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theory of medicine springs from the belief that medicine man in
particular controls the harmful forces of disease, and can dispell
them if only the diagnosis of the disorder can be ascertained. Some
of the herbs used to effect a cure are sweet bay leaves, toolee,
willow, palanathee, cedar leaf and sassafras.
Recent innovations, due to the closer contact with whites,
have changed the Seminole idea of medicine and curing. The medicine
man now imitates the white doctors, and I have definitely known of
an instance where the prepared drugs have been ordered from a
wholesale drug company. These additions consist of herbs, barks
and roots which white pharmacists had on their shelves at the turn
of the century. Epsom salts have become quite a favorite, and a
store of bottles can be seen on the platform of a medicine man's
chickee, or dwelling. A greenish concoction for the relief of
lumbago, dispensed by a Dr. Finder of Everglades, also has had
a wide following in the Indian world. Rubbing alcohol also was
a favorite external--but mostly internal--medicine at one time.
And the unwary white person still hears with monotonous regularity
the Seminole plaint, "you got'em lubbing alcohol?", or, "You got'em
epsom salt?".
Magical practices still have a following among the Seminole.
There is a ceremony which they believe will produce rain by putting
a pot in the ground and filling it with water, and blowing the breath
upon the water. Then the rain is called through chants--one must
not eat all day long until the rain comes. To make the rain
stop, it is merely necessary to light a tobacco pipe and blow smoke
against the rain for ten or twenty minutes. The rain procuring
ceremony is not confined to medicine men, but can be produced by
anyone, even women. Tobacco is frequently used for magical purposes
among the American Indians. The Seminoles are no exception to this
general rule.
Tobacco is employed to ward off evil influences. For instance
some Indians once came to the camp of our medicine man friend from
Miami, and told him that the fever raged in that city. He decided
to make medicine in his camp. To accomplish this, he took two
tablespoons full of dried tobacco, which he kept wrapped up in a
rag. He proudly got this rag and tobacco out and showed it to me.
He said that this medicine was used on the occasion just mentioned;
when he made this sort of medicine, he did not sleep all night. He
sang a song, and then blew on the tobacco. Then he wrapped up the
tobacco for a while and held it. This process was repeated four
times during the course of the night. At daybreak, some tobacco was
placed in a pipe and smoked. The he declared that fever had never