Wellbriety Journey for Forgiveness
National Museum of the American Indian
Washington, DC, June 24, 2009
Ceremony, Celebration and Good Words at Journey’s End
We made our final camp in the Atrium of the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian to celebrate the conclusion of the Wellbriety Journey for Forgiveness. With stirring songs by The Eagle Spirit Drum, the Snow Bird singers and others during the day, the coast-to-coast excursion concluded with Ceremony, Celebration and Good Words pointing to the future. More than 2700 participants shared with us during the 40-day, 6800 mile trek from Oregon to DC. Thousands listened, laughed and cried all across Turtle Island as a part of our Native Nation reclaimed its past. In Washington, about 200 participants carried the tradition onward.
Elders Horace Axtell (left) and Ozzie Williamson (at Hoop) during a Ceremony
releasing the Medicine Bundle that Horace placed over the Hoop at the start of the Journey
No, we were not able to hand over to the Obama Administration the Petition for Apology for Abuses at U.S. Indian Schools, which was one of the goals of the Journey. We were ready with a combined online and hard copy petition that included 6093 signatures during our day in DC. But “Everything Happens When the Time is Right.” It is just a matter of timing and a bit more communications protocol with both the US government and Native organizations before the many thousands of signatures and beautiful words of the people find their way to President Obama.
Women singers and drumers from the Saginaw-Chippewa tribe of Michigan at the gathering Although the petition was not handed over during our Washington event, we were honored to have Ms. Larochelle Young, a Policy Advisor for Senator Sam Brownback, share with the gathering a few words about the status of the Native American apology efforts in the Senate led by Sam Brownback. The Brownback resolution was re-introduced on April 30, 2009 under the heading, BROWNBACK RE-INTRODUCES NATIVE AMERICAN APOLOGY RESOLUTION. In the re-introduction news release Senator Brownback says, "The resolution seeks reconciliation and offers an official apology to Native peoples for the poor choices the federal government made in the past. I firmly believe that in order to move forward and have a true reconciliation, the federal government needs to formally apologize." The apology effort is a joint endeavor of Senator Brownback (R., Kansas) and Congressman Boren (D., Oklahoma).
Dr Eduardo Duran We don’t know how the details of a possible U.S. Government apology will play out as the future unfolds. But we do know that some form of U.S. acknowledgement must take place for the integrity of the country. To read the Brownback news release, click on the link after this story.
The Wellbriety Movement enjoyed another “first” in event reporting in DC. For the first time at an event of this size, a series of ten minute videos is now up on the You Tube website giving coverage of what took place. Citizen’s journalism has come to the Wellbriety Movement. We are grateful to People’s Journalist Lonny Peddycord for videoing the entire day in DC and putting it up on You Tube for all to see and hear. So what happened in DC? Just click on the link after this story and find out.
Elders Horace Axtell and Ozzie Williamson once again blessed us with their presence at this event. The Elders have much to share and offer to the ones who are listening. Horace, with the help from Ozzie, released the spiritual bundle that had been put above the Sacred Hoop at the beginning of the Journey at the Chemawa Indian School.
A group of at least 20 Saginaw Chippewa from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan were able to be at this historical event and brought their talent and spirituality with them from their wonderfully alive home country. Their spirituality was shared with us through song and drum. Joseph Somick, once again, shared his uplifting presence by MC-ing the event.
Don Coyhis (right) and Ed Duran listen to a presenter during the gathering. So many remarkable happenings took place during the event in DC. Each one of our previous 23 visits offered at least one thing that was unique and would give us something to remember in the days to come. Washington was no exception. We were honored once again to have with us Dr. Eduardo Duran, psychologist and Director of Health and Wellness of the Auburn Rancheria, United Auburn Indian Community, in Loomis, CA.
In less than an hour, Ed Duran painted a word picture of nothing less than a model for understanding and healing from the historic trauma of Native peoples in North America. He spoke about how the oppression came from Europe starting with the three ships of Columbus. He then went on to talk about how the poison carried by those ships was actually spread into the Native population and propagated. Then he outlined some of the healing process that would help indigenous people clear up the soul wound that his work and this Journey is all about. He said that the Native American soul wound is a spiritual wound and requires spiritual healing––purely psychological approaches can only go so far to help. To listen to Dr. Duran’s entire talk, view videos #12-17 on the You Tube site. To read about his book, Healing the Soul Wound: Counseling with American Indians and other Native Peoples click on the link at the end of this story.
Elder Horace Axtell and wife
Andrea at the Gathering in DC A small miracle took place during the Healing Ceremony at the Sacred Hoop at the close of day. Many visitors to the museum had been hearing our drum and songs from early morning onward. We could see them out on the balconies listening to us. When the healing ceremony began, hundreds came from all over the museum and took part, swelling our core group in the process. Tourists spending a day at the museum got to share in sacred healing culture when they were able to pick up some tobacco and offer their own prayers into the Sacred Hoop. It struck us that this connected with something Ed Duran said during his talk: In order for both Native and non-Native healing to take place, it is best if everyone involved can take part.
In the many sorrows and difficulties that Indian country experiences today, Native people are paying the price for what the perpetrator has done, he said. “The one that should really be paying that is not. Ideally we should have the perpetrator also as part of our healing process. But we can heal ourselves even if the perpetrator does not come forth to apologize or continues to do whatever it is doing. You can heal even if the perpetrator is not part of the healing,” he went on.
Museum visitors and tourists take part in the final Healing Ceremony of the Journey
at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC
Dr. Duran also said, “In a way, spiritually, by healing yourselves then we are also helping the perpetrator heal. And this becomes a real profound act of love, which is the very ability that this trauma has taken away from a lot of Native people…the ability to love. Most spiritual traditions believe that love itself is Creator in and of itself. When you are talking about a transformative love, you’re talking about God. The ability to enact God then is manifest again.”
The day in Washington was one of forgiveness, love and political action. During our closing ceremony in DC, all colors of the Medicine Wheel united as one people at the Hoop to offer forgiveness of the intergenerational trauma that occurred throughout our individual histories.
Don left us with these words: “To forgive the unforgivable, an apology is not required. The Forgiveness Journey is just the beginning.”
The petition will remain online at the White Bison website www.whitebison.org. Please continue to let your friends and associates know about it so that we can hit the goal of 10,000 names and go even further.
–Forgiveness Journey Team
Click here to view You Tube videos of the DC event... >
Click here to read the Senator Brownback News Release... >
Click here to read about Healing the Soul Wound by Dr. Eduardo Duran... >
Click here or on the image below to view the Proclamation in pdf format... >
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