' .•" . - .. Dou.1.-chobor 1''olk 1~ 3dicine .- ;. Teresa Voykin .-=:· , .. ... ___ .... :_ ·'·-· .· .. ; . . --~.: --·: •. J ' ~ \ : ·. _.... ...:)·\ ...... -'~-. - ·: ' ... ~ .' . ... SELKIRK COUEGE UBRARY 1 . '.·: :{'.itil~ This essay attempts to discuss, present a~d Slli'TI.:.~arize various aspects of Doukhobor Folk medicine. It includes a brief historical outline: v1hy DoukhoC?or Folk :medicine still survives in the twentieth century; it: discusses the reluctance Dou."l{hobor healers exhibit in revealing their Folk practices to members outside and even inside the COilh'11U..YJ.i ty. The essay, also, presents a few personal accounts obtained from varous people who either pa::-ticipated in a healing, acted as healers or observed a hea~ing. a number of healing prayers, "mal a+v ari" 0 0 " · ~,·..,.\.A. Thus cure methods are included. Because heaiD:gs, especially healing prayers &~d healing methods incorporating specific rituals and items, are interconnected with God a~d therefore sacred, Dou.1..chobors' dislike revealing these. practices. Consequently, the members of the Doukhobor commtt..-ii ty, •..vho contributed. to this paper~ desire to remain an.onymous. 2 The major source of this material is based on interviews obtained from various Dou..lchobor individuals of various a§es •. Since most of the interviewees-'. spoke little or no English) direct quotes are not used. The essay also incldes several healing prayers. Unfor- tunately I° 'Was U..l1.able to translate them> due to the individual-like handwriting of the person; they are included in the essay but in the form I received them 1 in. Note: The.people I interviewed were all in some way related to me. __ / Doukhobors, like many .other folk-type societiest practiced and continue practicing healing by traditional methods. In the early twentieth century, up u...vitil about · the 19JOs-40s, Doukhobors virtually had no access to doctors :or dentists; as. a result they relied. heavily on . . Doukhobor .f·~t~;}2-~:~~e:::-s .. , T~e- folk. healers t only tools were various . heal~ng rneth9ds which were di--rid. sd into. two distinct types y the· :.airilcst "s~ie...."'1-tif ic" cause-effect approach and the "superstitious" a:pproach. The folk healer used speciai healing prayers, "maleat-ve", an.d other ri tu.als a..Dd i terns.· The female folk healer was called "Babka", meanin;; old wo~an; the male folk healer was knovr.n as ••Det", meaning old man. Usuaily, a;Lthough not always, these healers were the elder members of the community. did .-.o+ 'ori9\~-e, (.,,....., C.ar1:4ct.:?~ . \i Dou~~obor healin~~was brought from Russia-during_the late nineteenth century a.-vid early twentieth century. Doukhobors, who were. Russian peass'lts, im.migrated . to Can.ada in the lB90s-l900s after :m;1ch religious persecution in Russia. 'tii th them they brought t:ieir traditional way of life v1l1ich stressed a commlma~~type of existe~ce;. '. as a result, few Doukhobors earned an income. Those Doukh::>bors / 'Nho did earn ari inc om~ t turned· "their earnings over to the comn1uni ty. · Thus few could afford m-=dical doctors. Consequently, folk medicine a~d cures continued to be, as in Russia, their only sourc? of healing. Of course, money was not the only facto:::- v;hich pre'vented obtaining the services of a doctor, when needed; the other fac~or wa~ that most, if not all; Dou~mobor;p had complete· confidence in their tradition al medicine. Unlike the doctor, who relied upon his L~str:.L~~nts ~-- for '.1ealing, 'folk ·healers relied up·Jn both inst'u:ients .. and God.~ This concept o'f combi:i.ing the spiritual with the physical in order to heal appeared more reasonable to the Doukhobor, for the Douk..liobor' s basic ·wa:y of life reflec-:ed both the • I spiritual and the physical. They were· a religious people . who readily worked for long hours a'1.d believed that to be· CC!cupied at a..11· times was a virtue. ·However~ in the m.id-twentisth century,. commu.'1.alwlife bega.1 to disintegrate. Doukhobors, earning for themselves. By the 1950s a'1.d 1960s much of now~ bega1 working a.~d the traditional ·Dou_1.c:hobor way of life had changed. Doukho bors, now, possessed the· fur1ds for medic.al expenses and were more willing to ace e_pt ''scientific" medicine. 5 With the disintegrat~on of co:m..11unalflife, Doukhobor children beg~~ attending school a'!d intermingling with the rest of Canadian society; as a result- the you..viger generations began losing the.language and some a.vicestors. of the customs of their Consequently folk_ healing, ·which had been widely_ practiced in the beginning of the century we.."11.t; into decline. It is now almost exclusivelv nracticed· .J • ~ by the very old people, usually those in their seventies a.vid eighti_es. ./"'/ But even this generation has forgotten much of the healing methods, such as "blood-let"ting", bone-set·ting, 211d blood-stopping, which were ~--Ylown by their parents and grandparents. This is mostly due to lack of need / _,/ \vhich arose when medical science beca.11e ac'ceptable to the people. ;_'Folkhealing is nmv ~nos_tly practiced on young to :protect theni 'against the ·,;evil eye"----0~ ~··· childre~ o( glas~ye"; to help the child ·grow faster and healthier~ to remove psychological type .lllnesses. 