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Extra info for The Iroquois (Indians of North America)

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This dream guessing served a major purpose of releasing tension in the community. Long before the development of the modern science of psychology, the Iroquois recognized that illness could be caused by the mind as well as by natural forces (such as injuries) or by witchcraft. Disorders of the mind were, they believed, often caused by unconscious desires, which might be revealed to a person in a dream. To make the ill person well again, it was essential for a wish-dream to be fulfilled, either actually or symbolically.

The Iroquois were hit by a number of these devastating epidemics throughout the seventeenth century. For purposes of self-preservation, warfare to obtain captives for adoption became increasingly necessary for the people of the Five Nations. In the 1630s and 1640s, the Mohawks made efforts to conclude peace agreements with various opponents in order to wage war more successfully against others. By 1643, they had settled their previous differences with the Dutch and negotiated an important treaty with them.

For lack of a more precise term in our own language, we refer to them as shamans, or priests. Some healers combined all these skills. Even herbalists believed in the power of magic and would often use it in combination with natural remedies when treating patients. Those who were skilled in the mysteries of medicine were believed to possess sacred knowledge. From ancient times, the Iroquois had had medicine societies, composed of healers and those who had been cured by the ceremonies of the members.

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