For thousands of years, Native medicine was the only medicine on the North American continent. It is America's original holistic medicine, a powerful means of healing the body, balancing the emotions, and renewing the spirit. Medicine men and women prescribe prayers, dances, songs, herbal mixtures, counseling, and many other remedies that help not only the individual but the family and the community as well. The goal of healing is both wellness and wisdom. Written by a master of alternative healing practices, Honoring the Medicine gathers together an unparalleled abundance of information about every aspect of Native American medicine and a healing philosophy that connects each of us with the whole web of life--people, plants, animals, the earth. Inside you will discover - The power of the Four Winds--the psychological and spiritual qualities that contribute to harmony and health - Native American Values--including wisdom from the Wolf and the inportance of commitment and cooperation - The Vision Quest--searching for the Great Spirit's guidance and life's true purpose - Moontime rituals--traditional practices that may be observed by women during menstruation - Massage techniques, energy therapies, and the need for touch - The benefits of ancient purification ceremonies, such as the Sweat Lodge - Tips on finding and gathering healing plants--the wonders of herbs - The purpose of smudging, fasting, and chanting--and how science confirms their effectiveness Complete with true stories of miraculous healing, this unique book will benefit everyone who is committed to improving his or her quality of life. "If you have the courage to look within and without," Kenneth Cohen tells us, "you may find that you also have an indigenous soul."

8220;This landmark book is a stunning tour de force. Ken Cohen has crafted a comprehensive yet accessible compilation of the theory and practice of Native American medicine. Honoring the Medicine is the rarest of books.”

—JEFF LEVIN, PH.D., M.P.H.
Author of *God, Faith, and Health

“Ken Cohen writes from a place of beauty, truth, and integrity. He inspires us to reconnect with traditional ways for healing the earth and ourselves. [*Honoring the Medicine] is a brilliant work.”
—SANDRA INGERMAN
Author of Soul Retrieval

“Anyone wanting insight into the world of Native American healing will be wise to read this remarkable, penetrating work. This is a valuable addition to the canon of healing.”
—LARRY DOSSEY, M.D.
Author of *Healing Beyond the Body

Autorentext

Kenneth S. Cohen

Zusammenfassung
For thousands of years, Native medicine was the only medicine on the North American continent. It is America’s original holistic medicine, a powerful means of healing the body, balancing the emotions, and renewing the spirit. Medicine men and women prescribe prayers, dances, songs, herbal mixtures, counseling, and many other remedies that help not only the individual but the family and the community as well. The goal of healing is both wellness and wisdom.

Written by a master of alternative healing practices, Honoring the Medicine gathers together an unparalleled abundance of information about every aspect of Native American medicine and a healing philosophy that connects each of us with the whole web of life—people, plants, animals, the earth. Inside you will discover

• The power of the Four Winds—the psychological and spiritual qualities that contribute to harmony and health
• Native American Values—including wisdom from the Wolf and the inportance of commitment and cooperation
• The Vision Quest—searching for the Great Spirit’s guidance and life’s true purpose
• Moontime rituals—traditional practices that may be observed by women during menstruation
• Massage techniques, energy therapies, and the need for touch
• The benefits of ancient purification ceremonies, such as the Sweat Lodge
• Tips on finding and gathering healing plants—the wonders of herbs
• The purpose of smudging, fasting, and chanting—and how science confirms their effectiveness

Complete with true stories of miraculous healing, this unique book will benefit everyone who is committed to improving his or her quality of life. “If you have the courage to look within and without,” Kenneth Cohen tells us, “you may find that you also have an indigenous soul.”

Leseprobe
NATIVE AMERICAN
OR AMERICAN INDIAN
Can You Be Politically Correct?

Although Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” you are less likely to want to see, smell, or buy a rose if a florist offers to show you “a blood-colored outgrowth of a thorny shrub.” Names do make a difference. Minorities and oppressed people are especially sensitive to the terminology used to describe them or their culture. The same words may mean different things to Native
Americans or to white people, or they may be insulting in one language and either meaningless or used inappropriately in another. For example, no Native American woman wants to be referred to as a squaw, an Algonquian-based insult. A Native American physician does not expect to be called “chief.” Some tribes are designated by strange foreign terms like Gros Ventre (“Big Bellies”), Nez Perce (“Pierced Noses”), or Apache (a Zuni Indian word meaning “enemy”). Native cultural and religious terms are sometimes appropriated by Western businesses for their commercial value. Would you feel comfortable riding in a Jeep Jew or drinking Communion Beer?

I have also seen people go to the other extreme: they try so hard to make every word polite and politically correct that they become tongue-tied, like a centipede that is asked, “How do you move all those legs?” I once met a young white man who had learned Indian sign language from a book and planned to use it when he visited an Indian reservation. He believed that this would demonstrate his respect for tradition. I was sorry to disappoint him: “When Indian people don’t speak one another’s languages, they communicate in English. People are likely to think that you are ‘signing’ because you’re deaf.” I don’t wish to scare you from talking with or about people who are unfamiliar. If you speak with a Native American and are unsure about appropriate terminology, simply ask. Your question communicates respect.

**AMERICAN INDIAN OR NATIVE AMERICAN?

**There are problems inherent in any of the terms commonly used by both indigenous and nonindigenous people to designate the original inhabitants of Turtle Island (an ancient indigenous name for North America). In precolonial times, a general term for aboriginal Americans was unnecessary and did not always exist.

Today, as in the past, Native Americans identify themselves by family, community (or band), clan, and nation. A Native American clan is a group of people who recognize kinship because of a special relationship to or descent from a common ancestor or ancestral group. Clans may be named after a deed, characteristic, or totem (Algonquian for “helping spirit”) of the ancestor—for example, the Bad War Deeds
Clan, Long Hair Clan, Bear Clan, Wolf Clan, Caribou Clan, Wind Clan, Salt Clan, or Yucca Fruit Clan. The words nation and tribe are often used interchangeably, though the term nation is generally more appropriate. The word tribe means a social group of numerous families and generations that share a common history, language, and culture. A nation is a tribe that is also a politically distinct entity and has the right to self-determination.

How would an ancient indigenous America…