‘Medicine’ in our traditional way refers to personal energies and powers that you bring to others and those that you may attract and bring to yourself.A medicine bag is traditionally a small pouch filled with talismans such as tones, herbs, found objects, personal memorabilia, etc. and is intended to bring protection, good luck, and/or for use in healing to/by its owner.Native Americans have carried these bags for centuries, but in recent years, they have also become popular in our modern day culture, becoming rear view mirror adornment, wall hangings, and decorative displays. However, medicine bags are generally worn about the neck or on the belt because in Native American culture, it is believed that the spiritual power is best when worn on the body, but now-a-days people feel the spiritual power surrounds the bag wherever it is.
Each person who acquires a medicine bag should place their won individual power objects in it, being a few or many. Herbs, stones, feathers, fetishes, found objects, personal items, photos, a snip of your hair, a special jewelry piece, or anything that is of significance to you. If the bag is a gift, the original owner or maker should add something of their own to it.
The owner of the medicine bag should remember that, traditionally, it is considered to be sacred. The bag should not be opened by anyone else. The person can take items out of the bag to show and share their significance with people, if so desired. Stones can be taken out and other stones put in, as wanted/needed, due to the individual requirements of the owners, as there are some stones that will change color over time, thereby reducing/losing their power or energy. The other items need to always remain in the bag, because, essentially, each item in the bag is a talisman and is representative of sacred power, and is meant to bring that power and spirituality to the owner of the bag. Allowing others to access the bag and its contents, ‘steals’ the power of the talismans from the owner. Each medicine bag is completely and personally made by me. Each bag is made one by one with careful attention to detail. All beadwork is done for the individual bag that I am making at the time.
