Dear ones:
When I announced that I was going to nursing school, my grandmother was sooooo excited and began to tell me about the healing work her grandfather did. My family has been off the rez for 2 generations and I was not raised with obvious cultural traditions. I have to admit it, in this last generation my family members have pretty much become "apples." I dismissed my grandmothers stories as unscientific, and silly and eventually she stopped talking about it. What a loss to me now as I am following that tradition.
I was a nurse for 20 years, did a BA in psychology, taught public school for 15 years (another degree) and am now getting a masters in folk healing remedies from around the world. I was also the minority representative on my union board.
I do take instruction from a variety of sources, Indian and not …. but they must work. I once had an interesting conversation with a Cherokee fellow who stated he was the 7th son of a 7th son and member of a great medicine society. I asked my aunt about that and she laughed and said the last time anyone said that to her (an indian man) he just wanted to get in her pants. "Watch out!" was her advice. But I digress….. He was concerned about my use of ceremony…. I told him that I never say, this ceremony comes from the ____people or the ____ people. I don't have the knowledge, skill or permission to perform the ceremonies of other people.
So he asked me, "Where do your ceremonies come from, then?" I responded, "Where did your people get their ceremonies?" "From spirit," he said. "Well that is where I get mine too…" This left him scratching his head for a bit……. I had to laugh at this point. ""What? Does God only talk to the Cherokees?"
In truth I have been observing the ceremonies of several tribes in the area where I grew up, for many years. I have read the works of several famous anthropologists who have observed ceremonies around the world and been able to talk about what they have in common. Most ceremonies have a beginning, middle and an end, right? But the purpose of most of them is to bring us to a place of focus, of leaving the outside world, our worries, cares and being fully present, fully focused on the purpose of the ceremony. The middle is about having a transforming experience. One that heals, honors, celebrates, gives thanks or creates renewal. The end is to thank and honor Spirit and or others, to bless to express hope and to finally send people on their way.
All of this can be done in a cultural or non-cultural way. Sometimes it does not involve Spirit at all. There are plenty of humanist "ceremonies" that attempt to obtain the same results.
Also in the documentary film that the Cahuilla Indians made about themselves, their Chief, Katherine Siva referred to the ceremonial leaders of her tribe as "shamans." You don't have to believe me, see the film.
I have been asked to perform public ceremony and have done so a few times…. I did not charge and I did not mention anything about my ethnic background. (My father is 1/2 Chircauhua and my mother is Iriquois). I did not wear a "costume." But I did say that I was a student of many years of studying healing methods, ceremony and conscious contact from spirit. In other words, these are the tasks that these newer "shamans" must accomplish to be effective.
People ofter ask me about using the term "shaman." Here's my take on it. I could not call myself a nurse, if I didn't have license, the same goes for being a public school teacher. But traditionally one does not become recognized as a medicine woman, holy person or what ever you want to call them until they prove to a great many people that they are competent and trust worthy. THAT becomes the "licensing exam" for a traditional practitioner. Many people in my area, now refer to me as the local "shaman" and I did not start calling myself that, until they did.
As a three time college student, I have to say I have great respect for the anthropologists who have worked hard at understanding culture and artifacts. This is not to say that they always got it right or that there were not some who were exploitative. But a bad apple or two does not spoil them all…..
I have thought about charging for ceremonies…. but not as a representative from a specific tribe. I would never do that. But rather as a person who is highly connected to spirit that can help heal someone through the use of ceremony. Often times during a ceremony a person gets in touch with parts of himself that remain hidden in our everyday, busy life. And, hey, shamans have bill to pay, ya know???
Also, i offered a one semester course at a local college last year on the basics of shamanism and a retired chief from an Alaskan tribe was one of my students. He was very pleased with the class.
So on the topic of shamanism, which i have been studying for 10+ years, I can say this….. shamanism is not just about indians, and according to Katherine Siva some Indians were shamans in her opinion, and of course many are not, or have different titles or do different work, or do the same work with different methods, and so on.
The word shaman according to most anthropologists comes from Siberia and means "to see in the dark." It refers to "holy people." If there is anything, I am totally certain of it is this, no single Indian person speaks for us all. We are as unique and eclectic as the day is long and it very narrow minded to begin any statement with "All Indians do, never did, etc…." That is, unless one of us on here is a total expert on the history and evolution of ALL tribes.
I have spoken to young Apaches about things that were done in my grandmother's time and I get some curious looks. Not all of the old ways are still practiced. I must say one thing about some of these new age practitioners, in their defense, ceremony is the physical expression of an attempt to contact the divine, to create a meaningful spirituality that goes beyond religion and I as a person, a woman and an Indian have no issue with that.
If they are ignorant, about certain facts of Indian culture, I simply, gently correct them and show them a more politically correct way. I have no need to list their names here and shame them. On the other hand there are a few who are terrible, but not too many. Most are just ignorant. And c'mon guys there are plenty of ignorant indians too. We are not superior to anyone else.
Liz
