The Medicine Shield

A medicine shield is an expression of the unique inner gifts that its maker wishes to impart on his or her current life journey.  The shield can speak of a new level of personal growth, or it can illustrate the next mountain a person wishes to climb.

 

Traditionally, a shield a warrior carried spoke of the inner strengths he would use to help the tribe.  The shield of a native woman spoke of her gifts of nurturing and her talents in the areas of vision, healing, weaving, magic, singing, dancing, beading etc.  Shields spoke of their bearers’ place in the tribal family and the totems they carried.

Introduction from Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams & David Carson  text copyright 1988