The Medicine bag, on the text, represents the family's "coming of age" tradition for the boys, acting as a token for protection and a way to remember the self-discovery journey of the family's great-great-grandfather.
What conveys that the medicine bag is a symbol of manhood is the following excerpt:
“I sent your mother and sister away. What you will hear today is only for a man’s ears. What you will receive is only for a man’s hands.”
The statement is supported by the tales about the other male members of the family enduring hard times and finding support on the medicine bag, on the belief of the guiding spirits that once provided the symbol.
