Ceremony, spirituality the cornerstone of healing

Spirituality is integral to healing, says an Elder, a healer and a medical doctor who spoke with Windspeaker.

Bobby Woods, Gitsan Elder and founder of Native Spiritual Voices’ Society, didn’t always have his culture. He was forced to go to residential school and later ended up in prison. Woods saw that he needed something.

 “I wouldn’t be doing the things (I am) today if I hadn’t have learned about it. I tried all the religions you can imagine: Catholic, Muslim, Protestant… you name them, but I couldn’t understand them.”

It wasn’t until he attended a sweatlodge ceremony that he figured out what it was that suited him.

“What made me understand is I began to get involved,” he said. “I went to a sweat. I felt good when I came out. Then when I went out to fast, it was hard but it felt good.”

 What Woods liked about Indian spirituality is its genuineness and pragmatic approach.

“This is the truth; there is nothing phony about learning Indian ways.”

Woods said spirituality is part of our identity. Cree healer Harry Snowboy agrees.

“In Western religion, priests are middlemen between God/Creator and ourselves, Snowboy said. “We were given that responsibility... There was never a word for that belief system… it was life. Medicine people and healers were to just provide insight into the meaning of… visions.”

Woods says, “It’s the only truthful way of worship … Our way of life is not a religion. It’s a way of life. A religion is something you have to join.”

“Medicine men don’t tell you what to do; they tell you all kinds of things, and it’s up to you about what you want to do from there,” said Woods.

Dr. Marlyn Cook, who practices medicine in the James Bay region, said spirituality is essential to healing, especially when overcoming addictions and/or mental health issues. Cook said she doesn’t believe in treating an addiction with another drug. “I have never dealt with suboxine or methadone when I have an addicted person. I try to get them to see a healer.”

Cook shares an anecdote about a patient who was in pain and taking Tylenol 3s who Cook referred to a healer. When the patient returned about four months later, Cook said the patient was drug free and was being counselled by a healer.  More often than not, Cook said, “The patient who gets away from addictions are ones who start walking the traditional path.”

People who start walking those ‘good red roads,’ according to Woods, have a lot of freedom.

“In our way of life, each individual makes his own choices how he’s going to live.”

Woods and Snowboy both worry about the youth stepping up to the plate and taking their positions as the next generations of healers and Elders, because there are not enough to learn from.

Woods, who is 81 years old, says, “The Elders are leaving and the Elders that are around don’t know that much because of residential school. This is where our situation is today. We’re having hard times learning and practicing our way. Who’s there to tell us what it means?”

Snowboy says, “I worry about it. I don’t know if we’re going to have a next generation of healers.  A lot of healers I know have passed on.”

Like Woods and Snowboy, Cook advocates for spirituality and says it should be incorporated more into communities, because help will arrive if prayer is used. “We need to start planning our communities through ceremonies not planning through proposals and submissions,” said Cook. “We forget to ask the grandmothers and Creator for help.

“They won’t help us if we don’t ask them.”