Sanapia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sanapia
Sanapia
Born	Mary Poafpybitty Spring 1895 Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory
Died	23 January 1984(1984-01-23) (aged 88–89)
Nationality	Comanche Nation
Occupation	Medicine woman
Known for	Spiritual healing

Sanapia, born Mary Poafpybitty (around May 20, 1895 – January 23, 1984), was a special Comanche medicine woman and spiritual healer. People believed she was the very last of the "eagle doctors." This was a Comanche title for someone who used "eagle medicine" to help sick people get better. Her healing methods mixed traditional Comanche ways with ideas from Christianity and Peyotism.

Early Life of Sanapia

Sanapia, whose birth name was Mary Poafpybitty, was born in the spring of 1895. Her parents, David and Chappy Poafpybitty, were both Comanche. They lived near Fort Sill, in what was then the Oklahoma Territory. Even though some records say she was born on May 20, 1895, Sanapia herself wasn't sure of her exact birthday.

She was the sixth of eleven children. However, she was the first girl born into her family. When she was young, her family faced tough times and didn't have much money. They often relied on food and supplies from nearby Fort Sill. Sanapia was mostly raised by her grandmother on her mother's side.

Becoming a Medicine Woman

An eagle

Sanapia started training to be a medicine woman when she was very young. Her mother and her uncle, who was an Arapaho chief, taught her. Both of them were also "eagle doctors." Even though her father, David, followed Christianity and wasn't very interested in Comanche spiritual ways, he let his daughter learn these traditions.

From age 7 to 14, Sanapia went to Cache Creek Mission School in southern Oklahoma. During her summer breaks, she spent time learning about different herbal medicines.

Between the ages of 14 and 17, she trained full-time. Her mother, uncle, and grandfather taught her the knowledge, skills, and special powers needed to become a medicine woman. These special powers, called paha, were believed to be passed on through hands and mouth. This training involved unique methods, like feeling a chill when hot coals were placed in her hands. This feeling showed that power was working within her hands.

"I was sure scared then ... almost got up and ran away. I was only a young girl at the time, you know. But, when I took them coals on my hand, inside and outside my hand I felt a chill, maybe. Oh, it was like chills in my hands. That has the meaning that power was in there ... working in my hands. Felt like it would go up my arms even." -Sanapia on having hot coals inserted into hands as part of the training process.

She also spent time alone, thinking and connecting with spirits. Her mother often told her that bad spirits could harm her, which made Sanapia feel scared. Her uncle gave her the name "Sanapia," which means "Memory Woman."

Family Life and Healing Journey

After her training, Sanapia had an arranged marriage. It was not a happy marriage, but she had one son. Later, she left her first husband and married again. Her second marriage lasted until her husband passed away in the 1930s. With her second husband, Sanapia had a son and a daughter.

When her second husband died, Sanapia was 35 years old and felt very sad. One day, she healed her sister's sick child. This event felt like a new beginning for her. She saw it as a sign to become a serious medicine woman.

Sanapia's Healing Career

Peyote, a plant used in the Native American Church

Sanapia married for a third time around 1945. After this, she fully began her healing practice. She often had dreams about the peyote ritual. She believed these dreams were a gift from the Christian God to Native American people.

Sanapia helped many people using a special kit of medicines. This kit included both plants and other items. For example, she used sneezeweed for heart problems and low blood pressure. She used mescal bean for ear issues and rye grass for eye problems like cataracts. Red cedar was used to keep away bad spirits, and prickly ash helped with fevers. Iris was for colds, and broomweed for skin problems. Her most important medicine was peyote. She also used parts of dead animals, like beef fat for mouth burns, and even a Bible for prayer.

Sanapia was especially good at healing facial paralysis, now called Bell's palsy. She believed this problem was caused by an evil ghost. Sanapia thought the ghost put the essence of a feather into the person's body, causing pain. To heal someone, she would ask them to bathe in a stream. Then, she would pray to the eagle for help. She would also use smudging with cedar smoke to cleanse the person.

Next, she would chew on milkweed and place it on the paralyzed part of the face. She would then use a cow horn to gently suck on the affected area, hoping to draw out the sickness. During the healing, she often used eagle or crow feathers to fan the patient, to keep away bad spirits. If the first treatment didn't work, Sanapia would pray and apply peyote tea to the patient's face, head, and hands. If someone needed her deepest healing powers, she would sing a special song to attract helpful spirits.

Sanapia's Legacy

Sanapia was buried in the Comanche Indian cemetery near Chandler Creek, Oklahoma. Her healing work and life were written about in a book called Sanapia, Comanche Medicine Woman by David E. Jones in 1967. Sanapia gave Jones permission to write the book. She even adopted him as her son, which made it okay for her to share her traditional healing knowledge with him, as it was usually kept within the community.

Sanapia wanted the book to be like her own story. She hoped it would pass on the knowledge she had learned to future generations. She also wanted to encourage others to become traditional medicine women and healers, just like her. However, none of her own children were interested enough in spiritual healing to follow in her footsteps.

Images for kids

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  Sanapia

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  An eagle

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  Peyote, a plant used in the Native American Church