Iroquois Medical Botany

Chapters 1 & 2

Monday March 5, 2012Amanda, Emily, Jewell, Sujane,

Terry

Indigenous view to wholistic medicine

Chapters 2 & 3

Outline

Chapter 2: Folk conceptions of health and medicine How and why folk medicines work

Discussion question

Chapter 3: Conceptions of illness in traditional Iroquois

culture Iroquois notions regarding causes of imbalances in human beings

Offensive behavioural acts or taboo violation

Unfulfilled desires

Things, events, people and places that radiate or exude evil

Witchcraft

Borrowed notions

Internal manifestations of imbalances as they relate to native, etiological categories

Relationships existing between etiological categories and symptoms

Iroquois “disease” categories

What is folk medicine?

An umbrella term used to define traditional medicine.

Treatment of ailments outside clinical medicine by remedies and simple measures based on experience and knowledge handed down from generation to generation.

Includes Indigenous medicine (i.e. Haudenosaunee).

Folk conceptions of health and illness: Understanding logic

Must put aside cultural notions of discrete categories, causes and effects Amoebae, viruses

and bacteria Distinctions

between physical and mental illnesses

✗

Folk conceptions of health and illness

Foundational principle in folk medicine- the notion that every thing and event of the universe has a life force, soul or power. A balanced universe or cosmos is at the base of good health.

Folk conceptions of health and illness

Ill health implies that the inherent balanced life force or power of some thing, event, person or place has become upset.

Balance can be upset in an unlimited number of ways.

Exertion of life force or power upon any person, place, thing or event may either: (1) upset, (2) maintain or (3) restore balance.

A delicate state of balance

Earthquakes

Volcanoes

Tornadoes

Hurricanes

Too much/little rain

Insufficient amount of wild or domesticated plants and/or animals

Loss of an battle

Bad luck at hunting

Disease causations Fegos (1959)

(1) How illnesses are thought to be manifested Object intrusion Spirit/demon intrusion Soul capture or straying

(2) How the experienced imbalance/illness is thought to be brought about*

Sorcery/black magic Sleep and dreams Ritually bad states and moral delinquency

Haudenosaunee medical beliefs: disease causation (1)

How the experienced imbalance/illness is thought to be brought about (previous).

Violation of rules and regulations established by the Creator or other supernaturals to govern mankind’s behaviour in relation to all other things and events in the universe.

Violation of above while spirit is in the spirit world (i.e. while individual is sleeping).

Haudenosaunee medical beliefs: disease causation (2)

Illness is the result of offensive, abusive or improper behavioural interactions.

Illnesses in children, up to a certain age, are introduced by the offensive, improper, or immoral behaviour of adult kinsmen.

Negative power responsible for death resides in or near the corpse for a period of time after death.

Medical treatmentaka restoring spiritual balance

To restore balance, the sick individual or societal member(s) must observe signs of imbalance.

Symptoms are manifestations of the individual’s spirit force becoming imbalanced through such actions as: Abusive, improper, offensive or immoral

behaviour (e.g. alcohol or drugs).

Once symptoms appear, certain variables will determine the action of the sick individual.

Symptom severity Stages of symptom severity Restoring spiritual balance

(treatment)

“Mild”– symptoms are few in number and do not require drastic alterations in everyday routine• Low degree of discomfort in a

relatively short period of time

Self-treatmentNo treatment – where occasional imbalances are seen as normal and expected

“Serious”– number and intensity, and/or duration of symptoms experienced or observed increases

Turn to others for help in restoring spirit to a balanced state• Friend • Relative • Professional or culturally

recognized individual

“Severe” –• Immobilization• Great discomfort (e.g.

degenerative illness, imminent death)

See “serious” treatment above

How and why folk medicines work

Healing through restoring spiritual balance (v. human mastery).

Involves faith in otherworldly powers (v. reason and faith in worldly powers). Faith is critical in reducing

anxiety and stress.

Recovery from a wide variety of aliments is at the base of medicines success (both folk and scientific).

Manifestations of folk illness

Recall: folk conceptions of disease causation in human beings often involve the notion that an individual has somehow upset his/her inherent spiritual balance.

Once culturally instituted, an individual who knowingly violated or offended a particular person, place, thing or event would expect to have his/her balanced spirit force upset in some way.

Symptomatic manifestations would expect to follow. Examples: hypertension, increased heart rate, increased

secretion of gastric juices and anorexia.

Factors contributing to the success of folk medicine (1)

Ceremonial techniques and procedures reduce the degree of symptomatic discomfort or remove symptoms all together. Therapeutic techniques (performed individually or

communally). Heightened by psychoactive drugs, rhythmic

dancing, singing or chanting and the monotony of beating drums or rattles.

