Apache Wisdom

Nana:
LOOK AT HOW THE ANIMALS CARE FOR THEIR YOUNG:

Paul Ortega is a longtime friend, and is a Mescalero Apache. Although Paul is best known for his music, he was raised by his elders teaching him "medicine ways", and these teachings help link traditional understandings with contemporary human problems. When we see each other, here and there, we often talk about suicide prevention, healing, music, and art--he believes in the healing power of art. I asked him, years ago, about what was going on with young people and the violence--kids killing kids. Paul told me that when I got confused and couldn't figure these things out, that I should "look at how the animals care for their young".

The Apache elders began teaching Paul at a very early age and for the first four years, he was told to learn everything he could about water. After water, Paul was instructed to learn everything he could about plants for four more years. Then he spent another four years learning about animals. The last four years of teaching was spent in the study of human behavior. Paul Ortega reminded me that we human beings ARE animal. He said that human beings are always thinking about themselves and justifying what they WANTED to do. Animals, he said, aren't like that. When they have young ones, their primary responsibility is to care for those young.

As we visited, it became easier to see what Paul meant. From the time that the young are "in the nest" (in the home), the parent is firmly in control. Sure, the little ones are allowed to play and explore, however, they quickly learn what they can and cannot do. This is reinforced with a growl or a cuff of the paw that will roll them over and over--it gets their attention, but does not injure them. The young are not allowed to stray far and will quickly scurry to the mother if there is danger. Also, the mother will protect her young with a ferocity that far exceeds defending of territory or food.

Paul Ortega pointed out that there is no wavering or waffling about the parent wanting to go play bingo, or hang out with friends. He said that although we often say we have to work to support the family, this is also justifying what we want to do. We justify our lifestyle--what used to be luxury items are now necessities.

In conclusion, this Apache elder reminded me, that for the animals there are no ambiguities in the role of the mother or parent--no bingo, new cars, or fancy clothes. Their sole purpose is to raise, care for, and teach the young how to survive. 

Elk Standing:

 hmmm! we talk about the youth needing hope. we talk about the need for resilience--a learned thing.

what does this mean? what do YOU think it means? how were these taught in our traditional ways? what is/is not working in our families/communities/tribes today?

while this is "not on the test", it is important in "walking with our youth" and helping them learn about life and living.

HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION

Black Bear: 

Some years ago, I was asked to attend a community meeting at a small reservation in one of the western states. Two young men took their lives within a four-month period and the community was scared. They came together for comfort, for information, and to discuss what they could do to prevent further suicide attempts. They wanted to save their young people and achieve some sort of healing.

I had been invited because of my research in suicide prevention among Native young people, however, they did not specify what topic they wanted me to address, or, present on. I was struck by the size of the crowd. The total population of the community was only about 400 and nearly 175 were in attendance. I noticed immediately the lack of any young people--all in attendance were adults. Since I was the last presenter, I sat back to listen.

The first presenter was a Catholic priest in his 70's. He was gentle and kindly. He told the people they must have faith. They must pray. He said, "God loves us. Only He knows why these things have to happen."

The second presenter was a psychologist from the Indian Health Service. He spent all of his time talking about studies, giving statistics, and answering questions. "Why did this young person kill himself?" "Why did this have to happen?" "Why........?" At first I was a little irked. I thought, "If you want to know why this is going on, why don't you ask the kids, they will tell you."

I began to think about my role. I remembered watching grandmothers, aunties, or older ladies, and that whenever there was a death in the family, or some other trauma, they would always get busy doing something. They would begin to cook, for they knew the people would need to be fed, or, they would begin to clean--sweeping, dusting, picking up. It didn't seen to matter--only that they were doing something. Trauma, especially the loss of your children or other loved ones, creates a confusion, a depression, a swirl of negative energy that frequently prevents rational thinking. It looks and acts like a "black cloud" that hangs over you--it blocks the light and keeps you in a state of hopelessness. If one is allowed to remain in this state, our elders tell us "that one too will become ill". The grandmothers intuitively understood this and began to work, to do something--they undertook a task that would get them moving and out of their head.

Now it was my turn. I thought, yes, the people needed to have their faith reaffirmed and be told to pray. The apparent randomness and sudden violence needed to be put in some "universal or cosmic" order. The people also needed for someone to explain "why" to them. There was, however, one critical element missing. No one had told them how to deal with the intense pain, fear and loss, no one had helped them formulate a plan of action, and no one had given them tasks to do.  A critical component of prevention is intervention!!  And, intervention requires a plan, and, action.  The community and families must reach out to those that are high risk. WE need to take care of our own.  We must not expect others to do it!!

When we read these words, we see the “wisdom” of our elders—the wisdom that comes out of living life, in frequently harsh landscapes—becoming resilient through self-subsistence--understanding the natural world around them—“listening”, “seeing”, and “feeling” the traditional lessons of those that have gone before.

And, these lessons are still real today!

