native american medicine

does anyone still use ancient native american medicine for healing?
or even the native american medicine wheel?

[size=-1]East, red – Newness, beginnings, new awareness, dawn[/size]

[size=-1]South, yellow – Healing, growing, vigor, youth[/size]

[size=-1]West, black – Inner vision, reflection, soul-searching, endings[/size]

[size=-1]North, white – Wisdom of ancestors, Higher Power, guidance[/size]

i mentioned it to someone the other day and they thought i was crazy.

 

the woman who gave my name very successfuly uses the seneca medicine wheel as a 12 step program in the treatment of all addictions
the time i spent there with her learning thre ways of the medicine wheel will always stick with me but was not nearly enough time to say that i "use" any of the teachings
i'm al;ways interested in learning more

(side note, hipforums would greatly benifit from an indiginouse coultures forum)

 

My maternal grandmother was Cherokee...not the "new age Running Wolf" wannabe crap, but a real Cherokee (tsalegi). She was born in the Nations before Oklahoma was a state and lived there much of her life. Her and her brothers (my great uncles) practiced a lot of "herbal" medicine and plant lore and that stuff. Itls odd but she always had a patch of "moon flowers" growing around her place that i didn't find out until much later was a patch of Datura Inoxia. she also grew bread seed poppies and accasionally had poppy tea...but that wasn't a native amrican cure. By the way Soaring eagle...i dig the hell out of the dreds.

 

I am 1/4 cherokee. I was once more active in my tribe than what I am now. I have mainly celtic polytheistic beliefs, however I have a lot of cherokee beliefs as well.

 

Yes, they do. I don't know if it still exists but a medicine man setup a medicine wheel in the Ouachita National Forest behind Crystal Karen's place in Mt Ida, Ark. It was robbed of its sacred stones. Some came back home because they told their new keepers that they were stolen and where they belonged. Many years ago I was led to do a reactivation ceremony. I fasted and prayed for guidance and was led through the ritual in a semi-trance state. I am part Cherokee myself. Anyways, afterwards the circle glowed with energy and though all the stones were not there in physical form they were there in the spirit and it was a very holy place. I would love to learn more of my roots. But I was raised by my mother and her husband. I only met my real father twice and know only of him through others stories and from a cousin I met in Florida once. I am from Guymon, OK and I am led to understand my father was a medicine man. He also said so when I met him as a small child. I met the medicine man who set up the wheel in Ark. once at Karen's. So, I assume if he is still in this realm of existence he is still using that one or another one.

Peace, Cricket

 

Yep, they most definitely do. I had the honour of attending a ceremony (not sure if it was authentically antique Native American, but that's not so important) given by two very special friends of mine, Keith Shadow Hawk and Jane Crying Raven Wolf. It was a healing ceremony using the Medicine Wheel (sadly indoors cause it was VERY cold outside).
And hey, if you're using herbal medicine, chances are extremely good you're using native american knowledge which the whites pilfered.
bamboo, datura inoxia is a VERY powerful plant, I've used it myself on occasion. Not to be trifled with, I spend about a week in the spirit realm, and that was on a fairly small dose. Makes me scared to see kids using it as a recreational drug; just because it's legal doesn't make it any less powerful.
EDIT: Keith has a site, he records the Native American Flute which I think is a beautiful instrument, just thought I'd give it a shameless plug
http://www.shflutes.co.uk/index.htm

 

My Maternal grandmother was also Cherokee...Aniyunwiya. However, she was born in 1936 and her father had taken a Scottish surname...which made it extremely hard to try and trace any genealogy...but it was possible

 

my beloved grandpa. we cherokees are a beautiful and prolific lot.