Factors contributing to the success of folk medicine (2)

Practical application of various plant and animal drug materials. Work on a symptomatic basis. Counteract/intensify built in biological mechanisms

of defense, resistance, and recovery. Examples: coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, sleep

and sweating.

Factors contributing to the success of folk medicine (3 & 4)

Use of all drug materials is accompanied by the placebo effect. Combines both factors (1) and (2). All medicines enhance the expectations and hopes of

the patient, reduce anxiety and stress, and ultimately enable built in mechanisms of recovery and resistance to function effectively.

Other practical medical techniques. Include the placebo effect. Examples: surgical techniques, sweat baths and the

avoidance of certain foods.

How and why folk medicines work: summary

Treatment reduces anxiety, fear and stress.

Discomfort (or symptoms) may be easily put to rest or removed through individual or communal ceremonies and therapeutic techniques.

Drug materials work to counteract or intensify built in, biological mechanisms of resistance and recovery.

How and why folk medicines work: summary (continued)

Both active and inactive drug materials involve the placebo effect in that they relieve anxiety and stress.

There are the additional benefits of other “practical” therapeutic techniques.

There is a placebo effect accompanying all therapeutic techniques, whether considered practical or not.

Discussion question

What are some of the similarities and/or differences between how (and why) medicines work in folk and western culture?

Haudenosauneenotions regarding causes of imbalances in human beings

Dichotomy separating ‘natural’ and/or ‘empirical’ aspects of Haudenosaunee medicine from the ‘supernatural’ or ‘magical’ Haudenosaunee is a result of Western influence on the Haudenosaunee people.

What Westerners often see as empirical or non-magical causes of human imbalances, such as those we would call accidents or ‘bad luck’, the Iroquois would not separate from the spiritual realm or from power in the universe.

Factors leading to the false understanding that Haudenosaunee medical practice traditionally separated their medical practice into spiritual/magical and empirical/pragmatic ways;

Gradual adoption of European practice and understanding of medicine, accompanied by Iroquois herbalists and medical practitioners desiring European scientific credibility.

Iroquois fear of being ridiculed by outsiders for sharing their traditional and spiritual notions of health and medicine.

Recent practice of avoiding all talk of traditional ways with non-Native Americans.

Cultural belief that medicine or ingredients of medicines should not be shared with non-believers because if one did share, the medicine and its administrators would lose their power.

Iroquois fear of losing social status by giving away secret medical knowledge.

Critical to native physiology is the belief that the blood is the carrier of the life force of an individual. Vitality exists within the blood when in a state of

equilibrium and when the blood is disturbed = a state of disequilibrium.

The traditional Iroquois would consider our ‘symptoms’ to be external manifestations of a disturbed state in the inner vitality carried by an individual’s blood.

How internal validity can be disturbed

1. Violating the ways set out by the Creator for maintenance of a balanced universe ( i.e. violation of a taboo).

2. Denying oneself of either their earthly or spiritual desires.

3. Interacting with anything thought to radiate negativity and evil (e.g. a corpse, menstrual blood, powerful charms.)

4. Offending someone who has the power to manipulate spirit forces.

Riddle 1

I am often hidden in the depths of your soul.

To reveal myself through your dreams is my goal.

I may give you some pain if you don’t fulfill me.

So you may want to seek help if you intend to feel

free.

Who am I?

Unfulfilled desires

Dreams and dream analysis Symptomatic Visitation

Unfulfilled desires can lead to imbalances and mental derangement

Possible treatment

Riddle 2

There are many things that possess a great deal of power.

Some may appear sweet, others more sour.

Some examples include rats, racoons, and spiders that bite.

Pregnant women, menstrual blood, and the colour white.

May seem mysterious, but it’s far from a lie.

Ladies and gentlemen, “Who am I?”

Things, events,

and people

that exude evil

Hunting and

Medicine Charms

Riddle 3

The following paragraph will provide you with a good foundation.

It’s a quote by Synderman who elaborates on his observation:

Listen intently and maybe you’ll see,That a pointed black hat is superficial

debris. “It may be seen that the Seneca

regarded certain types of illnesses as due to the failure of the individual’s power to protect him from _ _ _ _ _ _ _ who place material objects in his

body.”

What am I?

