by The Medicine Bag by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is a very touching short story told by a young boy named Martin, who lives in Iowa with his family. Martin and his sister Cheryl feel proud of their Sioux (soo) heritage and often talk proudly about their great-grandfather, Grandpa Joe Iron Shell, who lives on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
To impress their city friends, they exaggerate stories about him and the way he lives, his life on the reservation. However, they never show his photograph. Why? Because Grandpa is very old and poor, and his real appearance it does not match the exciting image that they describe. Especially Martin.
The main problem of the story begins when Grandpa suddenly arrives at their house after a long and tiring bus journey. Martin feels embarrassed when he sees Grandpa in his loose clothes and an unusual black hat. He feels embarrassed by the attention he gets from barking dogs and curious children. Although Martin feels ashamed, he still helps his weak great-grandfather. Grandpa greets him in the Sioux language- Hau, Takoza, grandchild!! and THIS makes him feel even more uncomfortable.
Soon after arriving, Grandpa collapses due to extreme tiredness and heat. While he recovers, the family gets to know why he has come. Grandpa felt lonely and wanted to see how his family was living. But other than these, what was his main reason? He had come to pass on the family’s sacred medicine bag to Martin, who is the eldest male in the family.
As Grandpa stays with them, Martin’s feelings begin to change. Cheryl and her friends listen with great interest to Grandpa’s stories and respect his wisdom and love him. But Martin is still not willing to bring his friends home to meet Grandpa. Again, due to the feeling of how they will react seeing him, what they will say seeing his grandpa, and all of it.
But still, one day they come home. When Martin’s own friends finally meet Grandpa, they are polite and impressed by him, especially when he wears his traditional clothes. This makes Martin feel proud of his great-grandfather. However, he still feels nervous about accepting the medicine bag because he worries his friends might laugh, as the pouch looks old and dirty.
One night, Grandpa calls Martin to his room alone and explains that giving the medicine bag is a sacred and private moment. He tells Martin the history of the bag. It originally belonged to Grandpa’s father, Iron Shell, who once had a vision. During this vision, he found a broken piece of iron from a white man’s kettle, which became the first item in the medicine bag. How he got the name Iron Shell. And a lot of things happened in between. He was sent to the white men’s boarding school, and had to learn new ways of the white people, whom they considered their enemies. Because they believed that these white men uprooted them from their native place. And had to move. But since they had to live on the reservation. So they have to co-exist with them by learning new things. Iron Shell became a blacksmith.
So the vision helped him adapt to the changing world and survive. And that was how his vision was connected. Grandpa also tells Martin about his own son, Martin’s grandfather, who died in a war, because he didn’t take the medicine bag with him due to the fear of losing it. And was killed in the far-off land.
At last, Grandpa takes the medicine bag from around his neck and shows it to Martin. Inside the bag, there are three things: a piece of iron, a small stone from the place of the vision, the butte, and a piece of the sacred sage. What is a sacred sage? So sacred sage is a sacred plant for the native Americans, which has medicinal properties and is also believed to cleanse the spirit, soul, and body. It represents their culture and tradition.
Grandpa tells Martin never to open the bag again until he gives it to his own son. Martin is also told to add a piece of prairie sage to the bag later. Grandpa explains that Martin does not need to wear the bag now, because the people around him in the city will not understand the importance of that bag. But must keep it safe and wear it when he returns to the reservation, and eventually replace the old sage inside with fresh prairie sage on the reservation
At the end of the story, Grandpa is taken to the hospital. Two weeks later, Martin stands alone on the reservation and adds a new piece of sage to the medicine bag, just as he was told. This final moment shows that Martin has overcome his embarrassment and accepted his culture and responsibility. The medicine bag, once something he felt ashamed of, becomes a powerful symbol of his pride in his heritage and family traditions.
Question Suggestions
1️⃣ Very Short Answer Questions (1 mark)
- Who is the narrator of The Medicine Bag?
- Where does Martin live?
- Who is Grandpa Joe Iron Shell?
- Which reservation does Grandpa come from?
- Why do Martin and Cheryl avoid showing Grandpa’s photograph?
- How does Grandpa travel to Martin’s house?
- Why does Grandpa collapse after arriving?
- What is the medicine bag made of?
- What items are inside the medicine bag?
- Who is supposed to inherit the medicine bag?
- Why does Grandpa not want the bag to be opened again?
- What does Martin add to the medicine bag at the end?
2️⃣ Short Answer Questions
- Why does Martin feel embarrassed when Grandpa arrives?
- Describe Grandpa’s appearance and its effect on Martin.
- Why does Grandpa come to visit Martin’s family?
- How do Cheryl’s friends react to Grandpa?
- How do Martin’s friends react to Grandpa later in the story?
- Why is the passing of the medicine bag done privately?
- What is the significance of the iron piece in the medicine bag?
- Why did Martin’s grandfather die without the medicine bag?
- How does Martin’s attitude towards Grandpa change during the story?
- What role does loneliness play in Grandpa’s journey?
3️⃣ Descriptive Questions (5 marks)
- Describe Martin’s feelings before and after Grandpa’s visit.
- Describe the arrival of Grandpa at Martin’s house and its impact.
- Explain the significance of the medicine bag in the story.
- How does the author show the contrast between appearance and reality?
- Describe the relationship between Martin and Grandpa.
- How does Grandpa represent Native American wisdom and tradition?
- Describe the ceremony of passing on the medicine bag.
4️⃣ Long Answer Questions (10 marks)
- Trace Martin’s emotional journey in The Medicine Bag.
- Discuss The Medicine Bag as a story about cultural identity.
- How does the medicine bag symbolize tradition, responsibility, and heritage?
- Explain how shame is transformed into pride in the story.
- Discuss the importance of traditions being passed from one generation to another.
- Examine Grandpa Joe Iron Shell as a representative of Native American culture.
- In your opinion, why is the medicine bag more important than material wealth?
5️⃣ Theme-Based Questions (Very Important)
- Explain the theme of cultural heritage in the story.
- How does the story deal with identity and belonging?
- Discuss the theme of the generation gap.
- How is tradition versus modern life presented?
- Explain the theme of responsibility and inheritance.
- How does the story highlight respect for elders?
6️⃣ Character-Based Questions
Martin
- Describe Martin as a character.
- How does Martin grow emotionally by the end of the story?
- Why is Martin afraid of accepting the medicine bag?
Grandpa Joe Iron Shell
- Describe Grandpa Joe Iron Shell’s character.
- How does Grandpa influence Martin’s life?
- What qualities of Grandpa make him admirable?
7️⃣ Symbolism Questions (High-Scoring)
- What does the medicine bag symbolize?
- Explain the symbolic meaning of the iron piece, stone, and sage.
- How does the medicine bag connect past, present, and future?
8️⃣ Value-Based / Message Questions
- What message does the story convey about cultural pride?
- What lesson does Martin learn by the end of the story?
- What does the story teach us about judging people by appearances?
- Why is preserving tradition important in today’s world?
