Modern Belief in Folk Healing

Modern Belief in Folk Healing

Contemporary practices of alternative medicine and folk healing

Curanderas are still part of the community, and belief in it is strong. With younger practitioners, the focus is less on piety, but on healing from within and connecting to the world around them. It’s not about the European influence of the culture, but the indigenous one. There is emphasis on natural remedies and inserting human emotion into one’s work. Tradition continues because superstition holds; it doesn’t only live through secondhand accounts in an academic journal. This is present with contemporary brujas, who practice to stay rooted in their culture and to be mindful of their impact on others. It shows with the strong belief people still hold for witchcraft despite medical advancements or immigration.

The items in this collection exhibit two methods in disseminating knowledge on folk culture. The paper from the UT Folklore Center is grouped with multiple student papers on folk healing practices throughout Texas — used as a method to store the interviews with practitioners and research conducted by the University. Artemisa's zine presents a primary source from a practitioner. Her artwork does not give much factual information as the research paper, but it offers insight into folk healing in practice. The paper gives context to the traditions in practice.

Rebecca Artemisa
UT Folklore Center Archives (1928-1981)

Benson Latin American Collection
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

Benson Latin American Collection
Rebecca Artemisa
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

1973 and 2016

This electronic resource is made available by the University of Texas Libraries solely for the purposes of research, teaching and private study.

This material is made available for education and research purposes only. The creator of this exhibit does not own the rights for these items; it cannot grant or deny permission to use this material. Copyright law protects unpublished as well as published materials. It is your responsibility to determine the rights status and secure whatever permission may be needed for the use of any item. Due to the nature of archival collections, rights information may be incomplete or out of date. We welcome updates or corrections. Upon request, we'll remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.

Artemisa, Rebecca. An illustrated zine, 2016. Box 2, Folder 3, U.S. Latinx Zine and Graphic Novel Collection, 1984-2019. LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, University of Texas at Austin.
Number 12 Folk Medicine (1973). Box 2.325/J108, UT Folklore Center Archives (1928-1981). Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Zine and artwork
Research papers
Books

English and Spanish

Research
Cultural art

Late 20th century to early 21st century