Fijian healers visit local Elders

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Maria Campbell's home at Gabriels Crossing became a gathering place for traditional healers from September 10 to 12. Elders from Saskatchewan and Alberta came out to meet two Indigenous women from Fiji, as well as 10 community health students from Mozambique who happen to be studying at the University of Saskatoon.

The songs of both Fiji and Mozambique enriched the first night at Gabriels Crossing. While sitting around a campfire and singing, the northern lights came out for a spectacular show and they danced to the tune of distant rhythms.

The spirits of the guests were a little dampened on the Saturday because of the rain that had come. However, the Fijians were able to sleep in a teepee for the first time in their lives. Later that same day inside the historic home at Gabriels Crossing, Silina Masi and Maggie Vuadreu of Fiji gave a presentation of their women healers association, which is called WAINIMATE. They talked about their association and also discussed herbal remedies from such produce as ginger, lemons, eggplant, chili peppers, papaya, salt, and aloe vera.

Vuadreu demonstrated the technique that she uses to draw out small worms from a decayed tooth. One of the Mozambique delegates volunteered to have the treatment done, but no worms could be extracted.

"Maybe if I had a papaya stalk, it might have worked," Vuadreu said.

The Elders that came out were part of a group known as Protectors of Mother Earth. They took turns addressing the delegates, speaking about their own knowledge of traditional medicine. Although the Elders claim to not know very much, there was a lot of knowledge passed on. The Elders showed the plants they had brought and discussed what they are used for and also how they are used.

One of the areas of common concern for traditional healers from all over the planet is the protection of intellectual property rights. The Fijians work very closely with their government to make sure that scientists, pharmaceutical companies or other opportunists will not somehow appropriate their Indigenous knowledge.

The University of the South Pacific and the Fijian ministry of health will collaborate with WAINIMATE to research approximately 20 different plants in order to prove their efficacy so that they can be accepted into mainstream health systems.

The two Fijian women were travelling to different communities around western Canada to meet various interested groups, Elders, students and other individuals concerning traditional medicine. The South Pacific Peoples Foundation organized the tour as part of the Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Science and Sustainable Development Project.

The word WAINIMATE means medicine in Fijian. Masi is the coordinator for the association and a former nurse for the Fijian ministry of health.

"The doctors in Fiji met with the traditional healers and one of the doctors asked why are we learning about traditional medicine, are we to go back?" said Masi, who explained that in Fiji, there are more than 300 islands of which one-third are inhabited and in the outer islands, the medicine that reaches the nursing stations is usually expired, so when people need treatment they turn to traditional medicines.

WAINIMATE views traditional medicine as a practical part of everyday living in Fiji. Vuadreu is a traditional healer who uses herbs and also massage.

"Because we are Christians, we're not allowed to practice spiritual, but there are some healers who still do so using the Kava Kava," Vuadreu said.

WAINIMATE works with the plants and they are promoting sustainable development. Their theme is: Save the Plants that Save Lives. They encourage people to grow herbal gardens so that there will always be a good supply of medicinal herbs. Additionally, they have planted demonstration herbal gardens at the University of the South Pacific, and the ministry of health in Fiji.