From the Shores of the Ottawa River

Francis Mitchell

Before my son was born, I saw a Navajo medicine man, Francis Mitchell in New Mexico, to help me conceive. Hubby had had a vasectomy before we got married and he had it reversed 16 years later when we got married. A reversal is less successful the more years since the vasectomy.  It took five years before I conceived our son. The question becomes, did I conceive because of the medicine man or would I have been able to conceive even if I hadn’t seen  him?

I saw the same medicine man when my brother Rossi was in a coma. I don’t know what he gave me, but I put some of the herbs on my brother’s tongue when he opened his mouth to yawn, still in ICU. A couple of weeks later he came out of the coma.  Again, I can’t say for certain if it was the medicine man that helped or not.

I personally believe in Indigenous herbs and plants. Our traditional cultural knowledge is strong, even today. Using Indigenous medicines like rat root, bear root to make tea for flu and colds, or salve from spruce gum, for burns and infection from insect bites is not the same as using “medicine”. I view bad medicine as having an intention to harm another.  Often it is not a supernatural power because it requires the  belief of the person who thinks bad medicine has been placed on them for it to work.

I have less confidence in the notion of “bad medicine” that said, if we believe someone has put “bad medicine” on us – more than likely we will experience some sort of misfortune. Our mind is powerful. We can just as easily neutralize what we believe as bad medicine as nothing more than bad luck.

Recently I had a couple conversations about Indian medicine.  When talking about Indian medicine, the conversation is often about a suspicion that someone is using medicine against another.  

 In Indian country, medicine can be used to win an election, “love medicine” to have someone fall in love with you, it can also be used to cloud the mind, and drive someone crazy. All that can be true if you believe in it.

In conclusion, sure I have had accidents, broke my tibia, pulled my meniscus. And hubby totalled our car, thankfully he only sustained minor injuries.

Indeed, I  have experienced  some bad luck! But I will not allow the notion of bad medicine to make me distrustful of people.

I believe people are inherently good. Imagine if I believed all the people that I have had disagreements with put medicine on me and caused my accidents.  It is not rational. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t want to give anyone that power. My accidents are simply accidents.  If hubby was paying attention, and not drinking his coffee he would have seen the tractor trailer and avoided the accident that wrecked our car.

I have heard stories where bad medicine was attributed to  everything  bad. I don’t doubt it happens. And you may be right, it could be bad medicine.

However, I invite you to consider it is your belief that gives it more significance than it deserved.  In fact, I have also heard that the power of medicine wears off, but you keep it alive by giving power where none exist. In life would you rather take responsibility for something that occurs or blame it on bad medicine? Only you can answer.  Be rational ask yourself why would a person do that to you, and keep asking Why until there is no more to say.