vapour true north american style
those arriving on the shores of north america were promptly introduced to the first plant of north american culture and the method by which its hallowed properties were delivered to the body. tobacco was cultivated and enjoyed widespread use in north america for hundreds or even maybe a thousand, to be burned without flame so that the 'vapour' or smoke could be inhaled. inhalation means that the lungs are the 'delivery organ' that transmits the plant medicine throughout the body. vapour was also intended to 'wash' all over the body for total immersion into the healing both physical and spiritual. vapourized plant medicine was integral to indian culture.
our story begins with the events that occurred shortly after
The American missionary John Heckewelder (1743–1823) noted that in Native American tribes there were physicians of both sexes, who would take considerable pains to acquire a correct knowledge of the properties and medical virtues of plants, roots and barks, for the benefit of their patients. And that their science was founded on observation, experience and the well-tried efficacy of the remedies being used. Frances Densmore (1867–1957) the American anthropologist and ethnographer observed during her travels that the practitioners were able to heal wounds and cure diseases by the simple application of natural herbal remedies. She also noted that different healers often knew individual medicinal plants by multiple names, some unique to a particular individual, and would gather and collect the herbs at the proper seasons, sometimes fetching them from the distance of several days’ journey from their homes, then they would cure or dry them properly, tie them up in small bundles, and preserve them for later use.
