The World We Used to Live In : Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men

Contents 5 Preface by Philip J. Deloria 13 Prologue: Traditional Religion Today 17 Introduction: The Universe of Spirits 23 THE PATHS OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE 24 BRAVE BUFFALO, A TETON SIOUX ELDER-LEARNING KNOWLEDGE FROM DREAMS 26 LONE MAN, A TETON Sioux ELDER 27 SHOOTER 27 THE HIERARCHY OF INQUIRY 30 1. Dreams-The Approach of the Scared 33 EAGLE SHIELD'S DREAM 34 BRAVE BUFFALO'S DREAM ABOUT THE ELKS 35 BLACK ELK'S DREAM/VISION 37 THE DANGERS OF DAYDREAMING 38 GEORGE SCHMIDT'S DAYDREAM 38 SHARED DREAMS 40 THE SACRED INTRUSION 41 GOOSE'S EXPERIENCE 42 BUSH'S BUFFALO SPIRITS 43 HORN CHIPS'S BLESSING 45 THE NATURE OF THE MEDICINE MAN 45 LONE MAN-TETON SIOUX 47 MEN'S VISION QUEST EXPERIENCES 48 SIYA'KA EXPLAINING THE VISION QUEST 50 LAME DEER, A BRULE SIOUX MEDICINE MAN, EXPLAINING THE VISION QUEST 52 LAME DEER'S EXPERIENCE 52 THE JESUIT ACCOUNT OF THE VISION QUEST 53 SIYA'KA'S VISION 55 TWO LEGGINGS'S VISION 57 BLOWS DOWN'S VISION 60 SMOKING STAR'S NAME 61 LE BORGNE'S VISION 62 WOMEN'S VISION QUEST EXPERIENCES 63 CATHERINE WABOSE'S VISION 63 PRETIY SHIELD'S VISION 67 A PAWNEE WOMAN'S DREAM 68 ANOTHER PAWNEE WOMAN'S VISIONS 68 MARY SDIPP-SHIN-MAH'S VISION 69 VISIONS IN TRANSITION 71 JOHN SLOCUM'S VISION 72 MINNIE ENEMY HEART'S VISION 73 2. Powers Conferres on the Medicine Men 75 HEALINGS 75 THUNDER CLOUD RECEIVES HEALING POWERS 76 NAVAJO DIAGNOSTICIANS 77 FINDING THE CURE 79 DR. PERRY Of MASSACHUSETTS 81 SllTING BULL'S SELF-REMEDY 82 WHITE CROWS'S HEALING 83 INSTANT NAUTICAL HEALING 84 REVIVING THE DEAD 84 NORTHEN BARRED OWL'S REMEDY 85 HEALING SEVERE GUNSHOT WOUNDS 87 BLACK ELK'S EXPERIENCE 88 EAGLE SHIELD'S TRIUMPH 88 OMAHA BUFFALO MEDICINE MEN 89 BEYOND HOPE 92 HEALING WITCHCRAFT 92 SOUTHWESTERN HEALING PRACTICES 93 PAWNEE INJURY AND TREATMENT INCIDENTS 94 SUN'S ROAD'S DISCOVERY AND RECOVERY 95 PLENTY CROWS'S, A FAMOUS MEDICINE MAN OF THE CHEYENNE, HEALING 96 THE HORSE DOCTOR 97 LOCATING LOST OBJECTS 99 GOOSE FINDS A RIFLE 99 WHITE SHIELD'S TASKS 100 BEAR NECKLACE'S STONES 102 YOUNG BIRD'S PSYCHIC POWERS 104 JOHN FORNSBY'S GUARDIAN POWER BOARDS 104 DR. JIM'S SONG 107 UNUSUAL PREDICTIONS 107 PREDICTING FOR THE FRENCH SOLDIERS 108 THE TOBACCO PREDICTION 108 PREDICTING THE TRADERS' ARRIVAL 110 THE BLACKFEET PROPHET 113 3. Continuing Communications 115 THE YUWIPI CEREMONY 116 THE YUWIPI SPIRITS 117 RED BIRD'S YUWIPI 118 THE SPIRIT LODGE RITUAL 120 THE JESUIT REPORT 122 ANDREW J. BLACKBIRD'S ACCOUNT 123 HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT'S REPORT 124 PAUL KANE'S