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Healing Ways

Introduction


Color painting of a medicine man blessing an individual as others sit around them in a circle praying.
Blessing from the Medicine Man, Howard Terpning®, 2011
© Howard Terpning Courtesy of The Greenwich Workshop, Inc.

In this exhibition you will hear the voices of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians as they tell their stories and express their ideas about health and illness. Their beliefs and practices vary—Native peoples are far from a single, homogeneous group—but they also share certain values and historical experiences.

You will hear Native Voices speak of the responsibilities of individuals and the interconnectedness of communities, of reverence for Nature, tradition, and the Great Spirit. You will also hear about the challenges and opportunities of balancing traditional healing practices with Western medicine.

Native American concepts of health and wellness have sustained diverse peoples since ancient times. Explore this exhibition and learn how revival and pride in Native ideas among a new generation can help sustain them in the 21st century.