The Four Sacred Medicines Gifted to the Nêhiyawak: Learning through the Methods of Plains Cree Science

In this article, we share how the Nêhiyawak People came to know and learn through the methods of Indigenous Science, in relation to the four sacred medicines of the Plains Cree Nation: cistêmâw, tobacco, mâsikês, cedar, paskwâwihkwaskwa, sage, and wîhkwaskwa, sweetgrass. We discuss important aspects of each of the four sacred medicines, their properties and uses, their cultural and spiritual significance, as well as their interrelatedness that, when together, help us live the good life. We demonstrate that when engaging with Indigenous Knowledge, learning is a process and the Indigenous understanding of botany and medicine differs from the Natural and Applied Sciences, an important consideration when learning from Indigenous Science. Ethnobotanical knowledge of the sacred medicines teaches us not just about the plant world, but also about the spiritual, ontological, and healing properties of each of the four sacred medicines that were gifted to the Nêhiyawak Nation from Kisî-Manitou, Creator. We ground our research within the Nêhiyawak culture and worldview by making use of the Maskihkîy Otihtipipayiw, Medicine Wheel, serving as a framework for understanding the cyclical and interrelated aspects of the learning process within an Indigenous paradigm that is required to maintain balance.