EXPERIENCE 125 SAULTEAUX CONJURING 127 CATHERINE WABOSE'S EXPERIENCE 128 JAMES W. SCHULTZ'S REPORT 129 SIR CECIL DENNY'S EXPERIENCE 130 THE MONTAGNAIS PRACTICES 131 J. G. KOHL'S STORY 132 A. IRVING HALLOWELL'S CONFESSIONS 133 MUSKOGEE PRACTICES 134 CHEYENNE SPIRIT LODGE RITUAL 135 THE SPIRIT LODGE CURE 136 A KIOWA SPIRIT LODGE 137 4. Interspecies Relations 139 INTERSPECIES COMMUNICATION-BIRDS 139 LUTHER STANDING BEAR 141 INTERSPECIES COMMUNICATIONS-ANIMALS 143 BLACK ELK'S EXPERIENCE 143 WHITE BULL'S EXPERIENCE 145 WILLIAM ROWLAND'S STORY 146 JIM BRIDGER'S EXPERIENCE 146 THE COYOTE HELPS THE WAR PARTY 148 ANIMAL POWERS 148 LUTHER STANDING BEAR'S EXPERIENCE 148 YELLOW FISH'S TRAGEDY 150 BUFFALO OF THE SUN 151 ANIMALS ADMONISHING HUMANS 153 MANY TAIL FEATHERS'S FATHER'S DREAM 153 THE BEARS WARN THE HUNTER 154 RISING WOLF'S PROTECTIVE WARBONNET 155 5. The Land and the Cosmos 157 SONS-IN-JAH AND DESERT POTATOES 158 MAKING PLANTS GROW 158 THE PAWNEE CORN GROWERS 159 GROWING THE CEDAR BERRY 160 THE PAWNEE BLIND MAN 160 PLENTY FINGERS FEEDS HIS CHILDREN 161 NAVAJO CORN GROWERS 162 NAVAJO SEED GIVING 163 PUEBLO SEED GRASS CEREMONY 164 ZUNI CORN GROWERS 165 CHANGES IN THE WEATHER 167 BRINGING RAIN 169 CHIRICAHUA APACHE CEREMONY 169 THE UNFORTUNATE MEXICAN 169 CHANGING THE NATURE OF A STORM 171 THE TEXAS ALABAMA TRADITION 171 WOODEN LEG'S STORY 172 LAST HORSE'S MIRACLE 173 THE BLACKFEET MEDICINE MEN CONTEST 174 FULFILLING BIG BEAR'S REQUEST 175 ENLISTING THE WEATHER AS AN AID 176 THE SIN'-O-PAH WEATHER CONTROL 176 CHIRICAHUA STORM MEDICINE 177 RUFFLED FEATHERS CALMS THE WATERS 178 RAIN AS AN AFFIRMATION OF A BLESSING 178 THE OLD HUNKPAPA SIOUX CHIEF 179 6. Sacred Stones and Places 181 SACRED STONES 181 THE PICTURE ROCKS 182 BLACK ELK 182 INCIDENT AT CANNON BALL 183 OLD MANDAN'S PICTURE ROCK 184 SWEAT LODGE STONES 185 MEDICINE STONES 186 HORN CHIP'S STONES 187 BUFFALO STONES THAT CALL THE BLACKFEET 188 MEDICINE CROW'S MOTHER'S STONES 188 HEAUNGS WITH STONES-FRANCES DENSMORE'S SUMMARY 190 CALLING THE BUFFALO 191 LISTENING TO THE GROUND'S FOSSIL STONE 191 GOOSE CALLS A BUFFALO 192 CROOKED FOOT FINDS THE BUFFALO 193 POWERFUL PLACES 193 THE COMANCHES DISCOVERED A SACRED SITE 194 THE PIPESTONE QUARRY 195 THE ISLAND SACRED ROCK 196 THE STANDING ROCK SUN DANCE SITE 197 7. Unusual Exploits of Medicine Men 199 EARLY COLONIAL OBSERVATIONS 199 FEAT OF ICE OR WHITE BULL AT BUSBY IN 1867 201 ICE'S ACCOUNT 201 THE AOUTAENHROBI FIRE RITUAL 203 HOLDING THE JAR WITH FEATHERS 205 CALLING UP OF THE WATERS 206 INVULNERABILITY TO ARROWS AND BULLETS 207 BEAR CLAWS'S POWER 207 BRAVE BUFFALO'S FEAT 208 OLD MAN S. 209 BOX ELDER'S