The 'medicine-man', or, Indian and Eskimo notions of medicine : a paper read before the Bathurst and Rideau Medical Association, Ottawa, 20th January, 1886 / by Robert Bell.

  • Bell, Robert, 1841-1917.
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The 'medicine-man', or, Indian and Eskimo notions of medicine : a paper read before the Bathurst and Rideau Medical Association, Ottawa, 20th January, 1886 / by Robert Bell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    8 expense of the band they were amongst. They had great influ- ence with the people, principally from preying upon the super- stitious fears which had become inculcated by their own class from generation to generation for this express purpose. For the medicine-men form a secret society, with exclusive privi- leges, and they exercise a terrible influence in degrading their people. The seeming respect which is accorded to them is begotten of cowardly fear which has formed part of the educa- tion of the rank and file. They pretend to dispense good and bad luck, to control the weather, to be able to influence the movements of game and fish so as to bring plenty or starvation to the tribe, to predict events, to tell the fortunes of individuals, to bring about the sickness or death of men or dogs at a dis- tance, and generally to have the confidence and cooperation of both good and bad spirits, with whom they communicate freely on certain set occasions. The common people employ them in favor of themselves or their friends, or against their enemies, just as we do lawyers— for a consideration. It is here that the secret society business comes to their aid. Among the Outchipwai Indians there are many hypocrites who have not the manliness to fight their ene- mies fairly, or to openly resent an injury, or even to tell an adversary their opinion of him to his face. Such individuals will smile and profess great friendship, while harboring the bit- terest enmity and even murderous designs. An Indian may be living at a considerable distance from the person he wishes to injure, and in order to gratify his revenge he will hire his medicine-man to carry out his purpose. But the latter will never appear on the scene. He will find means to operate secretly through another medicine-man who may not even be suspected. As threats are thus often actually followed by the dire results predicted, persons who may chance to fall sick, or to meet with any accident, become accustomed to attribute their misfortune to the machinations of an enemy or to the ill- will of some medicine-man ; and in order to counteract it, they must employ another medicine-man to remove the cause. Thus the established belief in the powers of the medicine-man brings