3uch as fear, bedwetting, nervousne_$ts a.D.d excessive crying. Most healers avoid interferi..."?g with medical science; that is)healers no longer set bones, blood-stop, or blood-let. ~eal_ers Instead...,f ,. olk . provide the healing prayers, if desired, t'J :-ielp the healing. However, in cases such as arthritis arid 6 rheu'Tiatism wh2re doctors are ~sually lli'1.successful in healing, folk healers then endeavor to use the old methods of' healing. Folk healing 1 although practiced by a few old people in the com_,_'Tiur_i ty, is usually used on family menbers or relatives. Unlike the days of the Dou..1-chobor co211u.n.al life, where a £ew Babkas or Dets ..._ were the heilers and everyone kn~w ·:·1ho they were~ the healers of today are usually only known to f·a"'l.lily relatives al'.ld to some extent to their contemporaries. This secrecy~ is not actually deliberat2; it is usually due- to a lack of interest. ,__.----- .-~-· . Since folk healing is largely· spiritual·;· it ·is ··believed to;be sacred; thus it.is jealously guarded fros the outside world, that is p~ople oth- "s 0.-. .i· 0... --nti·..C>..Ll- C" approach to curing the ailment. · I further divided the "superstitious" healing into ) • j-- healing prayers and healing methods. insta~ces Hmvev~r_; in some the healing methods contain a healing prayer~~ 9 Superstitious-Type Healing 1- p'i( /;FE;L S Piie tr Ui{l[J.e-q v µJ (/. The use of the word "superstitious" in this instaYJ.ce .;'( w1'-:.... ic not used fo·c ·any derogatory reasons. I (/IS I F~-U. It merely meaYJ.s S.eo /l.f~i)/ 11.tµe ;:::J/La that certain aspec.ts in the folk medicine do not deal with cause-effect type relations. Rather the unex- plainable is 2xplained parapsycholog~cai1y. fjr example explaining a pain as caused by S]iri ts rather than by· physical means·. ·Also the use of specific ri -':uals and items which do not have a.""1.y "scientific" con..YJ.ection with the illness~ nor the cure. In "superstitious-type healing" there appears tQ exist· a bond between the psychological al""ld the physical..__ ..... as-0°,.+o-r h 0- a1- -ino-. ..:.. ..._.._ '{>· ....... - b "Rxa..ri:rpl_es of this. relationship is. - - shown by ·wart healing t i~emoval (>Ci VK_ . of pain. although the cures ap:eeg) there exis.ts no In both instaYJ.ces, . exp~_a11.atiorr.., of vihy this happ8nS, Oth·er tha--1 parapsyC~'lologically.,--the only other alternative may be the psychological influence on tµe physical. Maleat-v-e same· -------,...__ also exhibit this .. phenmnena, where cures 81:'9 hot expected to occur simply py reci tin;~( healing prayers, the::;r astonishingly avid "unscientifically" doc I dividc;d this categorJ into two groiips b8'.5ause Itlaleatve are healing prayers a..'1.d .ca.'1. be used in various -~ .ri tu2.l3. Howev2r he3.ling methods depend' upon specific lC: ritual and it~~s; they also depend upon the maleatve. ·--··can Whereas the maleatve . be recited without the healing methods, the ?_'superstitious" __heali~g meth?ds performe~ without the maleatve. methods ane also very different. - ··'f ca.~_;1ot MEJ-e::rtve aYld healing One relies on .recitationt maleatve; the. other on physical symbols or i terns. \ be Healir1g I';1ethods _ Healing l':Ie:thods are characterized by s;/111bolism and the lack of parallelism v-ri th the cause of the illness. ·This type of healing uses various types of the cure. rt>rpquen+ly ivhi + J.. - ... v~ t _ 0 1.1.....,. t which ....... ~·- .1.... i· s s~~bols in a .l:" nare cn-_1 or an.d ther·e....., fore stands for purity and to purifyt is stressed in the healLvigs; eg. 1Hhi te cloths 1 white strings t _1,.1hi te trees such as poplars •. Other symbolic items are: - t~e· :;;ot?,.to,. ...· which ·is .believed to drmv off "bad airs er spirits" i. vrater ci...'1.d firet 'Nhich represent purifyLvig or tlea.vising;·< grave dirt, which symboliz~ deathj. water ~:;j_g? can also r.epresent the aliotic fluid., /t . ,. avid thus rebirth. These are but a few symbols tl].at are used in "supersti c::..ous-type',' healing methods. The healing methods whicn were collected .vere: 1 -Grave - Cure. ' The i) J?reaveav:at or nailing down ( fc..stening dovrn.). ..l /. l iii) ·whispering over water. iv) Removal of warts. v) Gapyachea ban.~e or hot cans (hot glasses) c vi. ) ' . . .!Jan.cing ca.vis. 1 ll --- Preaveavat - Preaveavat or Nailing Down (Fastening Dovm) is performed r . three to four days before a-full moon. It ma:;'foe done throughout the year: however spring is preferable. Nailing · ,., • t:ne ' l-+v cures illnessest Do , •m : 1 is pe rf crm .0. . a' '""'uring _ aay. ~' such as ;.,ed "'°'+t; '11.afear; nervousnous a"ld if a.child's 0) """ . 