haar.

De Watramama houdt verblijf in kreken. Zij komt nooit anders te

voorschijn dan om hare kleinen te zoogen of om zich het haar te
kammen met den wonderkam, en wel altijd met jongvloed 201. De
menschen, die het geluk hadden, haar te zien, vertellen dat het eene
Madonna is. Djokarto, van plantage „Pieterszorg”, zegt er een te
hebben gezien in een kreek van plantage „de Resolutie”. Zij zetelt onder
in de rivieren en vermag veel op de golven. Zij doet booten zinken en
eigent zich den inhoud toe. Nergens, bij niemand ter wereld, vindt men
zooveel rijkdommen als bij haar.

Men zegt, dat er menschen zijn, die de kunst verstaan, haar kam te
stelen, terwijl zij bezig is zich te kammen. Als de Watramama den dief
gevonden heeft, eischt zij haar kam terug en belooft in ruil een
aanzienlijke waarde aan geld. De dief echter paait haar met allerlei
beloften, en gebruikt haar om zoo te zeggen als een melkkoetje.
Telkens komt de Watramama terug en zij brengt steeds meer geld
mede, tot zij eindelijk het geluk heeft, haar kam terug te krijgen. Wil de
dief den kam niet teruggeven, [336]dan is hij verloren. Want de eerste
keer, dat hij over het water gaat, slaat zijn vaartuig om.

Er was eens iemand die, door een kreek varende, gekerm hoorde. Toen
hij voortparelde, bemerkte hij de Watramama, die in gevaar verkeerde
en hij verschafte haar hulp. De meermin zegende hem en beloofde hem
ten allen tijde haar bijstand. De man was visscher van beroep en deed
van toen af goede vangsten. Ook raadde zij hem aan, zijn pagala 202
open te laten, wanneer hij stadswaarts ging, en dagelijks vond hij er
geld in.

De Watramama had hem verboden met iemand hierover te spreken;

anders zou zij hem moeten straffen. 203 Maar ach! het zwakke geslacht,
dat de mannen zoo dikwijls in het verderf stort, bracht ook hem in het
ongeluk.

De man had vrouw en kinderen en toen de vrouw hem steeds met geld
thuis zag komen, vroeg zij naar de herkomst. Hij liet zich niet uit, doch
toen zij sterker aandrong en hij het, om de waarheid zeggen, niet meer
kon uithouden, vertelde hij haar alles en ook wat de gevolgen hiervan
zouden zijn.

Eens op een dag begaf de visscher zich naar een plantage, maar nog
eer hij op de plaats zijner bestemming was aangekomen, was hij
verdwenen.

Men zegt, dat het gevaarlijk is, de albino’s die nog al eens onder de
negers voorkomen, en Watramama-pikien 204 genoemd worden, veel
over het water te laten gaan, wanneer ze groot worden, daar de
Watramama ze dan wel eens tot zich neemt.

In den slaventijd was er een jonge neger-albino, Skroero-ki 205 genaamd,

die dikwijls op den rivierbodem [337]neêrdaalde, om allerlei voorwerpen
te halen. De Watramama was zijn vriendin. Hij ging bij haar eten en
bleef soms dagen onder water.

Zij had hem gewaarschuwd met niemand te spreken over hetgeen hij bij
haar hoorde of zag, maar Skroero-ki voldeed niet aan dat verzoek, en
toen hij weêr op den rivierbodem daalde, kwam hij niet meer aan de
oppervlakte terug.

Visschers, die hun bedrijf uitoefenen, vangen de Watramama wel eens

in hun netten.

Doch ze laten haar dan weêr gaan, daar ze anders gevaar zouden
loopen, om met boot en al in de diepte te verdwijnen!
No. 32. De Boa in de gedaante van een schoonen jongeling.

In zeer ouden tijd leefde een zeer mooi meisje. Haar schoonheid was
even beroemd, als haar trotschheid bekend was.

Van heinde en verre kwamen voorname jongelingen haar ten huwelijk

vragen, maar geen hunner keurde zij waardig genoeg, om haar
echtgenoot te worden.

Hare schatrijke ouders hadden daarover veel verdriet en zij spoorden

haar aanhoudend aan, om toch een dezer jongelingen te kiezen, daar
zij haar gaarne gehuwd wilden zien.

Maar het meisje hield staande, dat zij niet anders zou trouwen dan met
den man, dien zij lief had en dat zij er tot dusverre geen gezien had, die
hare liefde waardig was.

Op zekeren dag nam een reuzenslang, een boa*, een menschelijke

gedaante aan, kleedde zich als een schoone jongeling aan en begaf
zich naar de woning van het meisje.

Nauwelijks hief zij hare oogen op hem of zij werd zoodanig bekoord
door zijn schoonheid, dat zij bijna [338]flauw viel. Zij riep: „Vader, moeder,
hier is de man, dien ik bemin; en met hem wil ik trouwen”.

De ouders waren natuurlijk zeer verheugd, dat hun schoone dochter

eindelijk iemand naar haar zin gevonden had en alles werd zoo spoedig
mogelijk in gereedheid gebracht. Niets was kostbaar genoeg, om het
jonge paar te verschaffen.

De huwelijksfeesten duurden acht dagen lang. Zoo’n pracht was te

voren nooit gezien geweest.

Eindelijk moesten de jonggehuwden naar hunne nieuwe woning

trekken, die zoo prachtig mogelijk ingericht was.