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Medicine
There are many "medicine" traditions concerning death, and numerous interpretations of those traditions. Some say a widow must wait four years to remarry. Some traditional burials leave the deceased's body on an open platform, surrounded by favorite possessions, exposed to the wilderness elements for disposal.
In a 1986 interview published in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Tribal member Betty Mae Jumper described the mourning process: "All the family mourns for four days and on the fourth morning they will use herbs the medicine man makes. They will drink them with tea or wash with them. And his wife will wear black and mourn for four moons - it is part of tradition."
Early missionaries made strong attempts to convert American Indians to Christianity not realizing that the cultural beliefs they demanded be cast off held strong ties to all aspects of Indian culture. While most Seminole Tribal members profess to be Christians - several Churches are located on reservation land - they continue to respect and consult the medicine man and other spiritual leaders.
Medicine men and women still play a vital role in the lives of Seminole
Indians. These special individuals do not replace medical doctors, nor
are their "treatments" designed to take the place of organized medicine.
Usually
elders (or especially gifted young people) who have gained the respect
of Tribal members, employ roots, herbs, animal parts and other ingredients
of nature to treat a variety of physical and mental disorders. Traditional
chants and other customs, unexplained outside the Tribe, can also be
important parts of the medicine man's technique. Many believe that good
luck, bad luck, success, failure, danger, safety, right decisions, wrong
decisions, etc. can be influenced by the application of "medicine." Most
details concerning the Seminole Indian medicine culture, however, are
not discussed outside the Tribe.
The next section discusses the importance of the Land to the Seminole tribe.
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