1 'iV.~.v -L.. grovrth is stu.n.ted. This folk healing was contriouted by a ninety year old Doukh'.)D•)r 'N8I!l&"l who is a folk healer. Items requ~red: patient .-nail ·clippers scissors white flax string or unwaxed dental floss vvhi te cotton 9loth ill'J3trat.icn i: i tem3 required for preq_yeavat from f!llJ personal coiTection 12 Other items required: sharp knife -br4e brace q_ l? n ham..rner ·From the patient, nails from every toe a.~d finger should be clipped a~d p~aced onto a white cloth. Then with the scissors, a.small bunch of hair sho~ld be trimmed from the back of the head and from the sides of the head~ ($.bout 1/2 irich above each ear}. Thus hair should be ·removed from only three spots on the head. The three bunches of hair are then placed. with the nails. Next remove a length of stringt so that one end of the string touches the top of the head o.f the :patient and the.other end.touches ,the floor. or height of the person. This is the length Once the height is obtained roll this length of string into a ball a.""ld place it with the other items on the white cloth. With another length of string measure around the head of the patient,· so that the string lies ovBr the· forehead. diagra.'1' df the .top of tl1e head to string ·illustration 2: Diagra.rns att e::ipting to s:·1.0w l'l.1ere string should be placed. lJ This string is then also rolled up and placed with the other items belonging to the patient. . \ illustration g~ · Strings, hair a.-rid nails shovm in this photograph which were obtained fro:n a ;patient. frorn my personal photograph collection. 14 Next the patientTs arms and bac};: ·width are measured. The healer runs the flax f'rom the longest f'in.ger,· along the a...YLJl,,across the back of·the person, across the other arm to the longest finger of this arm. Meanwhile, the ! patients arms are stretched out parallel to th:? floor. ~ _,..)....~---~·-----'+-.__s:-t_r_in_g---.....;--~-~.-~z$. ~~·--"-~~~n~-"-~~~·t bbdy 1 . I i l . j ; •\ I ·illustration: 4: /\ legs \, Measuring· arm lengxhs ar:.d back. When the arms and back are measured, this third str:L'lg is rolled up a~d placed with the other items on tha white cloth. 15 illl_;lstration 5: All items, strings~-hai~ a~d nails~ are sho;,m on a white cloth. Picture from ovm personal collection. 16 The edges of the cloth containing all the patient~ nails, hair and measurements, are brought together and then tied with a white string so that none of the items escape. The string. is then wrapped several times about the edges. illustration 6: Photograph showing· how cloth, ,~1i th hair, nails, a.'1.d string, should look after it is tied v1i th a string. Photograph ~rom personal collection. 17 When all the items have been §;e.:thered together. then the search for the appropriate-po?la!:' begins. course. can be done several days before. This. of The tree should be healthy,c..straight and you."'lg, ho\'rever, not too you."'lg, for part· of the healing method re~uires that 2 hole be drilled into the tree; the· tree· m·..:.st be able- to survive this. illustration 7: Photograph s!:ows a suitable poplar for l'l ail in;_= :::J:J·:m. The poplar is in the foregrn'J.:."l_- •. Photograph :'.::Jtained from ovm personal collection. 18 once the poplar is fou.~d, the healer should remove a branch measuring approximately 1/2 inch in thickness. This branch. should then be whittled dow:.'1 to resemble the shape of the piece of wood shown in the illustration below. illustration 8: The piece-of wood in the picture is what the whittled wood should look lit:e. Photogra-;:ih from ow:'! personal collection. lC •' ./ In \<2.rtgth o.f weoo:l The ?lc.ce ,\should measure a."':Jout 11 inches or less 1,: Once the bra~ch is prepared> the patient is s~ood along the tree and ·the :P·Jint of the top of the r..ead of the patient is where the should be drillttl(use the bric brace). illtJ.stration 9: Pl1otograph ~h 1) 1ili~g ~Hh.ere br·ic brace must drill 2. hol-:.; if the ~1u"bj 9ct is i:; feet high. The spot is m'.:l!'ked by an x. Photogr:iph from :2:/ ovm personal collection. 20 The patient need not stand against the tree during the drilling of the hole. P~ the drilling begins. a healing prayer. maleatve_, is whispered. The prayer should not be heard by the patient;. it is whispered by // the l}.ealer. The prayer ~egins "Preaveavau na zealyenoy le.£~ ... " In :English this prayer roughly says the following. a.ll nailing-dow:n. cm -a green tree, sendiYlg all the bad airs out, all things as the effect of the evil eye, fea;r ... Fermi t in God!. White flesh do not dry, yellow bon::>s 0n n0t brea.'i.c red blood do not prick 1 leave out ;Jf all the veins, capillaries, bones s"ld muscles of all the flesh, here you have· n0 business; there is no room. Permit in God. Go into the v2.rgi:i :fields, into the blue sea ... I Amen After the drilling is complete then the cloth with the items is pushed into the drilled hole aDd the whittled branch placed over it (use a harnmer if necessa....