Revitalizing folk traditions

Eusebius, 14 August 2026

When I was about to turn thirteen, I got a subscription to National Geographic. My first issue had a shark on the cover and inside was filled with dozens of beautiful photographs from all over the world. In the months and years that followed, I learned about Sicily, the Congo Basin, dinosaur eggs, Neandertals, and the cutting edge rub-and-sniff technology that brought us the perfumes of Cleopatra and Napoleon. And the maps! — both bedroom decor and fuel for my budding wanderlust.

Fast forward some thirty years later and here I am, reading an article about Pennsylvania Dutch braucherei in National Geographic. What’s more is that I’m quoted. Me, the kid paging through the magazine in the 1990s.

Braucherei, or powwowing, describes the rituals involved in the folk healing, help, and protection of the Pennsylvania Dutch. It’s often thought of as some old, isolated practice and its decline has long been shared in the press.

Newspaper article on the death of well known powwow doctor William Maurer of York, Pennsylvania¹

But this new article in National Geographic shares the opposite: it’s growing popularity. Braucherei is a fascinating subject and I have plenty more to share about it, but for now take a look at the article:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/pennsylvania-dutch-folk-magic-braucherei

Notes

¹ “Belief in powwowing is slowly dying out,” York Dispatch, August 7, 1903, p. 6.

It’s a fascinating subject and I have plenty more to share about it.