The Medicine Bag

The Medicine Bag - Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Introduction

  • Narrator: A young boy reflecting on the visits to his Sioux grandpa, Joe Iron Shell

  • Initial perception of grandpa: different from glamorous portrayals in media

  • Exciting tales shared with friends after summer visits

The Setting

  • Location: Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota

  • Family dynamics: Grandfather lives alone in a modest shack, not a tepee

  • Narrator and sister Cheryl's embarrassment about their grandfather’s appearance

Arrival of Grandpa

  • Commotion in the neighborhood: dogs barking and kids yelling

  • Narrator's recognition of Grandpa and feelings of shame

  • Grandpa’s physical appearance: old, wearing a black hat and baggy pants

The Encounter

  • Narrator assists Grandpa against a backdrop of neighborhood kids

  • Family reunion: Grandpa greets with traditional Sioux greetings and shakes hands

  • Narrator’s feelings of embarrassment contrasted with his mother’s reaction

  • Grandma’s collapse, revealing physical frailty

Hospital Visit and Discoveries

  • Family's concern for Grandpa: suggesting calling a doctor

  • Doctor's diagnosis: heat exhaustion due to long journey

  • Grandpa's loneliness after visits: motivation for his trip

Grandpa’s Journey

  • Grandpa’s experience on buses and walking through the city

  • Interaction with a police officer helping him navigate to the right bus stop

  • Narrator's feelings of guilt about not noticing Grandpa's age and loneliness

The Significance of the Medicine Bag

  • Grandpa mentions the tradition of passing down the medicine bag

  • Important cultural artifact: the bag contains items significant to family history

  • Narrator's reluctance: fear of friends’ opinions on the bag

  • Grandpa’s declining health: if it’s time for the medicine bag to be shared

Cultural Insights

  • Grandpa’s teachings highlight Sioux traditions and significance of the medicine bag

  • Narrator’s internal conflict regarding cultural heritage

  • Neighbor children’s fascination with Grandpa’s stories, contrasting Narrator’s initial shame

The Grandfather's Story

  • Grandpa narrates personal family history connected to the medicine bag

  • Details about his father (Iron Shell) and his journey to find a spirit guide

  • The importance of the vision quest and cultural persistence despite hardships

  • The passing of the medicine bag through generations

Passing on the Medicine Bag

  • Emotional moment of receiving the medicine bag from Grandpa

  • Items within: broken shell of an iron kettle, a pebble, and sacred sage

  • Grandpa's instruction: keep it safe and add sacred sage before passing it on

Conclusion

  • Narrator’s realization of the medicine bag's significance

  • Leadership transition in understanding cultural heritage

  • Final act: placing sacred sage in the medicine bag on the prairie of the reservation after Grandpa’s death.