Native American culture Essay

infixed Ameri tricks were influenced by the environ handst, plants, and animals in the areas in which they settled. some(prenominal) practices were influenced everyplace time by migration and contact with other tribes along guile r turn upes. M any tribes aimd herbs and seeds gathitherd from their immediate environment and from hunting excursions for ameliorate rituals or ceremonies.Many domestic medicine practices were lost or dictated underground be coiffe they were banned or illegal in parts of the coupled States until 1987 when the Ameri after part Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed. In 1987 there were severeies with ceremonies and rituals on sacred sites, as ritual activities are sometimes command because the land now serves other purposes. Today, autochthonous American and American Indian community-based medical systems motionlessness practices some aborigine American ameliorate rituals, while others secretly practice in their homes and refuse to use effe cted medicine.Those who grew up within the primal American culture still apply what they conditi one and only(a)d or grew up with, which is heal spiritu each(prenominal)y along with their illnesses. They do non believe in modern medicine and question any of the practices that are available now. endemic Americans tap into the knowledge gained from their ancestors and favor to sweat it out instead of giving in to conventional medicine. Beliefs and Practices.With this in mind, the subjective American culture carries the understanding that the harmonious balance between oneself, man and psycheality is sophisticated and should not only exist, but it needs to be respected. Rituals and practices withdraw participants into accordance with themselves, their tribe and all of spiritedness. There is a belief that violating tribal laws carries consequences to include mental and physical illness, ongoing bad luck, disability or trauma. Any violations must be made right in graze for ha rmony and good health to be restored.Among aborigine Americans, the idea remains that the sickness and illness that one experiences is related to a eldritch cause, and in turn creates a disparity between mind, consistency and spirit. Native Americans hold up their bodies as an expression of the spirit and just as each person has to keep harmony with oneself, each person is responsible for his or her own health and also recognizing that all thoughts and action (negative or positive) carries consequences creating either harmony or disharmony. Any disharmony or disparity may cause illnesses.Native Americans believe that they are related to and intertwined with all forms of biography so they can call on or evoke spirits, which strengthens their inner being and can be called upon to render assistance further emphasizing why harmony and oneness in the Native American culture is a necessity. The Native American philosophy recognizes that there are various aspects of inbred world that cannot be seen by the naked eye or with any form of technology, but can only be experienced spiritually.Furthermore, Native American improve also includes a variety of practices such as religion, spirituality, herb tea medicine and rituals to do people with medical and emotional conditions including the use of sweat baths, usually in a sweat lodge to purify, mitigate and allow participants to emerge reborn. The lodge is a darkened enclosure alter with stones from a fire and represents the warm moist heat of the womb, allowing them to be re-create into the Light of the world. They also wear medicine bags, which are disturbted or beaded with designs and patterns for the wearer this is done to entice the spirit of the animal figure of symbol. virtually medicine bags usually contain common object such as stones, ash from a ceremony fire, roots and barks, herbs, feathers, dirt from a formal ground, or wood from a tree struck by lightning. Native Americans primarily apply he rbs to correct and to fix the mind, body and spirit for example, sharp-witted is believed to protect against bad spirits, heal the stomach, nasal passages, colon and kidneys cedar is used for coughs and forehead colds and sacred or pure tobacco which allows their breath, the source of life to become visible rising up to the Great Spirit carrying prayers.Native American healing practices differ greatly, as there are over five hundred and the type of ritual is based on their Native American Nations, which are called tribes. There are many tribal differences and the intimately sacred traditions are still kept secret, passed from one healer to the next. The virtually common healing ritual involves herbal remedies which can include teas, tinctures, and salves. For example, one remedy for pain can be treated with bark from a willow tree which contains acetylsalicylic acid also know as aspirin.Native American medicine addresses imbalance on every level of life, from the nearly persona l inner life to the most overt behavior. Some illnesses are believed to be caused by angry spirits a healer would coif a ritual to cleanse this person and them. Disease is not be by physical pathology, but viewed from an expanded context that includes body, mind, spirit, emotions, social group, and lifestyle. intimately Native Americans believe that illnesses come from spiritual problems and that their healing practices can resume almost anything. Some healers are believed to have cured heart disease, diabetes, thyroidal problems, asthma, and cancer.Scientifically, there is no evidence that supports that Native American healers or herbalists can cure cancer or any diseases and there have been no scientific studies that have supported those claims. On the other hand, individual reports conjure up that it can reduce pain and stress and improve quality of life and Native and non-Native Americans alikesuggest that these methods really do work for a range of physical and emotional ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, thyroid conditions, cancer, skin rashes, asthma, alcoholism, and depression.Native Americans use a wide variety of treatments such as herbal remedies, purifying rituals, shamanism, and symbolic healing rituals to treat illnesses of both the body and spirit. Native Americans rely heavily on herbal remedies which are used to treat physical conditions, whereas purifying rituals are used to cleanse and prepare the body for healing. Shamanism refers to the belief and practice of communication with the spiritual world. Shamans are intermediaries between the human and spiritual world and treat sickness and diseases by healing the spirit.Symbolic healing rituals use ceremonies involves the community and sometimes included chanting, singing, house painting bodies, dancing, exorcisms, sand paintings, and limited use of mind-altering substances can be corporal into the ritual to persuade the spirits to heal the sick person. These rituals can lowe st hours or even weeks and are a way of asking for suspensor from the spiritual dimension and the healing treatments are usually a indisposed process, spread over days or weeks.The person who is ill is with the healer most of the time to set up sure that the healer can touch with the spirit of the one who is ill. Prayer is also an necessity part of all Native American healing technique. Most Native Americans see their healers for spiritual reasons, such as to seek guidance, truth, balance, reassurance, and spiritual well-being and call conventional medicine a cure to the white mans illness. They prefer to use spiritual healers and native remedies in place of conventional medicine. remainderFinally, Native American health beliefs and practices as diligents and as medical professionals can have an adverse effect. Healers and family members perform or participate in ceremonies to unloosen patients of bad spirits, or offer song and prayer in gentleness a room where someone has died, but modern medicine, also known as the cure to the white mans illness still has to intervene. This intervention is frequently a must as herbs and potions used by herbalists, medicine men and women may have not been thoroughly time-tested to find out how they interact with medicines, foods, or dietary supplements.When a Native American physician goes to see a patient, due to strong heathenish doctrines and beliefs, eye contact is avoided and speaks in third person when delivering a difficult diagnosis. If the patient does not inquire round the chances of survival, nothing is said about it. Strongly held Navajo cultural tenets do not allow directly linking a person to an illness and its consequences. To do so could be interpreted as wishing harm. Cultural deference only goes so far ultimately, the patient has the right to know everything and all options for treatment in order to make an informed decision.Nowadays, Native American patients may seek medicine men for encourage ment and to restore their spirituality, yet they also must put organized religion in modern doctors. Bridging the cultural chasm between physicians and traditional healers is seen as essential for improving care to the Native American population. Although Native American healing has not been shown to cure disease, anecdotal reports suggest that it can reduce pain and stress, and improve quality of life.Also, due to the limitations in the studies that were conducted, it is impossible to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of Native American healing, consequently requiring more clinical studies to realize the benefits of the specific healing methods. Regardless, the communal support provided by this type of healing could have beneficial effects. Prayers, introspection, herbal remedies native ceremonies, rituals and meditation can be calming, reduces stress and can create a lifetime of comfort, benefit and quiet of mind for those who live and believe in it.