The medicine bundle is a significant symbol of healing and spirituality for the indigenous tribes of the Great Lakes and Plains.
During his study of Native American culture, George Catlin observed that medicine and spirituality are very closely linked. The medicine person was both a healer and a conduit to the spiritual world. Moreover, every member of the tribe had a responsibility to participate in the healing rituals. In his extensive study, Catlin also presented the first description of the medicine bundle (or bag), a highly significant symbol of the duality found in indigenous medicinal practices. Catlin’s study of the western tribes was among the first and most detailed collections of cultural observations with respect to Native American life. In striking detail, he describes the cultural significance of the medicine bundle as the “key to Indian life and Indian character.”
Found mainly within the Plains and Great Lakes region, medicine bundles have also become a part of the larger native community throughout the continent. Although the structure and composition differs from tribe to tribe, the importance of the object itself remains evident. In the most general terms, a medicine bundle is a small bag made of animal or reptile skin which contains a variety of symbolic objects. Each member of the tribe possessed their own medicine bundle which contained a variety of items that were symbolic to the individual. Among the more common items found in the medicine bundle were special pipes used during healing ceremonies and charms (usually made from stone) that represented various healing spirits. Within the Mandan society, the medicine bundle is the most sacred symbol of indigenous life. Valued over all other symbols, it represents the individual’s spiritual quest and holds an honored place in the social life of the tribe itself.
On an individual level, the medicine bundle may represent a healer’s spirit guide or it can protect a warrior in the midst of battle. The tribe as a unit also possessed a medicine bundle that contained objects which have a specific cultural significance. These objects may represent a link to the mythological foundations of the tribe itself. For instance, the medicine bundle of the Cheyenne contains a hat made from the hide of buffalo and four arrows—two of which represent warfare and two which represent hunting. The medicine bundle of the Sioux Nation contains a pipe used in healing ceremonies. According to Sioux mythology, this pipe is believed to have been given to the tribe by an animal spirit (a buffalo calf). The Mandan have a variety of medicine bundles that represent different creation stories within their cultural mythos. In most cases, the tribal medicine bundle was held by either the chief or shaman. In the case where many medicine bundles were concerned, a variety of important tribal officials would be vested with the responsibility of maintaining these sacred symbols.
Whether held by an individual, the community in general, or by a tribal official, the medicine bundle is an important feature in the life of a tribe. An individual’s medicine bundle was his most sacred possession. During a healing ceremony, everyone in the community brought their specific bundles to add to the mass appeal to the spirit world. The power of the medicine bundle is in the faith behind it. The objects contained within are symbols which inspire the community.
David M Jones and Brian L Molyneaux, Mythology of the American Nations. (London: Hermes House, 2006).
Gilbert Legay, Atlas of Indians. (Hauppage: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc., 1995)
Peter Matthiessen, ed., George Catlin: North American Indians. (New York: Penguin Group, 1989).
Mark St. Pierre and Tilda Long Soldier, Walking in the Sacred Manner: Healers, Dreamers, and Pipe Carriers—Medicine Women of the Plains. (New York: Simon and Schuster,1995).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. New York: 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books