-ry to push the branch in). The braDch should be securely placed into the hole so that the cloth a.'1.d its items are never freed. When this is finished, the· patient s-tands in front of the h9aler and the healer places both his ha."lds on patient's h~ad,. ·hands should be on :each..:i.side of the head, nalms pernendicular to the floor. Both 1').a.'ld3 are then press,ed on the patisnt' s head; as the ...I,; • - ...I.. healer presses the head he repeats the healing prayer -repetively. This prayer is the "Nailing Dovm". prayer. It is whisDered. After the prayer is finished the would do . patient al00 says a prayer', arrY:l:me / __.....-- The "Preaveavat" :;or ..the ·".'.'Jail::ng··Dm·m"• j_s one of the most prevalent forms of Doukhobor folk medicine. It cour1teracts negative forces t as the ol.d lady. whom I interviewed said, "It drives ou.t bad airs or spirits." "Preaveavat" is often used for c11r2.ng children a."1.d youths of nervous habits, fears, bedwetting arn:l sttL""lted growth. It is -,al':vays accompanied with the "Preaveavat" healing prayer~ which ·is alv1ays wQ.ispered. Al though "preaveavaj;", when i t was performed on me, was carried out on . a poplar trse, -'- have learned that some people have had it done on wooden a.oars, walls or other wood structures. Ho;.vever, the healer vvho shmved me how i tis do~e ~tated emphatically that the use of a poplar tree, a live tree, is more benefici9]_ an2. effective. She· also stated that the poplar tree with its white bark is more conducive to curing the in di vi dual;. that white was a purifying colour .. The elderly lady has performed "Nailing Dmm" on most' ·_if .not all of ·her grandchildren a."1.d great-great-gra..11.dchild'!;'en t 1 . great...;.gran.dchildren as •sell as other childr<;n. She· strongly believes, as do other :-::-el a ti veG, that "pr eaves.- dure had to be repeated several tim-es before the child became well. Most c".'lildren. througho .xt their childhood have 1 '--' . •' 22 the healing perfo:CTned on them once every year. The hea2.er, who contributed i'.he "Preaveav·;:rt" t learned it ~hen:her husba.11.d suffered a severe accident in his late t2ens; he was dragged by horses and as a r;:;sul t became deaf ffi1.d facially disfigured. face a~d neck turned black with bruises, however, after sevsral ·Neeks they .returned to their normal color. But hi~ face remained disfigured; his features v;E?~e pushed back to his unrecognizeable for his m:Jutr1 was ear and there it remained. During this time, she and her husba11.d, were living in a Doulchobor cormnunal setting; they could not afford a doctor. Thus, an au..11.t arid 1l:,1.cle in British Colun1bia sent her the "preaveavat" prayer; this woma."'1 was living in Alberta at the time. After several :nonths of reading this prayer, her. husba11.d~ mouth returned to the front of his face. Al thoµgh he did not regain his hearLrig, the fact that his facial disfigurements beca~e ·cured made this woman a stau..YJ.ch beli.ever in the prayer. The Grave Cure .Another important, a'ld very strong folk healing this wor::tan :Y'"new occurred in the 1920s; she doss not perform it~ '. 23 . . n:.s healing is "The Grave Cure". rrr · only &~ In this healing she was observer, however, she remembers it clearly.· The· person who psrformed the healing was her aunt. '.I'.he healing was done to cure th.e interviewee's infa..rit son, 'Nho was suffering from the evil eye. items required~· three handfuls of dirt, preferably from.three recent graves water Boil the water and/Nhen 1 buhbling) spri..:.'1.kl_e in the three ha.""1.dfuls of dirt, ·which should. be obt;:;iried that sa'Tle day. When the mixture boils rem:Jve it from the stove fu'1.d let· cool. The soil at the same time should settle . ...After the soil has settled a.rid the water is v12.rm to touch or comfortable to wash in then wash the patient in this." During this time a healing prayer is said, however-, the old woman did not know how it went. .After the patient is washed in the water, he should be removed. In the next· day or so the patient vrould either have a drastic improvem.ent in heal th- or:, conver~ely) die. '.:his healing is '-'a l?-st reso:::-t" he.hling;for the patient either becomes well or dies. ~-- In a.-viy case if the patient dies after the healing, this mea'1.s that if the ·healing was not perf"J:(med t~e patie:!.t wiJuld ·nave died eventually. this healing ends unnecessary suffering" Thus 24 The 1Nomant who had this''"Gravc Gure" performed on her little son, '-"lost" hin the next day. When her sonwas 4 ten months oldr he had suddenly chaYJ.ged from a lively, bright and inquisitive child to a ltfeless and very ill little boy. The woma:.