DISCUSSION_4.docx

Wk4 ? DISCUSSION, April 21, 2011 If you have to put a quote, citation is necessary! (even lecture) > Don?t need to add a bibliography unless using outside materials Email any questions by Saturday at latest What is basis belief of Sanapia?s medicine? Empowerment aspect Incorporates Christianity, Peyote, and vision quests Picks and chooses her own ideas that form tenants/base to her approach Changes tabus > pretty flexible religious tradition (usually when you think about tradition its strict and foundational that isn?t just changed to suit your needs) Knows she might be the ?last medicine woman? and can do things the way she wants Knows it may need to change and adapt to survive tradition, however she may still be last of her kind Understands some people don?t take her seriously Influences with white contact What is ghost sickness? Fear of going out at night (when ghosts come out), get twisted face when they come in contact with your body Spirits of evil dead people Ghost sickness can only be cured by traditional Comanche medicine What is twisted face? Sometimes called ?stroke? by white men Only real Indians can get ghost sickness, >acculturation Can only catch it in the nighttime ? have to be alone, and scared Only thing to ward off ghosts is courage Curable by traditional medicine only Self-infliction pretty easily ?twisted face? > looking over your shoulder, v turning with your whole body to ward off Organic basis of ghost sickness Mix between belspalsy and hyperventilation Treatment Fumes of charcoal to calm Massage/suck on face Very similar techniques to sooth the situation and address the pain; applies same physical treatment to something that has and extremely different belief basis Same belief, different behaviors Same behavior, different beliefs ** > applies here Psychogenic basis of ghost sickness First must admit to family and then set meeting with Sanapia ?tell me your problems? Can talk about anything at that point, not just main sickness Entire illness experience expressed in long narrative Smoke a cigarette together and then treatment begins Opposite of mind body division Cures mind and body without separating them Note: can only address effects of ghost sickness > different from witchcraft (all about prevention, smoothing out relations, and preventing witchcraft) Traditional prevalence of ghost beliefs among Camanche Functionalist explanation Non-Indians can?t get ghost sickness Illness and cultural identity connected Ghosts are an outlet to direct aggression and stress People have no concept of warfare > so can?t channel aggression here Need to discharge energy somewhere, a way to displace aggression so it doesn?t tear at the social fabric too much Resurgence of ghost sickness complex Ghost sickness and acculturation From an isolated environment with people you know, to an open environment with cultures you don?t understand > can induce traumatic experience Racism > racial discrimination Occurs more with males ? idea of masculinity and being a provider, but this role has been taken away in mixing of society > demasculized in their own society, and also inferior in white culture as well > DOUBLE WHAMMY Women and ghost sickness Women are more effectively controlled by the primary group, while Comanche men are expected to ?act like men? in the face of economic difficulties and a white society which does not recognize them as men Labeled more as a ?men sickness? Witchcraft and ghost sickness Witchcraft predominately effects young children and infants Part of curing process is psychotherapy > children can?t do this Hinders her ability to cure witch sickness Able to help ease anxiety of parents and therefore decrease anxiety of child Cannot alleviate certain factors perhaps of an environmental nature Overall point of Sanapia?s involvement Ultimate point of getting better is to reintegrate into society > Sanapia aids in this As acculturation increases, ghost sickness increases > the more they try to become white, the more Indian they become (ironic?) Unsuccessful attempt Personal/naturalistic framework Hallowell Natural occurring illness? Personal framework? External/internal? ASSIGNMENT DUE MONDAY!!!