Primary Sources for Tradional Medicine
The following are anthropological studies of Cherokee traditional medical practicies.
- James Mooney. Cherokee Theory and Practice of MedicineFull-text of 1890 article on traditional Eastern Band medical practices.
- Frans M. Olbrechts. Cherokee Belief and Practice as Regards to ChildbirthFull-text of 1931 article outlining traditional Eastern Band childbirth practices.
- James Mooney and Frans M. Olbrechts. The Swimmer ManuscriptFull-text of "The Swimmer Manuscript: Cherokee Sacred Formulas and Medicinal Prescriptions" published in 1932 by the Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institute.
- James Mooney. Sacred Formulas of the CherokeesFull-text of Mooney's 1891 treatise on Cherokee medicinal formulas largely derived from the Swimmer manuscript.
Historical Secondary Sources
- Paul Kelton. Avoiding the Smallpox Spirits: Colonial Epidemics and Southeastern Indian Survival.Link to full-text is at the right side of this page.
- L. Irwin. Cherokee Healing: Myth, Dreams, and Medicine.Link to full-text is at the right side of this page.
- Marie B. Mellinger. The Spirit is Strong in the Root, with a Brief Mountain Herbal.Link to full-text is at the right side of this page.
- Jack Frederick and Anna Gritts Kilpatrick. Cherokee Rituals Pertaining to Medicinal Roots.This article is in the journal Southern Indian Studies, 1964, Vol. 16, p. 24-28 which is available in the Hodges Library stacks under call number E78.S55S6.
Contemporary Articles
- Jeffrey J. Bachar and others. Cherokee Choices: A Diabetes Prevention Program for American Indians.Link goes directly to full-text.
- Ryan A. Brown and others. Moving from Ethnography to Epidemiology :Lessons Learned in Appalachia.Use PDF link on left side of page for full-text.
History and Medieval Studies Librarian
Cherokee Doctor
Ayunini (Swimmer), Native Doctor, Source of Medical Information for James Mooney, 1888
National Anthropological Archives