}. believes that the· dra'natic cha.'1.ge ncc.urred b.ecause of someon~s evil ey~; her little son had be?n alright until a you.."lg rri~"l had carried him aroun.d. child became lifeless~ ·That day the .Fcir the next six months, the baby suffered from chest pains r constantly criedt ate yery little ax1d barely moved. Un.:fortu:iately, at. the sarn.e time that her son had become ill, Feter Lordly Verigin decreed tha~ all practicing healers cease; Verigin had pro~laimed that too· maYJ.y people were practicing the art of heal~ng and conqequently endaYJ.gering their lives. Verigin feared that they would become witches. :I'hus the woman's child could not·be healed aYJ.d therefore he grew v;i-ea"l\;er and weaker. Finally t during. the sixth month she convinced her aunt to try cure her son. woman chose YThe Grave Cure". So the It was performed that night. Immediately after ·the child ·was washed in the Gravesand-water, he improved. and runc"ling arou.."'1.d c He became lively t began talking The next day the child's liveliness. continued, however that night as sh.e '.vas feeding him he died. ·The -vvoma."'1. fully believes that ·the "Grave Cure" worked. Vihispering. Over Water "Whispering Over ·water" is performed when the person . desiring to b:=: cured is u.YJ.able to be present at the healing; thus the healer whispers the '"maleatva.'' which is ~ appropriate to curing the absent persons ailnPnt, into a jug of water. T}1is water is then used by the patient to wash his ha"Ylds or face in. Presumably this healing· method is succ.essful but not att2nds his healing. Removal of Warts Warts can be removed by several methods. I have listed two of them; the string ·method and the potato method. Both methods depend upon the moon ~~ase. The correct moon phasG for removiDg warts.is during a New moon. The String .fiiethod: In the string method, the ,.lart is repeated].y encircled by a piece of vrhi te string. The:--i vrhen the ..-:2.rt is complej;ely enwrapped by the string, th,:; h.ealer must· 'Nhisper a healing prayer ;:1.,;_:sain.st warts_. Usually the healer holds the afflicted limb or whispers very closely to the afflicted. area .. SElKU?K COLLEGE LIBRARY. CASTLEGAR> B. C After the whispering, the white string is removed a.'1.d buried in ·the grou..rid. The healing prayer against warts can be said at this time. The Potato Method: In the potato method, the potato is repeatedly rubbed over the wart r while the healing pray:er is said,. Once the healing prayer is sai·dt it may.be said several times to increase its power, the potato is buried, usually though, because it may grow, the potato is flushed down the toilet. In these two methods the "tool" used to "remove" the warts "powers" must rot before the wart disappears. Thus, whichever method one. uses, either the string or the potato must rot before the '.Va+t variisheS-.. ----- The Maleatve P..gainst Warts: ~ :· '_, ; This one is said by the person ·possessing ..warts·.. Yonng moon,. You have a horn. cf gold, How clean you are. So that I may be (name of the area aff.i.cted 'Ni th warts is given). As clea.Yl. on my. ______..,......,_ _.:;.____~-----~---..,--,-----~MECS:L! Mono,aoill,, B TE5E POI 30nOTO~ KAKOVi Tb! 4ViCTb!Vl • " LJT05 Y M;::H.9. 5bU1vt TAKV!E Yi1CTb!E ~.· 1 .' . 27 Ma-riy of the;:people, who have used the 'methods~ either string or potato, have fou...rtd that the warts do disappear. However, some report that the warts sometimes return b.ut· if the procedure is repeated the warts again disappear. . . Other people, who have tried removing warts by these met~1.ods have f ou.i.'1.d t:'.lat. their warts remained as they r..v~re. Thus this folk remedy is not always successful, Gapyachea Bsnke Another form of healing is oy--using "Ga:pyachea Banke'' -:---------------- or "Hot Can$", also· k11own as "::-Iot Glasses",. ---- This folk . medicine was obtained from a SeV8nty-.fiv3 year old woman.. Although she knew how the healing was perfor::led, she had never done it herself. However, her.sister, who practiced heal in~ often performed the healing o::i t!tis ·soman. "Hot . Cans'.' are used to assuage pain. It is used to remove arthritis, rheumatism and other types of pain._ Items required~ 1 ca.'1. or glass l small piece of white cloth~ approximately two inches x two inches white string a slice of potato a dish of keros2ne matches 28 Peel a half inch. cloth. ?Otat~ and cut a cube about one-half inch by one- Place the potato slice into the v/hi-te cotton Then bring.the edges of the cloth together; thus enclosing the potato pieceo tightly shut. With string tie the cloth .After tying the string, pour some kerosene into a shallow dish, then dip the edges of _the cloth: into the kerosene. illustration 10: This diagram sh:)ws -r.,,vhere the cloth should be.dipped. The colored area represents the kerosene. ../ Onc·e the edges are moistened , place the cloth on,~the afflicted area which is producing paiµ; th·e potato· should be incontact with this sore area, the cloth edges should be at ·11 . sta~ding .L· i~_us~ra~ion perpendicular to the pain area. (look 11) _ _ Once the cloth with the potato.is resting on the area, light the ker:-osene dipped edges. pai~ As the e9-ges ,burst into fla:.i12s., cover· ·the burning cloth 'Ni th a- glass or can, drinking-rim dovm so that it. touches the skin. the fla.'Tles extinguish ( s.ee illustratio::'l li). Consequently Vlhen the .' .. ~ l· or glass illust.ration; 11': .... Hot :Can" ! Diagrarn. shows how the cloth with the potato should sit on the sore area. The can is shown. also. T'1.is is the vvay it should be :placed over the·: cloth a.Yld potato. JO fla.'