J. T. Garrett - Medicine of the Cherokee

Lovingly dedicated to those who have walked before us, and those yet to come. Together, we are all dancing the Sacred Dance.

Preface & Acknowledgments

Medicine is a way of life, an object or ceremony having power or control over influences that may affect a person, and a path toward restoring health.

FROM THE TEXT

A small boy searches for a way to explain life with all its complexities. His Cherokee grandfather smiles and explains life in all its simplicities.

Many years later, another small boy talks about the simple things of life, while his father describes how complex life is today. Inside, the father feels the not-so-distant words of his grandfather speaking softly:

You are not just alive, you are part of all life itself. You are kin to all things, and everything has life... and memory.

Things have a way of coming full circleas a way of completing the Circle, and creating opportunities for life, love, growth, feeling, and learning. The wisdom of the past becomes the bridge to the future, like the rising and setting of the Sun in a continuous motion of ageless beauty. Healing becomes the understanding of a calm spirit, connecting the memory of our ancestors and all living things, experiencing a sense of oneness in the energy-flow of choice and presence through unity of mind, body, spirit, and natural environment.

This is the wisdom of the Cherokee, and of many tribes or cultures of people all over the world. It is more than knowledge. It is more than understanding that comes from reading a book. It is an experience that flows from one day to the next for a spirit among all living beings, from one generation to the next.

This book represents many of the old stories and teachings, which have been offered for the purpose of guiding us in our life-journey to becoming better helpers for the protection of Mother Earth and all our relatives. We feel very proud to be able to bring some of this wisdom to those interested and willing to seek out and honor their own vision as we all walk our individual paths. We may come from many different tribes, but we are all of one family.

A very special thanks goes to many Cherokee Elders who have been willing to share for the benefit of others. All of our Elders are very special and are to be honored as beloved people for living and sharing their experiences. A heartfelt thanks goes to family and friends who have supported, nurtured, protected, and, in some cases, tolerated us along the way.

We thank Barbara and Gerry Clow, our editors at Bear & Company, for their openness and persistence throughout the process of getting this book to publication. We especially thank Debi Duke for the illustrations that moved our spirits by capturing our thoughts and the theme of harmony and balance. We thank the many friends and others who encouraged us to follow our vision for this book.

We thank a very special wife and mother, Phyllis, lovingly referred to as Mama Bear, for her loving patience, humor, strength, and sense of compassion. We thank a very special mother and grandmother, Ruth Rogers Garrett, and her sister, Shirley Arch, for sharing their stories and their understanding of Nature. Mama Garrett dedicated her life to family and friends, as an example of being a Cherokee woman and helper to everyone she ever met.

We thank a very special daughter and sister, Melissa, for showing us that all of us have our own Medicine, as well as our own lessons, challenges, and means of healing.

Last, but not least, thanks goes to you, the reader, for continuing, renewing, or beginning this new journey for the sake of yourself and all those with whom you are connected. May you walk the path of Good Medicine in harmony and balance. Together, we come full circle in the Medicine of the Cherokee, living the way of right relationship. Wah Doh.

PART ONE

THE INDIAN MEDICINE STORY:

A Cherokee Perspective

by

J. T. Garrett

CHAPTER ONE

Keepers of the Secrets

M y grandfather and I were sitting on a large rock on the edge of the Oconaluftee River on a warm spring day. I was looking into a small pool of water that was caught in an etched indentation of a rock. There were small minnows moving around. My grandfather said, What do you see? I was very young and he seemed tall, even sitting down. I see the little fish swimming around, but they have no place to go. Are you afraid for them or yourself? My grandfather would often ask two questions at once. The sun is hot, and I am afraid they will get too hot in the shallow water, besides, what if they dont get back to their parents in the river? I often didnt answer the questions asked, but used it as a chance to say what else I was thinking about. Well, maybe they are alright in this special little pool of water. They might get out into the large river and a larger fish come by and eat them for dinner. Wow, I hadnt thought of that. What will they eat to stay alive and what if they stay there and grow too big for the little pool of water? I guess I must have learned to ask two questions as well from my grandfather.

Grandson, he said, you do not need to worry because Nature will take care of them. Whatever happens is all part of a greater plan of life. It is the Great Ones plan. There are things you cannot see with your eyes that the minnows feed upon and there are larger fish that will feed upon them. The little fish as you call them must learn to hide in the plants until they are strong enough to move quicker than the bigger fish. They will grow smart and outsmart the bigger fish whose belly is too full from its own greed. Life is like that. Grandfather told me much more that afternoon, but somehow, I can only remember about the little fish. That was the lesson of the little fish. There were not many more stories to be told by my grandfather to share with me, because he did not live long after that. I do cherish those special moments. Little did I realize that he was one of the keepers of the secrets. He understood about life and the story of Indian Medicine. Knowing that he would not be able to share with me for much longer, he made sure that I would learn the Medicine Way from other Medicine Men and Women (whom Ill refer to as Medicine Elders from now on).

This story of Indian Medicine begins with the many stories that were shared by many elder Native American teachers. There is a simple innocence about the complex nature of Nature. As a Nachez Medicine Elder once said to me, It (Nature) is as it always was, but we as humans try to change it to make it ours. In fact, we are the younger, cause Nature was here before us. So we must honor Nature, and in doing so, we honor our ancestors who realized the critical balance we have with all things. This chapter is about my experience and training in Indian Medicine with the keepers of the secrets. I feel very proud to be the one chosen to tell this story.

Reference is made in this book to Elders, who are Grandfathers and Grandmothers. This is an honorable title given to those who are respected in my tribe and in other American Indian and Alaska Native tribes (that I will refer to in the rest of the book as simply Native American tribes or Native Americans). It is an honor earned with time, experience, and in helping others. The term Medicine as used with Medicine Elder is a reference to a Medicine Man or Woman. I am a member of the Cherokee Indians from the mountains of western North Carolina. At the age of 52, I was told by the Medicine Elders it was alright for me to tell this story. It was my vision as a student of Indian Medicine to share so that anyone interested would better appreciate Indian Medicine as more than an archaic herbal way. The natural way and healing by self-choices promoted by Indian Medicine are included in almost every alternative therapy today. With a blend of stories and teachings, I want to share what I was taught about the beginning of Indian Medicine.