Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in the Modern World

Pennsylvania German History and Culture

by David W. Kriebel

Known in Pennsylvania Dutch as Brauche or Braucherei , the folk-healing practice of powwowing was thought to draw upon the power of God to heal all manner of physical and spiritual ills. Yet some people believed―and still believe today―that this power to heal came not from God, but from the devil. Controversy over powwowing came to a climax in 1929 with the York Hex Murder Trial, in which one powwower killed another who, he believed, had placed a hex on him. Based on seven years of fieldwork and extensive interviews, David Kriebel’s study reveals the vibrant world, history, and culture of powwowing in southeastern and central Pennsylvania. He describes, compares, and contrasts powwowing practices of the past and the present; discusses in detail the belief in powwowing as healing; and assesses the future of Braucherei . Biographical sketches of seven living powwowers shed additional light on this little-understood topic. A groundbreaking inquiry into Pennsylvania German culture and history, Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch opens a window onto an archaic, semi-mystical tradition still very much in practice today.

Genres: Religion, Folklore, Anthropology, Nonfiction, History, Medicine

312 pages, Hardcover

First published November 26, 2007

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through a combination of historical documentary research and ethnographic fieldwork among practicing powwowers and their clients, David Kriebel has elucidated not only the conceptual models and metaphysical worldview underpinning contemporary extra-biomedical healing practices within the Pennsylvania Dutch culture, but also the transformations that this complex of practices and beliefs has undergone over the course of the twentieth century. From its origin as a syncretic system of practical charms and remedies based in a corpus of European folklore and magic thoroughly embedded within a Christian culture and cosmology, Kriebel shows how hostile campaigns of scientific skepticism from without and religious denunciation from within Dutch culture have led the practice to shed many of its overtly magical trappings and recast itself as a form of strictly faith-based healing. Nonetheless, it is also made apparent that both continuing demand for its services and ongoing transmission of its secrets to a new generation of practitioners will likely ensure powwowing's persistence, both within its native culture and beyond.

[Bill Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due to both interests in the occult as well as my attempts to learn about my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage this book seemed like a must read and it is! Such a great non biased view by the author into a topic most of the world has never heard of. I recommend it to anyone into the Pennsylvania Dutch, the occult, magick, Christian healing, or just non traditional medicine. Highly recommend it.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this history of Amish Powwowing really interesting. Especially after watching the History channel special~http://heavy.com/entertainment/2016/1...

I first heard of Amish Powwowing[ or using white magic] in the Amish themed books by Beverly Lewis~The Postcard, and The Crossroad.

There is also a movie called Hex Hollow: Witchcraft and Murder in Pennsylvania (2015).