MEDICINE BAGS OR POUCHES

Medicine bags or pouches are usually worn to bring good luck, or "good medicine", according to Native American beliefs. Inside the bag the owner will have some personal stone or crystal which was found in an unusual way, and it may have some special herbs or tobacco. The design painted or beaded on the bag usually has some special meaning for the owner of the bag, like for instance, a butterfly could mean transformation, that could be a search for a transformation needed to a better situation. Or maybe a bear, which means strength and power. It all depends on the owner's needs and what kind of animal or any other element of Nature he/she feels inclined to. It may also be given to the owner by a medicine person, someone that deals with the spiritual and medicinal ways.

paints and beadwork by Clau Crow