The Wisdom of Indigenous Healers

• Published in: Creative Nursing
• Main Authors: Day (Waubanewquay), Dorene, Silva, Dane Kaohelani, Monroe, Amshatar Ololodi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2014
• Subjects: anishina*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1078-4535.20.1.37; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1891/1078-4535.20.1.37; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1891/1078-4535.20.1.37

The wisdom of indigenous peoples is manifest in ways of knowing, seeing, and thinking that are passed down orally from generation to generation. This article takes the reader on a journey through three distinct ways of knowing, specifically as they relate to healing and health. The authors are a Midewanniquay, or Water Woman, of the Ojibway-Anishinabe people of the upper Midwest in the United States and Canada; a lomilomi healer from Hawaii; and an initiated Priest in the Yoruba tradition of West Africa. The philosophies of all three cultures emphasize the importance of spirituality to health and well-being (or healing process), but each has unique ways in which it nurtures relationship with the Creator, the earth, and humankind through sacred rituals and healing practices.