The Chamorro or Carolinian way of curing the sick with medicinal plants is also a method of connecting with the spirits of their ancestors.
A “belief system” is important in native or modern medicine, according to Manny F. Borja, project director of Inetnon Amot yan Kulturan Natibu/Mwiischil Safey me Kkoor Aramasal Faluw or the Association of Native Medicine and Culture.
Borja said their group “is cognizant of the sacredness of the practice of native medicine, and the restrictions and consequences that healers find themselves with regards to their practices.”
That is why we can only take as much as the healers are willing to give or share with us.
The native healing process is not a simple mixing of plants. Before plants are taken for medicine a person should ask permission first from the spirit.
Used for thousands of years, traditional medicine, as handed down by the local people’s ancestors, remains connected to the “spiritual world,” Borja said.
He said any plant or object can become medicinal if the traditional healers — suruhanas or suruhanos — have the skill to be the “channel.” Sometimes they get a “message” from the spirits, usually during meditation or while sleeping.
Traditional medicine also involves culture in general — language, music, dance and other forms of art.
This is also why the association changed its name, Borja said. It was previously known as Inetnon Amot Natibu or the Native Medicine Association.
Last year, the Association of Native Medicine and Culture launched the “Directory of Traditional Healers and Medicinal Plants in the CNMI.”
This book lists over 100 species of plants used for traditional healing. It also lists 44 suruhanas and suruhanos although there are actually more out there, but some didn’t want to be in the directory for traditional, family and personal reasons.
Aside from listing medicinal plants and those who practice traditional medicine, the book also honors the suruhanas and suruhanos for preserving ancient knowledge.
Today, Borja said there are not as many as traditional healers as there were in the past. That is why their group hopes that the young generation will be interested in traditional medicine, which is “body friendly” without much side effects, he added.
Many medicinal plants are being studied by Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services, but there are certain species that cannot be processed into finish products in capsules or tea bags, Borja said.
The modern process, he added, has no “spiritual connections.”
After receiving a two-year grant from the U.S. Administration for Native Americans, the group is now working on the establishment of village centers on Rota, Tinian and Saipan.
The $450,000 grant will be used to raise awareness about traditional medicines among the Chamorro and Carolinian youths.
The officers of the Association of Native and Medicine and Culture are Isidoro T. Cabrera, president; Lino M. Olopai, vice president; Cynthia P. Reyes, treasurer; Frances M. Sablan, secretary; and Anicia Q. Tomokane, alternate secretary.
The board members are Ben S. Borja, John S. Castro, Vic C. Deleon Guerrero, Joe T. Limes, David R. Omar and Liz D. Rechebel.
