The 2009 Way Home Tour - Wellbriety Relay for Forgiveness
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The 2009 Way Home Tour Organizing Committee
Stephanie Autumn (Hopi) Project Director Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) 507-697-6395 (office) 507-217-7903 (cell)
Stephanie Autumn has 25 years of experience in grant administration for urban and reservation American Indian tribes and community agencies in the areas of social services; housing and homelessness; criminal justice; and culturally-based education projects integrated within public and alternative schools. She has extensive experience working with school administrators, social workers and teachers to implement prevention programs that target truancy and educational neglect, violence prevention, substance abuse and culturally-based education strategies and services for American Indian students. For the past ten years, Autumn's professional work has concentrated on violence reduction/crime prevention and restorative justice strategies in rural and reservation communities. She has worked to create partnerships between court services, legislators, public defense, law enforcement, schools, and community based agencies and has testified before legislative committees and sub-committees on effective culturally-based services for incarcerated American Indian youth and adults in Minnesota and South Dakota. Ms. Autumn holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and is currently working on a Masters degree in Public Policy.
Laverne Beech (Shoshone-Bannock) Project Coordinator The 2009 Way Home Tour White Bison, Inc. 629 So. 19th Ave. Pocatello, ID 83201
Laverne Beech has been a member of White Bison’s Board of Directors for more than 10 years. Her involvement with White Bison began in 1996 when she and 27 other members of her community formed “Healing Rains” on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho. With guidance from White Bison, Healing Rains members made a two-year commitment to become servant leaders in their community by meeting in regular talking circles, attending trainings, providing public service in their community and working on their personal development. During that time, there was a substantial drop in crime rates on the reservation and lasting bonds were forged with members of the group. Healing Rains disbanded when members became discouraged by a lack of interest by the tribal government and unwillingness to strengthen the law and order code to address child abuse and domestic violence. While the group disbanded, many – including Beech – have continued to work on their personal development and are convinced from the Healing Rains experience that true and lasting community change must first occur in the unseen world before it manifests in the seen world. Besides her interest in community development, Beech has a 10-year background in human resources management, served for 5-years as editor of the weekly Sho-Ban News, and is a licensed massage therapist. She has a bachelor’s in journalism, a master’s in business administration and has received her certification as a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR).
Don Coyhis (Mohican) Founder and President White Bison, Inc. 6145 Lehman Drive, Ste. 200 Colorado Springs CO 80918-3440
Don Coyhis is the visionary president of White Bison, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization he founded in 1988 to provide culturally relevant treatment, prevention and recovery services and materials to Native American communities. White Bison’s community change programs are based on the teachings of the Medicine Wheel and a system of principles, laws and values that were given to Coyhis by Native American Elders. For the past 20 years, Coyhis has traveled throughout the US and Canada sharing these teachings and relating the ancient prophecy that a Great Healing would occur in Native communities during these times. Coyhis has given selflessly to the cause of healing Native American people, often agreeing to provide workshops and training materials at little or no cost in order to help those that need it. Some of White Bison’s most successful programs have incorporated the traditional teachings of the Medicine Wheel with the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous to address the specific needs of Native Americans in recovery. Other popular programs have filled a gap for culturally-relevant prevention programs tailored to the needs of Native American youth. Coyhis has also been called upon to provide technical assistance by national policy organizations such as the White House Office of Drug Control Policy and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. White Bison’s vision is to assist in bringing 100 Native American communities into healing by the year 2010.
Marlin Farley (White Earth Ojibwe) Founder and President Waubun MN 56589 218-473-2486 (office) marlinfarley@blackstoneconsulting.org
Marlin Farley is from the White Earth Reservation in northwest Minnesota. He has over 27 years of experience in working in the fields of adolescent treatment of emotional/behavioral disorders, family based social work, chemical dependency, restorative justice practices and as a trainer/consultant in the wellness field. He is the president of Black Stone Consulting. Blackstone Consulting is dedicated to helping individuals, organizations and communities find solutions for positive change. Farley is also a film producer/director and is the principal owner of Painted Sky Productions. Farley is a board member and trainer for White Bison Inc. and is a leader in the national Wellbriety Movement.
Dr. Freita Fuller Keluche Ancient Ways of Knowing Foundation 4620 Bradford Heights 719-527-1649 (fax)
Freita Fuller Keluche, Ph.D. is a co-founder of the Ancient Ways of Knowing Foundation, a Colorado Springs based 501(C) 3 dedicated to the exploration and rediscovery of ancient knowledge, and promoting health and wellness in Native American communities. Dr. Keluche sponsored and facilitated an 8-day gathering in September 1998 between 8 Chinese masters of the healing arts and 14 Native American elders and healers, representing 11 different tribes. The purpose of the gathering was to share philosophies, healing practices, and rituals associated with health and wellness. Six months later, a follow up gathering brought together a Bantu medicine man and his peers from Native American and Chinese cultures to continue the dialogue. The result of these two gatherings suggested a profound interconnectedness between the traditional healers of these three indigenous cultures and their focus on the wholeness of spirit which contributes to the health and wellness of an individual. In 2002, Dr. Keluche began researching the history of the American Indian Boarding Schools. Partnering with Denver Center Media of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Ancient Ways of Knowing Foundation entered Phase I in the production of Remembering for Tomorrow, a documentary on the little known history of the cultural genocide of Native peoples. Phase II of this historical project begins in May 2009 with the documentation of THE WAY HOME TOUR, which is being co-sponsored with White Bison, a Colorado based non-profit. Working with Rick Machle and the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, Dr. Keluche is developing a traveling educational exhibit on the history of the boarding schools to accompany THE WAY HOME TOUR across the United States. Following the TOUR, the exhibit will continue to bring awareness of this dark past of American History as the exhibit travels to other locations in the United States not visited during THE WAY HOME TOUR.
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