Healing People
An interesting aspect of the Great Lakes Bantu speaking people is their healing power and abilities. Great Lakes Bantu speakers have built theories on power and health in their region. The challenges faced when settling new lands, and having to rely on new sources of food and technologies drove the development of healing practices among the Great Lakes. The people of the Great Lakes knew that health and prosperity went hand in hand. The Bantu speaking people of the Great Lakes honor the gift of being able to heal very seriously and they honor those with healing abilities as well. The healers that existed during this time not only healed someone physically but it was up to them to maintain or restore the social balance of the region or homestead.
There are a few different types of doctors or healers in the Great Lakes region. There are ‘diviner-doctors’, these doctors possess a variety of powers, among these powers they have the power of healing. There are also different sorts of healers with specific areas that they heal, whether it is the body or the environment. Some healers had the ability to bring forth rain to help with the crops and the other agriculture. The healers in this region were not only responsible for the healing of people, but they could heal the environment and the resources they used. If there was a dry spell and certain crops were not going to survive, the healer with that specific power and ability could bring rain to the land and keep the crop growing. This went along with maintaining the social balance of the region. If one homestead of the region was short or crops or resources they would not be able to contribute to other homesteads in the Great Lakes. The healing of crops was also extended to the healing of the rivers if there was a shortage of fish, as well as healing the forests if there was not an abundance of animals that could be used for food and shelter. The people of the Great Lakes lived in different areas that each provided different resources. They would share these resources with other homesteads. The people relied on healers to maintain the balance for their resources to be able to share with others, as well as to survive themselves.
Another type of healer would have been a doctor and a midwife. These two types of healers could not be thought of in any way inferior to the divine doctor. They had other abilities that made them just as important to the people living in the Great Lakes. They were experts at everything from setting bones to successfully delivering babies. Fertility was deemed important to the Great Lake people, especially of women, so midwives were exceptionally important. They used their power of speech as well as medicines or medical tools for their healing. Their power revolved around the central theme of speech. The use of speech could be expressed in the ancient meaning of “to promise.” Healers and doctors using their speech effectively showed the people that they promise to help them. The use of their speech also made them great teachers. These forms of healers were capable of placing or removing spells, as well as being able to understand the spirit world. They were able to deal with disruptions that could occur between the land of the living and the land of the departed. Their healing ability can be directed towards the restoration of balance.
Some of the abilities of these healers can be questioned as the power of witches. However, these specialists have to follow different moral codes of conduct, ritual sanctions, and special behavioral requirements. The powers of healing can sometimes be abused or misused by healers for antisocial purposes and by leaders for “self-aggrandizement.” Those healers who use their healing power for selfish ways would be seen as unethical, which could be considered a form of illness. It would also be seen as a form of illness if the healer misuses the medicine or any other medical tools they have. The misuse of tools and medicines could result in physical injury. This was why those who were healers would live an ethical life and steer away from using their power for selfish or unheard-of reasons.
The Great Lakes Bantu speaking people faced challenges from moving lands and having to encounter new sources of food and technologies. They took those challenges and that influenced the development of healing power in the Great Lakes. It was up to the doctors and healers to not only heal someone or something, they had to make sure that the social balance was maintained. They did not participate in selfish acts with the power they were given, therefore, they were honored by the Bantu speaking people and other groups living in the Great Lakes.
Bibliography
Schoenbrun, David Lee. A Green Place, a Good Place: Agrarian Change, Gender, and Social Identity in the Great Lakes Region to the 15th Century. James Currey, 1999.
Alexis Sabatelle 