Honoring the Medicine

It was an honor to be invited to the home of the Cherokee medicine man, Keetoowah, great grandson of Ned Christie, the renowned nineteenth century warrior who defended the rights of his people. Keetoowah was dressed in weathered overalls and a turban-like cloth cap with a spotted eagle feather propped up in the folds-- the traditional hat of the Cherokee. He looked far older than his sixty years. I moved aside the piles of old magazines and a box of jewelry clasps and fastene

An early version of this essay appeared in News From Indian Country XII:5, Mid-March 1998 I use the word witchcraft as a synonym for what in Mexico is called brujeria, sorcery, meaning the abuse of spiritual power: attempting to disempower, coerce, harm, or control others or to influence events using means that are unethical or socially disapproved. (Readers should note, however, that in European culture, the term witchcraft may have a positive connotation, referring to ancie

Adapted from Kenneth Cohen's Honoring the Medicine: The Essential Guide to Native American Healing (New York: Ballantine Books, 2003) Healing The Healers Is there a cure for western medical witchcraft? The cure consists of three principles that are easy to name but, unfortunately, because of the inertia of both people and institutions, will be challenging to put into practice. First, self-healing is the foundation for healing others. Doctors need to cultivate inner acceptance