Peter Matthiessen, author of In The Spirit of Crazy Horse, crossed over this past week.  In his book, Matthiessen quoted Okute, or “Shooter” (Lakota), “We see the change in our ponies.  In the old days they could stand great hardship and travel long distance without water.  They lived on certain kinds of food and drank pure water.  Now our horses require a mixture of food; they have less endurance and must have constant care.  It is the same with the Indians; they have less freedom and they fall an easy prey to disease.  In the old days they were rugged and healthy, drinking pure water and eating the meat of the buffalo, which had a wide range, not being shut up like cattle of the present day.  The water of the Missouri River is not pure, as it used to be, and many of the creeks are no longer good for us to drink.”

WISDOM OF THE ELDERS:

by: Black Bear from the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana--an artist/scholar


The drum stopped and the plaintive song ended.  The circle of dancers slowed and came to a halt, looking at each other with bright shining eyes, still breathing hard, not wanting to cease.

Napi knew in his heart that a healing of the people had occurred.  This circle had come together in pain and fear, wanting to pray and lift the darkness that covered their community.  Now elders and young people hugged and laughed, and for a moment thoughts of those relatives who had taken their own lives were gone.  Napi knelt before the altar and smudged himself with the pungent sage and gave thanks to the Creator.

The curling smoke carried him to a night years before, to the Chuska Mountains of Arizona.  A wizened Navajo elder squatted over a crackling juniper fire and sipped his black coffee.  Napi asked him, "Why are our young people taking their lives?"  Napi waited for him to respond.  Some fifteen minutes passed before the old man replied, "We do not talk of death."  Napi waited for more, but none came.  His mind raced, thinking of the many young lives lost to the people of the Wind River reservation.  How could you not talk about death?

Napi remembered talking with a Wind River social worker about the clustering of suicides--all young people. There were many reasons given--alcoholism, poverty, joblessness, abandonment, loss of culture, sexual abuse and other forms of violence.  Napi knew that these were superficial and only symptoms of a deeper hurt.  The social worker said that many experts on suicide and prevention came to Wind River offering assistance and money for studies.  The tribes began turning away outside offers of assistance--unless there was something offered that the people did not already know.

The tribal government tried to mandate that there would be no more suicides.  There were many community meetings, but nine young lives were lost in two months!  It wasn't until they became very afraid that they began looking "inside" for the answers and turned to their traditional ways.  The spiritual leaders and pipe carriers performed a ceremony that had not been performed for sixty years.  The pattern was broken.  There have been suicides since then, but not the hysteria or clustering.

Suddenly, Napi understood what the Navajo elder had told him about not "talking about death".  Our traditional ways give us guidelines for living and for dealing with death. Our elders tell us that "to speak it will make it happen".  Death is such a powerful symbol that it is not good to speak casually about it.  There are ceremonies to help the people grieve and honor the passing of the spirit to the other side.  When the grieving is over, the people are to get on with their lives.  There are other ceremonies that help the people to heal.  There are also ceremonies to celebrate life and its passages.

But, we seem to have forgotten our ways.  Today, we mostly talk about them--we no longer live them.

With a rush, Napi came back into the circle of dancers now.  Tears came to his eyes.  Thank you Creator, thank you, for showing us the way.

Out of The Darkness, Into The Light!

Black Bear:

Out of The Darkness, Into The Light!:  Kids need a safe place to go to--We ALL need a safe place to go to!!

Was sitting in the waiting room at the optometrist today, waiting for my wife Joy.  I had my earbuds in and iPhone blasting--White Buffalo singing House of the Rising Sun.  I must have been jamming pretty good because this lady sitting across from him asked me what I was listening to?!

I let her listen to it, and she loved the bass, as do I.  She talked about her 17 year old son who was learning to play guitar and that he would really like it.  I told her about my involvement in suicide prevention among Native American youth, and the use of the arts--music included--to let them express themselves.  The look on her face and response was such a gift!

Turns out that her mother had taken her own life when this lady was three years old.  And, she had also tried to commit suicide when she was 13!  And, then, her son, had tried to hang himself when he was eleven years old!!  Damn!  Then she began to tell me how all of this had changed her life and the things that she and her husband were doing.  They lived in a small community, and began to "adopt" or take in young people who were hurting--this community was in a county that had very high rates of drug use--parents and increasingly the youth.  They converted a garage into a "play room" with video games and a pool table--refreshments were available.  The young people knew that they were welcome anytime.

One of the critical components of a crisis intervention plan, for suicide prevention, is identification of "safe houses" for the youth.  Young people "know" who they can trust, who they can go to, when the "darkness" starts closing in--a safe place.  Being in this place and around "good and loving" people gives them hope!

Michael Bucher -- You're Not Alone

This interview with Michael Bucher talks about the isolation and the pain that so many of our youth face today, and his songs "Never Meant To Make You Bleed", "Believe", and "You're Not Alone" speak to that pain, and, to let them know that they are NOT alone, and that WE care.