Shaman, Healers, Clan Mothers. 

There were, however, those people in each society who had an even greater, and sometimes very specific, connection to the spirit world.  Known as shaman or medicine keepers, these people could be both men and women.  They were the “interpreters of dreams”.  They would practice special rituals, permitting them to come into more direct contact with the spirits and through these connections acquire great power, in some groups possessing even greater than the chief. 

One important function of these shaman or medicine keepers was, as the name also states, to heal the sick, or in a broader sense to care for the health of the people.  They helped the tribe by predicting good hunting routes, and by giving guidance in times of misfortune.  But they also helped heal illnesses that were either seen as naturally (and thus spiritually) caused, or that might have been caused by another sorcerer and thus could be removed through the same sorts of incantations or spells, or through more elaborate means, like “ritually sucking the disease agent out of the body, brushing it off with a bird’s wing or drawing it out with dramatic gestures.”  (Source).  These healers also possessed great practical knowledge, since they held vast knowledge of medicinal and herbal plants. (Source)

Women were also medicine keepers.  And as time went on, and as individual shamanism waned and the so-called “medicine societies” became the norm, women could join these societies and even rise to the position of the leading medicine keeper.  (Source)  More often than not, it was women who made the tools and weapons out of animal bones, which were so necessary for survival.  And so, “many Native American tribes believed that the women had more healing power and were able to soothe ill souls with their chants and connection to the spirit world” (Source) 

In any and all of these cases, healing strategies and the stories and beliefs around them were passed down by those who knew them best.  Elders played a key role.  “Elders teach younger generations about spirituality and history. Many elders hold central positions in ceremonies and healing practices … Native people believe that experience holds great value and because elders have a wealth of experience their stories are a valuable resource for the tribe.” (Source)

Short texts on Spiritual Practices by Paul Rombough @ LEARN based on presentations from Matt Russell and other sources as indicated.  

Storytelling was one of the oldest traditions in Indigenous societies because there were likely storytellers during early migratory periods and even well before people had begun to occupy and settle any one area, long before the ways of life and objects and songs we associate with these cultures would have become fully established.

Storytelling was essential, especially in societies that did not use writing to transmit knowledge.  And so the storytellers were teachers, historians, artists, and orators, and they transmitted a tribe’s culture to those members who came after them. They recounted true stories of events, but also fantastical stories of pure imagination usually created to teach values, morals, and understandings of right and wrong.  Their stories explained things around them too, like what is thunder and lightning?  Without scientists to explain things another way, the flashes of light in the sky were interpreted to come from an angry bird!  In general terms, stories such as these were a means to pass down explanations of natural phenomena.  (Source from video) 

“For the Haudenosaunee, the earth was created through the interplay of elements from the sky and waters. The different Iroquoian-speaking peoples tell slightly different versions of the creation story, which begins with Sky Woman falling from the sky.”  (Source).  

In some cultures, pipes and other items were used by the storyteller, and these items also had stories of their own.  “In ceremonial usage, the smoke is generally believed to carry prayers to the attention of the Creator or other powerful spirits. Lakota tradition tells that White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the c'anupa (Lakota sacred pipe) to the people, and instructed them in its symbolism and ceremonies.”  (Source).  

"During times of storytelling, smoking the pipe was also an unspoken message for the people to listen and enjoy.” (Source)