Witchcraft

Witch derived from the verb root -atko- meaning

“to possess evil power”

Symptoms associated with witchcraft “The

Specific Seventeen Symptoms”

Capability of transformation

“Love medicines”

The category of “unfulfilled desires”

Offensive behavioural acts or taboo violations

Rules established by Creator

Rules around menstruation No sexual relations No preparation of food Not to come in contact with

anyone Not to touch medicines1

Offensive behavioural acts or taboo violations

Mistakes in rituals

Cheating or using unfair magical tactics

Neglecting False Face

Improper acts of supplication before hunting

Not participating in medicine society after having been cured by it

Not properly making up or completing a previously performed “hurry up” ceremony1

Some Symptomatic characteristics in conjunction with offensive behavioral act: Shortness of breath

Stricture

Swelling of the body

Suppressed menses

Facial eruptions

Diarrhea

Sterility

Piles, sore mouth

Bad luck in hunting

Vomiting

Fever

Swelling, stiffness of joints

Insanity

Totting of a limb

Bloody urine

Stomachache

Pains in the sides

Intensified soreness of pregnancy1

Offensive behaviour

Witchcraft

Once broken some things can not be set right1

Borrowed Notions

European beliefs have entered into the statements of the causes of disease

This includes the following diseases: Smallpox TB Chickenpox Measles Malaria Yellow fever Scarlet fever Typhoid1

Internal Manifestations of Imbalances

What makes us ill?

The agent or mechanism involved in upsetting our bodies vital force must be examined:

Taboo violation- the spirit of a major or minor deity or the spirit force of the offended things or event may be the agent causing sickness

Spiritual imbalance- from unfulfilled desires when the soul is strained as a result of going against the will of the spirit world

?otkõ? things/events- imbalanced spiritual forces from the presence of physical objects

Internal Manifestations of Imbalances

Witchcraft the spirit of the victim can be affected in 3 ways, the witch may:

Directly upset the spiritual balance of another

Have magically implanted an object or the spirit of an object into a person

Transform him/herself into an object or deemed ?otkõ? and directly invade the victim to cause spiritual imbalance

“The Evil Witch” by Earnest Smith Retrieved from: http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/painting2.htm

Internal Manifestations of Imbalances

Self Inflicted Examples Other-inflicted

Examples

Taboo violation Taboo Violation due to Witchcraft

Unfulfilled desire

Unfulfilled desire

Coming into contact with things/events considered ?otkõ?

Coming into contact with things/events considered ?otkõ?

Witchcraft Witchcraft

Etiological Categories and Symptoms

“As true of Haudenosaunee culture in general, there do not exist precise categories of disease causation for precise categories of symptoms”. (pg. 46)

There is much overlapping of etiological categories and symptoms

The relationships between the categories and symptoms are dependent on the behavioural history of the person experiencing the imbalance

Etiological Categories and Symptoms

Symptom Etiological Category

External, well localized wound Witchcraft?otkõ?

Behavioural or mental illness Witchcraft

Excessive drinking and craziness

Witchcraft

Chronic illness (rheumatism, arthritis, respiratory disorders)

Unfulfilled desires

Psychosomatic or psychogenic illness

Unfulfilled desiresTaboo violation?otkõ?Witchcraft

Lingering mild illness Taboo violationUnfufilled desire

Haudenosaunee disease categories

There are no precise disease names with specific sets of symptoms in traditional Haudenosaunee medicine.

For the traditional Haudenosaunee there are disease phrases, instead of specific disease names.

There are two very general kinds of sickness; 1. General sickness

2. The second/ fatal sickness from which there is no recovery

Further criteria for evaluating the symptoms that an individual is experiencing

1. Their number and severity2. Their duration of existence 3. Whether they are internal or external

symptoms4. Whether symptoms are localized or generalized5. Whether they were experienced by a male or

female6. Whether they were experienced by a child or an

adult 7. The climate or season in which the symptoms

are experienced 8. Location symptoms were on body

The behavioral history of the imbalanced or ill individual was also evaluated.

This past behavior of the patient is important, because an ill individual would be thought to have taken part in one of the 4 known acts that would disturb internal vitality.

The amount of importance placed on the past behavior of the individual is dependent on; 1. The severity of the symptoms.

2. Length of time that the symptoms stay with the individual.

Just as disease diagnoses would change over time, so would the treatment of disease – Eg.

“If the Indian had exhausted his knowledge of herbs and the patient did not improve, it was felt that the disease was beyond the pale of natural maladies and must be due to some supernatural

cause. So a clairvoyant would be sought, who, by careful scrutiny of the patient’s past and interpretation of his dreams,

would determine what spirit was causing the evil and prescribe the appropriate

medical ceremony for the appeasement of the deity.” (pg. 50)

Examples of Haudenosaunee disease phrasing and causation

“If a pregnant woman feels sore inside, legs or elsewhere, it is a sign that the baby is sick in the same place.” (pg. 54)

“If a child is obstinate it may be that it had a difficult childbirth” (pg.52)

“When a person has had a sunstroke, he should not run any chances of exposure at the same date on the next

of succeeding years. There is particular danger at such times” (pg. 53)

The end!

Thank you for your attention.

Final questions or thoughts?

References

(1) Herrick, J.W. (1995). Iroquois Medical Botany. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.