!les ex~inguish a.""l effect occurst such that the area u..nder the g1ass or can becomes reddened. What is actually happening is that the flames burn out the oxygen thus creati.:.vig 2. blood to ~-Jol sw:~tion-like affect \vhich tends to cause the in this area. It is the pooling of the blood whic~ is believed to cause ~he pain to cease. "Hot The Can" treatment is usually combined wt th a healing prayer which is whispered_. The p:;ayer c::::'l be any type of maleatva. as long as the maleatva and the cause or what is believed to bein·g causing the pai:i The 'NJman who contributed t:his healing said. that when her sister performed the healing on her foot,which was constantly aching, the pain disappeared a.""ld has never ·~Gapyachea B3nke~· •. the returned. ·Nomm1 said,· ''draw out the pain and the bad air or spirit in the area '.Vhich has the pain. Lancing Ca.Yls The "lancing ca.1s" are carri·ed out in the sa:.'!le way as "gapyac::-1ea banl:e", however, when the blood reddens the skin7 the gla3s is removed a""ld the skin is lanced. Lmces, were a spe :::ial ·type of k.YJ.if~ that were used in Russia for such trea-::~:snt;3; they had ceveral sharp points which nU...Ylct'..tred To get the same affect as la..Ylcing.. several small the skin. cuts are ::a.::le in the "suction" area by~ :Y...nif e. skin ble:::c::o be gone. 321:] The pierced 1/rhen the bleeding ceases the p3.in should :::..oncing is a stro:lger medicine than "Hot Cans" 31 '·, for when the person bleeds, the blood is believed to take away a.YJ.y remaining poison and "bad air". The womant who contributed "the lsncing ca."1.s" and .7>Le: t:/._;_.J_.; "the hot ca.YJ.s;;, whole-heartedly believes they \';ork. . *' It is observed that in 1:2E::: "supersti tio'..13." healing specific rituals, having symbolic practiced. significa."'1.~e, were It is. also observed that u:nexpla!."'lable cures I occurred, as well as U(1explSrl'lable happenings t exa."Ilple ~- the '!Grave Cure". In the ;';£:!eayeavat!', vvhi te mat:erial 2nd. i te:ns t such as the tree Color (its bark), the String, the cloth, 'Nere required. This stress on white probaoly sy:::_°2'.)lized a purification, which appe2.red to healing. object of the There ·v1as<-~a1so a stress placed on the physi.- cal appearance of the tree. This r;iay have been because, ·when the white cloth containing the nail-s a.""1.C: other i terns we'(f!. put in the poplar, -Gthe person bee a.11e s::_,'TI-:Jolically, and· by Doukhobor belief, almost physically attached to the tree. Thus a healthy tree insured that the tree continued ·growing and as a result so ·would the child·--both physically and psychologically. In ~'The Grave Cure", the use of grave· dir:-t al'ld water probably symbolized death and birth~ The water was either representing clea.'1.sing or the ,aaniotic fluid, mayb_e a CDmbination of the tvvo. b-:Jlized death. Conversely) the grave dirt sym....: Since the ritual is believed to either the bat:iing of the patient in this ·water that had pre- vio!.J.sly conta_ined grave dirt could have represented a choice for the individual, either to die· or. to live." 33 In the "Whispering Over Water", the ':'later again probably was the cleansing a.'1.d removal of ailrr.ents. Th.e: treatment of warts, may also be explai.-vied symb9lically. The white string acted to Conversely the potato served to ensnare the w32't "spirit". Since both treatments stress.burying the items, the potato or string, this represents the·" death" of the wart for when the potato or string rot had been taken from the wart also rots a."'1.d disappears • Consequently, when the "spirit of the v1a:ct" di es the wart ____-· also "dies". In th-:; "Hot Caris", a '::hi te clot::t avid string wa3 again used. Their significa.YJ.ce was probably the as in the "Preaveavat". same~ The burning of par_t of the cloth may have also had symbolic meaning; it may have meant purification and cleansing. In Doukhobor cul t ire fire 1 . . .p• ..).." represenvs c 1 eansing_ o~ puri~icavion. ..L. The potato since it removed the "bad air or spirit" probably .represented the capture of the ailment•s ~s;pirit". In ~Lancing Cans" the symbolism 'Has~ probably the sac11e as "Hot Cans". Thus it il1as obs~rved that various aspects of the "superstitious_" healing had 3pecial mea.-r-iings c mea-viings v1ere gath9red fro::n various healers. It was also. observed that unexpla'lable cures OC·~urred a.