medicine bag

    Article

    A small pouch, usually made of deer skin, which contains a few items that have totemic, spiritual, or ceremonial value. These items can consist of small objects such as special rocks, animal parts, or carved amulets, in addition to a small quantity of sacred pollen, which is commonly used in a variety of prayers and rituals. Believed to provide protection and healing, a medicine bag is usually worn next to the skin, either on a string around the neck or under a waist belt.

    The Navajo word for medicine bag is jish, which applies to both the small bag and its contents.

    Photo Credit

     
    "Navajo medicine pouch," (1996_46_11). Farmington Museum, Farmington, New Mexico. All rights reserved. Use with permission only.

    Published Works
    Term Type
    Manuscript Occurrences
    References

     
    Frisbie, Charlotte Johnson
         1978   Burial as a Disposition Mechanism for Navajo Jish or Medicine Bundles. American
             Indian Quarterly 4 (4): 347–65.

    Frisbie, Charlotte J.
         1987   Navajo Medicine Bundles or Jish : Acquisition, Transmission, and Disposition in the
             Past and Present. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

    Frisbie, Charlotte Johnson
         1982   Talking about and Classifying Navajo Jish or Medicine Bundles. Navajo Religion and
             Culture: Selected Views. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press.

    Harrington, Mark Raymond
         1914   Sacred Bundles of the Sac and Fox Indians. Anthropological Publications.
             Philadelphia: University Museum Pennsylvania Museum.

    Kohl, Johann Georg, and Lascelles Wraxall, Sir
         1860   Kitchi-Gami: Wanderings Round Lake Superior. London: Chapman and Hall.

    Newcomb, Franc Johnson, Stanley A. Fishler, and Mary C. Wheelwright
         1956   Study of Navajo Symbolism. Cambridge: The
             Museum.

    Wissler, Clark
         1912   Ceremonial Bundles of the Blackfoot Indians. Anthropological Papers. New York: The Trustees.