“We have the opportunity to build a Rainbow bridge into the Golden Age. But to do this, we must do it together with all the colors of the Rainbow, with all the peoples, all the beings of the world. We who are alive on Earth today are the Rainbow Warriors who face the challenge of building this bridge,"
~Brooke Medicine Eagle, Daughter of the Rainbow, Crow and Lakota ~
(510) 761-4448; Email: kmtribe@aol.com
Though many people associate medicine bags with the native tribes of North America, they have actually been used by numerous cultures throughout the world. The use of medicine bags date back at least 5,000 years as evidenced by the ancient remains of a man found high in the Swiss Alps in 1991. Among his possessions was a medicine pouch. Other historians believe the use of these bags date back even further — as far as 10,000 years — based on murals found in an ancient city excavated in Turkey.
A medicine bag is a spiritual container which often takes the shape of a small bag made of leather. It can be filled with just one or several sacred objects
medicine bag or medicine bundle is a container for items believed to protect or give spiritual powers to its owner. Varying in size, it could be small enough to wear around the neck or it could be a large bag with a long strap called a “bandolier.” The size of the bag is determined by how many items need to be carried.
In historic times, medicine men and shamans generally carried a large medicine bundle that could hold numerous items such as seeds, herbs, pine cones, grass, animal teeth or claws, horse hair, rocks, tobacco, beads, arrowheads, bones, or anything else of relatively small size that possessed spiritual value to the bundle’s owner. Warriors also carried bundles that included items that were important to him such as rattles, animal furs, special stones, or anything that meant something to the owner.
In the Native American tradition each bag contains an item from the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, the mineral kingdom and the human world. Examples from the “kingdoms” might include a flower, feather, stone, and a key.
Plant Kingdom
Sage, Sweetgrass, Cedar
Corn, Beans, and Squash Seeds
Flowers, Leaves
Tobacco
Roots
​
Animal Kingdom
Lock of hair, mane or tail
Bone or Tooth
Feather
Claw or Nail
Shell
​
Mineral Kingdom
Stone Fetish
Healing Stone
Gems and Crystals
Flint Stone, Arrowhead
Dirt, Sand
​
Human World
Photo
Key
Charm
Personal Item
Coin
Because the medicine bag is considered a very precious possession which represents a person’s spiritual life, it and its contents are generally considered holy by the tribal community and its contents are meant to be kept secret by the owner. The bundle should never touch the ground which is why the bundles are to be securely wrapped. Prayers and rituals usually accompany the manufacture and opening of medicine bundles.
Medicine bundles can also be maintained for an entire tribe. This bundle would obviously be much larger, and would contain special objects which can only be handled by certain tribe members, and is only opened on special occasions. All bags and bundles can possess powers for protection, good luck, good hunting, or healing. Medicine bundles are sometimes buried with the owner or handed down from one generation to the next.
In traditional Native American medicine, the pouch or bundle is usually made out of leather and stitched with sinew or rawhide lace so that it could be worn or hung. They can also be made using cloth. The bags might be very plain or richly decorated. Of, the latter, they might be painted, beaded, or quilled with tribal designs, medicine wheels, totems, and more. Embellishments might include feathers, beads, metal, fringe, etc.
The medicine bag itself is a sacred item and often worn around the neck, close to the heart. It can also be worn on a belt, put in a pocket, carried in a briefcase or purse, under clothing, on a saddle, in your car, or even put under your pillow at night. By keeping it close you are connecting with your spiritual self and helping yourself in healing.
Some people keep several medicine bags, each carried for different reasons – one for dealing with stress, another for a specific healing purpose, another for happiness. Think about what special needs you might have, what you wish for, or what you want to maintain. For instance, if you are searching for balance in your life, you may want to represent that need within the medical bag, such as something that represents balancing symbols or Amethyst stones which work to promote balance, as well as improving motivation, enhancing memory and having strong healing powers. Another individual who is looking to increase their strength both mentally and physical might add an arrowhead or agate stone to their bag, If you want to be more loving, you could place a small piece of rose quartz in your medicine bag.