---id less e:z:plaJ.o.ble happenings. . J4 ' ------Maleatve "Tvialeatve" or healing prayers usually express verbally the. symbolic mea.-riings of the "superstitious" type f.ealing methods.· Like .the healing methods, the malea~ve itself ca."1. contain sy-riholic meanings.· .------ filaleatve are almost always read at a whispe:i;:- so that other· persons .can not heB.2:' the woriis. Kalea:tYe- are the -------- most sacred part of the Doukhobor folk healings. This is because the ~ often entreats Go1 or Jesus or a-ri an.gel to help heal the ailing person. Maleat7es are not alvmys only healing prayers; some roaleatves are 1 . .. . a_._so prayers. . Conversely. m&"'ly prayers can be used in the place of ~aleatves. There are two types of Maleatve•s, One type is the maleatve v1hich no longer can ·be understood fo!' its words .' have become almost nonensical c 2 The other ty:;ie is still understandable. The Doui~hobor maleatve deals with both psychological and physiologica/- illnessg_s ..There are maleatves to protect ·a person against warts, against fear, against the evil eye, against crying, against appendicitis, agai.n3t colds, against witches, against fires .a.'1.d the fear of fires. against bleeding. an.d against _accidently acquiring illness. a~other persons 35 '' Virtually all healers/ vrho use maleatves have memorized them. :j_:A :person ·who is: a healer almost always learns a self ~~ to protect him~from acquiring a ~atienis ilL'1.ess. I•laleatve.s c.:a.'1. be used by all persons; they need not be 'if... heale~ Most elderly Doukhobors }mow several maleatves; usually the .maleatves ._ w_r:~re · lea...""'ned in .-parenthood or w·h.e.,,'1. grandchil- dren were born. - Maleatves, because o.f their sacrec'L."1.ess 2nd because there are always individuals in soC!iety who tend to insult things they do not Q'lderstand, 82'."e almost never made public. Most of my maleatves were obtained from year old man. He is one of the ·few 211 eighty- Doukhob·Grs, who has "tvri tten down sever al healing prayers. However, because his hand;Nri ting was d.ifficul t ·to read a..'1d his speach impair.ed by a stroke, I did not tra.YJ.slate -:; · .the prayers. But· I·have included them in the essay in the form I rec.ei ved them in~ The following mal eatv~ protects again.st tmdesired hair. (Next page) 36 ' '_- {7"--__ _ ;~-~----f i-----~. i ··-· --·. ; -* : - - - - - - - · - · - · - - - -------1--------- -- - -- - ·--.. . .. -- - -- ------------ ------- . --- ·-.... - ···-. . - - ·- -._ -·· .... -:.'. ..... '. -··------- 37 ~on :protects a :per.:o. '" ~ . -'agains L. , e rnal<=>atve oelow· T n -'-~ h 2-t I could "l-ceal" t -·lY t-ranslation of .-:'he 0"--i ui,,.... eal •• . ~ .. 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J 1t. ~-. ~. - - / &t'~/!~ .z-,,,tJ-e i>'- - ./_.,.. ~· / ~·==--- -· -:;;.~------ -~- 62~·· - / /- , _ 0 / f.1_ : "" / ..cJ ·e/ltfJ,_.µr e./A-- o~/o_,.,__,,,. ___ ~f.Yc-~l-.A--'"A&·e------ . ~ ;-. :-' .};-< ~-:""" -- -77' __z,,,£.,,. - cc -tit,; c /-< ;;, ,;;, I-<_$ L tJ, ~ I _J/ -- ~-- .. f!Ji. c~~~~ /-d y-/y/~.-t: /jj,; __(' ~--. ~~ .4fr:. ,~Jt-:____ eY:y";(~' _;62t.f~t~ ~LJCiJL. ~/_/_.A ~· /71 v-l{Y-//f_,,e ___ · · --~~-- -_4-c~-A-A/'- J.--<--&£ ./(~•/to ~c ,.j-----~~~"v.:.pl ~:,. . /-6.l;--f'J f i /...{; ;;c:..- /'-&/Jc .p. - - ~/i &t'h .fiY.?/(_e--A --'v/i~..-L- - . ·7; ~- y-~/19,_e41_,_._c_~ l::"'K-<-- v-fi/-~...P~--r&.d:'~-y. -~- -~- ' ~ :.:· _...,..'--"' v~t.4?: ----f-l_,R.-???-t:.. -- .--rrl tf/c./cJL - -?;ti .9< c) _..e. -?~-LGJ-./zc0.J-'------- -fa-·'-'/:_·. -bC-u-~~/t:-..A-.A---~-~-"(__l/.:;;/~ ----fcd:----:n4--l~--?GL___ ..;;,..J;z'?.?f.,£___ · ~_e e. .#pc_ ---/-1-e.$1-;?!- __ Jp;__,e #t!A.. ¢P.: cw J.t born, baptizedr prayerful. A~en! A:nsn! ____ (n21L.o of person) ,. A~en! 4 42 - The maleatve against the evil eye. whi::h I have heard is one that was ·translated by Ro:nan Pion~:ovsky, recorded by Pionkovsky in Verigin Saskatchewa"?-, ;0.J_y 1970: 5 This prayer is to cure illnesses caused ':Jy a person• s evil eye. The evil eye is blamed for a.'1 illness usually if the. the illness occurs in the person or if the ·illness ca.vi not be explain,3d. Chiidr.en, especially babies, are believed t~ be ~ore susceptible to the evil eye. Thus some. Doukhobor v,;·omen do n8t allow their younger· childr?n, especially a'iy child less thar1 six weeks to be viev1ed by str that is if the child becomes morose an.d despondent, convulsions in childre:'1.: if child stutters or if any physical chaDges are seen which can not be.explained. adults. These illnesses can also be contract~d by There are ma~y more illnesses associated with the evil I:Ct'·'.;·tllYVl PASA 601.\bErO OT r JTA3Y,,. OT CEPOIO,,. OT LJEPHOIO,,. OT ~?ACHOIO,,. OT ~CHOro,,. OT ~OCTHOro,,. OT PA,QOCGOrO,,. MEXOCTHOiO (?),,. :-:.::;.:.;.3v;c1xoro. !'-'ATb TE65l MOr;lA cnOPO,lJ,Yffb,,. 5' 1-;01Y OTX0,11l!iTb,,. ?E~EHSE,,. CJTOBO rJIAron 60/Kll!IA. 60rY HJl..WEMY C.JlASA! ,,. 