EXPLOIT 210 THE POWERS OF CRAZY MULE 210 POWERS OF ANIMATION 211 THE CHOCTAW MEDICINE MAN 212 FEAT OF ELK LEFT BEHIND 212 THE ARICKARA BEAR MEDICINE SOCIETY BUFFALO HUNT 213 EAGLE FEATHERS DANCING 216 THE POWER OF INVISIBILITY 217 THE SHAWNEE'S POWER 218 THE APACHE INVISIBILITY TACTIC 218 HIDING FROM THE FLYING MAN 219 THE INVISIBLE WOMAN 220 LAME MEDICINE MAN CAUSES BLINDNESS 220 PRODUCING THE ANOMALOUS THINGS 221 BUFFALO LUMP'S BULLETS 222 A UNIFIED SMOKE 222 8. The Spiritual Universe 225 SUBSTANCE 227 SPACE 233 NAVAJOS MOVING THE SUN 235 A NAVAJO THUNDERSTORM 236 TIME 238 GERONIMO 'S POWER 238 THE LENGTH OF A LIFETIME 239 BRAVE BUFFALO'S EXPECTATIONS 239 BLACK ELK'S EXPECTATION 239 PLENTY COUPS, CHIEF OF THE CROWS 240 A CHIRICAHUA APACHE PREDICTION 241 TWO LEGGINGS 241 THE BUFFALO AND HILLSIDE 241 THE NIGHTHAWK CEREMONY PREDICTION 242 THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEATH 243 SIYA'KA'S DEATH 244 Endnotes 247 PROLOGUE 247 INTRODUCTION 247 CHAPTER ONE 248 CHAPTER TWO 250 CHAPTER THREE 251 CHAPTER FOUR 253 CHAPTER FIVE 253 CHAPTER SIX 254 CHAPTER SEVEN 255 CHAPTER EIGHT 256 Bibliography 259 In His Final Work, The Native American Scholar Vine Deloria Jr. Takes Us Into The Realm Of The Spiritual And Reveals Through Eyewitness Accounts The Immense Power Of Medicine Men. The World We Used To Live In, A Collection Of Anecdotes From Tribes Across The Country, Explores Everything From Healing Miracles And Sacred Rituals To Navajos Who Could Move The Sun. In This Work, Which Draws Upon A Lifetime Of Scholarship, Deloria Shows Us How Ancient Powers Fit Into Our Modern Understanding Of Science And The Cosmos, And How Future Generations May Draw Strength From The Old Ways.--jacket. The Approach Of The Sacred -- Powers Conferred On The Medicine Men -- Continuing Communications -- Interspecies Relations -- The Land And The Cosmos -- Sacred Stones And Places -- Unusual Exploits Of Medicine Men. Vine Deloria, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 227-237). In his final work, the great and beloved Native American scholar Vine Deloria Jr. takes us into the realm of the spiritual and reveals through eyewitness accounts the immense power of medicine men. The World We Used To Live In , a fascinating collection of anecdotes from tribes across the country, explores everything from healing miracles and scared rituals to Navajos who could move the sun. In this compelling work, which draws upon a lifetime of scholarship, Deloria shows us how ancient powers fit into our modern understanding of science and the cosmos, and how future generations may draw strength from the old ways.