Holistic Healing in Native American Communal Philosophies

Holistic Healing in Native American Communal Philosophies; Relationships and Dependencies


Emily Germanotta


The biggest question that ran through my mind as I took this class: Why bother to heal yourself if you only focus on yourself? What a lonely existence! I decided to concentrate on Native American tribes, to see how their communal philosophies emphasized what I have learned about holistic healing. Though I remember it being touched on once or twice in class I think it is so essential to consistently remind ourselves of the original philosophies underpinning the modalities. These modalities have not originated in a vacuum. There is alive, vibrant energy in everything around you and inside you. "The One Spirit lives in, through, and as everything in the universe." (295, Medicine Eagle)To understand the concept of holistic healing, we must embrace the concept of the whole. The whole is not about you. It is not about me. It is about us.

Native American world view reflects holistic dependency, though more locally than globally. Lavonna Lovern talks about,



Gregory Cajete (2000) refers to this concept of wholeness in terms of a science of interdependence. The foundation of interdependence involves the individual as located within the world and as part of the world and as part of the world with the understanding that all things are interrelated. In this way, the individual does not experience an independence of being as the primary mode of existence. Instead, the primary mode of existence is communal involving 'all my relations'. (pg86) 'All my relations' includes all levels of interaction in existence including human, animal, plant, spiritual and elemental. Moreover, the individual experiences this primary mode as one of caring for the community. (1, Lovern)

Then Vine Deloria Jr. clarifies, "They talk about the immediate environment in which they live. They do not embrace all trees or love all rivers and mountains. What is important is the relationship you have with a particular tree or a particular mountain." (223, Deloria Jr. ) In Native American thought, a person is a product and contributer to their own environments. They are not more important than the mountains and animals, because of that circle of dependence. Though they understand their responsibilities toward their environment, the definition of environment to the Native American is different than that of the Western thinker. A person does not climb every mountain, swim in every river, and pass by every tree. Every being's energy we pass or live in, we connect with. That energy becomes part of who we are and the relationship grows stronger.

Another phrase for "all my relations" is "We are all relatives". Vine Deloria Jr. gives a clear definition, " 'We are all relatives' when taken as a methodological tool for obtaining knowledge means that we observe the natural world by looking for relationship between various things in it. That is to say, everything in the natural world has relationships with every other thing and the total set of relationships makes up the natural world as we experience it. This concept is simply the relativity concept as applied to a universe that people experience as alive and not as dead or inert." (34, Deloria Jr.) Does it not make sense that everything around us has an impact on us? In holistic healing we are taught that if a person is sick physically it will affect our spiritual and emotional states as well. It is not a jump to understand that if the animals, plants or people in your communities are sick it will have an effect on you.

"The energy we extend is immediately perceived, even though this may occur on levels that are less than conscious"? (304, Medicine Eagle) There is an exchange of energy. When I read this, I immediately thought about the example from class. When an animal is horrifically killed, the animal excretes hormones that make the meat taste less desirable and all of that fear based energy stays in the meat. That is what we are ingesting and taking in when we eat it. There is always exchange of energy. The Cherokee folk tale, Origin of Medicine, talks about how angry the animals were that men were killing them. The animals make up all types of illness to inflict men with and the friendly plants overhear and decide to help the people and furnish cures for each illness. (39, Penn)

Let us not forget our fellow humans. We need to connect with them as well. In Native American culture, "Tribal communities are wholly defined by the family relationships; the non-Indian communities are wholly defined primarily by residence, by an arbitrary establishment of political jurisdiction, or by agreement with generally applicable sets of intellectual beliefs." (pg 326) Though I do not know what this, (and most) cultures need to work on more than family life, "family is more broad of a term for the Native Americans. For, "Family in the Native American world is often synonymous with 'band' or even 'tribe', and one of the important aspects of maintaining the tribe is the relationship among its members, with Nature, and the world at large." (pg 75, W.S. Penn) Is it not easy with this ebbing energy that passes through all of us to relate to one another as family? By taking care of each other are we not taking care of ourselves?

"Too often we judge and separate ourselves from others rather than joining with them to work things out." (295, Medicine Eagle) Many, including myself, are guilty of disconnecting with people when perhaps the disconnection was not necessary. I have severed relationships over money, petty fights and miscommunications. There are examples of people joining together to solve a problem in the Seneca folk tale, The Origin of The Long House, the Mohawk chief was sad because he could not get the young warriors of his tribe to stop warring. The chief was open to learn from another chief, and then went imploring help from more chiefs to regain peace and strength in his tribe.(140, Penn) If we are not too proud, we can work together to lift ourselves and our communities up. In the Coeur d'Alene folk tale, Cosechin, Cosechin was a very mean man who was neglectful of his responsibilities to his relationships. The other tribe members pleaded with him to try and be kind, but he answered, "Heck with everybody." So together, the tribe banished him. He came back with a change of heart, being kind. It did not last long and when he went back to his old ways, he disappeared. (143, Penn) Here is an example of a group response to someone in their tribe putting out harmful negative energy. It is a lesson for youngsters to watch their attitudes so they do not bring themselves or their tribe down with useless attitudes of laziness and feelings of mean self centeredness.

Native Americans also have many ceremonies to strengthen bonds. Quoting

White Buffalo Woman, Brooke shares,

"In sharing the lighting and smoking of the Sacred Pipe, she tells us:

This, your individual human life, like the single flame that burns this

twig, is sufficient to light a great fire. As long as the love that burns

within you is turned toward self-centered pursuits, it will remain tiny

like this flame. Remaining tiny, it will bring you no joy. Eventually, in

the swirling winds of spirit, it will be extinguished. But when you are in harmony

with the Great Spirit, your flame of love is fanned by those same spirit winds. You

are in love with the very purpose of life! You light the fire of love in all you meet.

You know the purpose of your walk through this world, and you know why the

Great One gave you a life flame: not so that you could keep your tiny flame to

yourself, loving what you need only, but so that you could give it away, and

with the fire of your love, bring consciousness to Earth.'" (299, Medicine Eagle)

This sharing is a physical understanding of all we have touched on in this

paper. There is recognition of interdependence. There is an importance for us to come together to achieve

greatness, daring not only to care but to love expansively.

Going forth with any holistic healing, we must always carry the philosophy before the modalities. "The medicine we need will never lie in getting smaller or more exclusive; it lies in the direction of unity, expansion, inclusiveness, and caring. By reaching out through our arms and hands, we have the ability to bring the energy of our hearts to bear in a manner that restores wholeness." (300, Medicine Eagle) With the loss of intention, action is moot. Life is moot. I put the challenge before you to not only care, but start to love your communities. You may gain a lot of patience, friends and an understanding that you do not achieve with the hectic life we are accustomed to. Slow down, and understand the exchange of energy, the interdependency, then breathe deep because you have intention.