Medicine Bags and pouches have been artistically made throughout centuries by Native American Indians and Shamen and are used to hold sacred items which are carried close to the heart. Usually they are made of soft animal skin such as elk or deer and adorned with beautiful colorful beading. Most are small in size and sometimes painted with characteristic tribal designs. Some look more rustic. Their contents could be healing herbs such as sweet grass, cedar, sage and lavender or tobacco and even a stone fetish used for protection or healing. The choice is up to the wearer about what is placed inside that is spiritually significant to them. Some have been said to include leaves, feathers, and stones, while others add more personal items that reflect something about the wearer’s personality. While traveling by foot or horseback, the Indigenous Indian people found that carrying certain protected items in a leather pouch or bag was a better choice than using a pot or basket.
The medicine bag has been known in all cultures and through out all of history and is super popular throughout the southwest today. A medicine bag is a personal item for you and should never be opened by anyone else. It contains your specially chosen items; those that help you heal, make you feel protected, and those items that connect you with the earth. As you go throughout your days, you may at times find something that “feels right” to add to the contents of your precious medicine bag. Listen to your heart. If you wear it and add to it throughout the years, your medicine bag will become a reflection of your life.
