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Shamans and Seal Oil: Health and Healing in Traditional Alaska Native Societies

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Shamans and Seal Oil: Health and Healing in Traditional Alaska Native Societies Shamans and Seal Oil: Health and Healing in Traditional Alaska Native Societies Robert Fortuine, MD, MPH 1986 Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................. 4 Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 8 Traditional Healing: General Considerations ................................................................ 8 Plan of the Book .............................................................................................................. 12 CHAPTER 1. THE ALEUTS..................................................................................................... 14 The Setting ....................................................................................................................... 14 Health and the Stages of Life ......................................................................................... 16 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care........................................................... 16 Ornamentation .................................................................................................... 17 Maturation ........................................................................................................... 18 Old Age, Dying, and Death................................................................................. 20 Traditional Medicine ...................................................................................................... 21 Causes of Disease................................................................................................. 21 Healers ................................................................................................................. 21 Magico-Religious Healing .................................................................................. 22 Empirico-Rational Healing ................................................................................ 23 CHAPTER 2. THE ESKIMOS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC ................................................... 27 The Setting ....................................................................................................................... 27 Health and the Stages of Life ......................................................................................... 29 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care........................................................... 29 Ornamentation .................................................................................................... 31 Maturation ........................................................................................................... 32 Old Age, Dying, and Death................................................................................. 34 Traditional Medicine ...................................................................................................... 34 Causes of Disease................................................................................................. 35 Healers ................................................................................................................. 35 Magico-Religious Healing .................................................................................. 36 Empirico-Rational Healing ................................................................................ 37 1 CHAPTER 3. THE ESKIMOS OF SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA ....................................... 41 The Setting ....................................................................................................................... 41 Health and the Stages of Life ......................................................................................... 44 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care........................................................... 44 Ornamentation .................................................................................................... 45 Maturation ........................................................................................................... 46 Old Age, Dying, and Death................................................................................. 47 Traditional Medicine ...................................................................................................... 48 Causes of Illness .................................................................................................. 48 Healers ................................................................................................................. 49 Magico-Religious Healing .................................................................................. 50 Empirico-Rational Healing ................................................................................ 51 CHAPTER 4. THE ESKIMOS OF NORTHERN ALASKA.................................................. 54 The Setting ....................................................................................................................... 54 Health and the Stages of Life ......................................................................................... 57 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care........................................................... 57 Ornamentation .................................................................................................... 60 Maturation ........................................................................................................... 62 Old Age, Dying, and Death................................................................................. 62 Traditional Medicine ...................................................................................................... 64 Causes of Illness .................................................................................................. 64 Healers ................................................................................................................. 65 Magico-Religious Healing .................................................................................. 67 Empirico-Rational Healing ................................................................................ 68 CHAPTER 5. THE INDIANS OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA ...................................... 71 The Setting ....................................................................................................................... 71 Health and the Stages of Life ......................................................................................... 74 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care........................................................... 74 Ornamentation .................................................................................................... 76 Maturation ........................................................................................................... 77 Old Age, Dying, and Death................................................................................. 78 2 Traditional Medicine ...................................................................................................... 79 Causes of Disease................................................................................................. 79 Healers ................................................................................................................. 80 Magico-Religious Healing .................................................................................. 82 Empirico-Rational Medicine .............................................................................. 83 CHAPTER 6. THE ATHAPASKAN INDIANS ....................................................................... 86 The Setting ....................................................................................................................... 86 Health and the Stages of Life ......................................................................................... 88 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Care........................................................... 88 Ornamentation .................................................................................................... 91 Maturation ........................................................................................................... 92 Old Age, Dying, and Death................................................................................. 93 Traditional Medicine ...................................................................................................... 95 Causes of Disease................................................................................................. 95 Healers ................................................................................................................. 95 Magico-Religious Healing .................................................................................. 96 Empirico-Rational Healing ................................................................................ 97 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................... 100 Traditional Medicine, Old and New ............................................................................ 100 The Effectiveness and Safety of Alaskan Traditional Medicine ............................... 102 REFERENCES .........................................................................................................................
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