0 PYKA 4J Translation of the maleatva on the previous page. Have mercy on God's servant .. (narne) from the eye, from the grey (eyeL from the black (eye), from the .red (eye), from the clear (eye)> from the greedy (eye)r fro;n the joyful (eye), from the inhospitable (?) hatef-:.ll (eye). (eye)~ from the tilother was able -1:'.:) give you birth 1 I arn able to cure you. The haYid (is) the say2_ng,_ the work (is·) the word. of God. Glory be. to our G0d! 7 " Cause-Effect TypB ~ealing -- .In "cause-effect type healing" the healing is not deueniant on the maleatve. ... said fo:;_~ Al tho'J.6h the -mal eatve .maybe this type of healing t it is not nee essa..:...,...,.,J. rtov·:ever. most DoukJ1obors agree· that a ---·---I"'.laleatve "does ~1.ot hurt." In this type of healin·g, th·"' healer is 2.ble to establish the physical Ca1fSe of the illness 2r1d thus prescribe a "phys_ical" cure rath:~r tha:."l a cure dependant on various· specific ri t'-lals and pray,srs. -Js;...ially t}1e type of illnesses treated are burns, since they ca""l be physically dete~mined; bee stings 1 cu-ts ciJ.1.:..l sc1~apes ~ In s .J:ne cases, arthritis no longer is explained "by para..psyc:'1.ological terms a"ld · th J.s cure:3 for ·it·are beco:'.!ling riiore and more cause1 effect centered. 'I'he types of medicines us8d in cause-effect healing is usually easy to obtain a.Yld relatively cheap.. The medicine is usually home-made, either '.::.from . . . bought ingredients or ingredients obtained from the cou::;.try-side such as roots,. ber.cies ~ herbs,· various pl311ts, rocks, and even clay. This ty;.e of healing is much aore easier to obtain and guarded; this is because the healing is not considered sacred, 45 Cause-effect healing• like other healings, is passed down from generation to serieration. But like "supers ti tio'-lS" healing its importai.""lc e has in the past thirty to forty years. To some extent this· · n '3aling is practiced even less tha.Yi ~~supers-ti ticiu? healing". This is because medical science is usually ,_·._or thought .to be more effective. in curing ailments than foll~ ca J.se-effect 1 healing. Also because it ~q_~ks distL-1.ction; .in "super- sti ticus healing,. the maleatve aI1d. rituals set the healing apart froTa conventional healing. "Supers ti ti o:.J.s healing" appears to of~er .a different approach to ruedicine. Thus healers are more enthusiastic in acquiring hes.ling. of a "super~ti tious" nature rather tha..'1.. a cause-effect type of healing. The healing methods which were .collected. for this category· were: i) lime-oil treatment. ii), clay treatment . . Lime-oil Treatment This is a home remedy wh~ch has been in tb.e pas~ very effective in healing burns and preventing burn scars from f')rming. The medicine was obtained from my father, who obtained it. fr·om ·his aun.t. The original "recipe" was lo3t a few years ago, ho·wever -;:;:nis recipe . ' . . is a close approximation of ..... t>rle 1ngrec1i9n""ts. I~ has been tested. A maleatva ca."'l be said when the mixture is applied to the burn but it is not necesss.ry~ Ingredients required: lime (can be bought. at any store garden eguipr:Ient) olive oil water ., . Pour the water into a pot and put in hot J...lme. the mixture boils, off the water Once allow it to cool and settle dovm. Drain a.rid save it for it will be used in the recipe. To one part of the lime-water add one part olive.oil. The :mixture should be kept in an airtight container. ·before usingc Shake This raixture is applied to ·the burD" If the :nixture tends to dry the b~.irn too much add so:-ne more olive oil; if the mixture tends to cause the • I • bun1 t·'.) b. ~ u ... J.~ &u.t the aspirin did not alieviate Thus her parents began o a-ivinoher "clav treatments" - -- 0 J day a.'1.d during the evening. Six months later, her foot which had beco::ne useless from arthritis began function- ing. dent. Taday ·if she suffers fro.:n arthrit],s, i t is not eviTh:~ child is now seven years old. •·> From my interviews an.d research, it was seen how the "supers-ti tious" healing aYld "cause-effect" healing from each other. diffe~ed It was also made evident h:iw "super- stitious" methods differed from maleatvee From my 3ources I lea.."'Tied why fev1 individuals practice Doukhobor foll~ medicine. In doing this paper. I p:::-epared dis~overed ·interviews a.'1.:l a'Yl inter:;:ireter (my r.wm) Hsre very 1 \Vere related to me, they tend.:?d t:J often stray from the object of the interview. --~ T~is paper w.as . I -· 0x.,.... eri 0~-nc 0 / --~ ~ . _,,/~-·- .- Rsf'8re~-ices 1. F .. rel. ·.rnealing, ·Our People's Way, University of 1972, pp. 298. 2. roid.) pp. 291. Pennsylva~ia, . Ibid. , pp • JO?. 4. Ib.id. , pp. JO?. 5-. Ibid. , pp. J05. o. Ibid •• pp. J05. 7. Ibid., pp. J05. ,..., .) / 50 l ' Bibliography Mealing t F .lYI. Our People's Way, University of Pennsylvania, 1972, Vol r. Taras off, Koozma J. Traditional D~:rnkhobor Fol}~v1ays, Nati.onal Museums of Canada, Ottawa, 1977" _./ t-~/