🪄 Folk healing 🪶 Cultural gathering

powwowing

9.9

A folk healing practice using prayers and herbs in Pennsylvania Dutch communities

noun
/ˈpaʊˌwaʊɪŋ/

: práctica de powwowing

Many families in rural Pennsylvania still practice powwowing for minor illnesses and protection.

Examples

Books about powwowing describe rituals, prayers, and herbal remedies passed down through generations.
She learned the art of powwowing from her grandmother, who was well known in the community.
The community gathered for a powwowing last Saturday.
Many families believe in the power of powwowing for healing.
Many families in rural Pennsylvania still practice powwowing for minor illnesses and protection.
She learned the art of powwowing from her grandmother, who was well known in the community.
Books about powwowing describe rituals, prayers, and herbal remedies passed down through generations.

How Magical

black magic

20 7.7

sorcery

Literature

29 9.2

witchcraft

Literature

87 7.0

charm

92 2.3

powwowing

9.9

superstition

83 5.6

Surface Forms

powwowing singular

powwowings plural

Morphology

powwowing = powwow (opaque) = powwow + ing

Although the form is a regular -ing nominalization of 'powwow', the Pennsylvania Dutch healing sense is specialized and not predictable from the base meaning.

Etymology

Powwowing comes from a Native American word pauwau meaning 'spiritual leader' or 'medicine person'. Settlers used that name for local folk healing rituals, so powwowing today can mean the traditional prayers, charms and herbal remedies used in Pennsylvania Dutch communities.