Healing Through the Arts: Art and Spirituality

[OLChemist]

An article from The Circle on the collaboration between Sam English and Elizabeth Belcourt

Sam English & E. Belcourt

[Joe's Dad]

An article from The Circle on the collaboration between Sam English and Elizabeth Belcourt

Sam English & E. Belcourt

Good atricle. I want to talk about this when I get home this evening or tonight.

It has to do with warriors and the arts.

I still want to show you about twinkies and where I live.

[OLChemist]

This work touches on an area where out individual communities may need to think long and hard.

When we decide we want culturally appropriate/responsive therapies which incorporate western modalities, then we get into a host of issues. Not the least of these being money and comdification of culture. As at least functionally bicultural individuals, many of us want or need these services.

Even for most in the dominant culture healing, particularly of the human mind, has a spiritual dimension. For most Native people this is even more so. By default, healing involves praying and seeking spiritual guidance. But Western healing therapies and the professionals that practice them are inextricably bound with dominant culture structures that make for some serious cross cultural collisions. For example, the blanket "you don't pay to pray" is impossible when you're working with licensed professionals that have to have insurance, offices, equipment, etc. Directly through fees or indirectly through tax payer funded grants, you're paying to pray.

If we're strictly honest about modern money being an medium to secure our material needs and wants, we've always "paid to pray." If we hadn't, we'd have had one generation of people with spiritual callings, because they would have starved to death before they bred. You can hem and haw and say it was a contribution, they'd help those in need... But our pre-colonization communities had specialized roles and institutions for supporting those that filled those roles.

This is not to say the crass $500/head sweat lodge, wine, cheese and sleeze New age circuit riders are a good thing. But, we do need to face the facts. This practice is going to require the development of different institutions, which are going to by necessity have a dominant culture cast. We're going to be paying for professionals to help us pray and heal.

[wardancer]

If we're strictly honest about modern money being an medium to secure our material needs and wants, we've always "paid to pray." If we hadn't, we'd have had one generation of people with spiritual callings, because they would have starved to death before they bred. You can hem and haw and say it was a contribution, they'd help those in need... But our pre-colonization communities had specialized roles and institutions for supporting those that filled those roles.

I'll just say this , the ones I know of , that help folks , do so for whatever you bring , tobacco , groceries , and whatever few bucks you can give. There is no pre-ordained set price for helping folks. If I go and all I got is 20 bucks , or 5 , I won't be turned away. I do agree that there is an urgent need , but how far do we bend ? I'm not a full blood , and I'm not a purest , but there is a line somewhere and I just don't know where that is.

[OLChemist]

I'll just say this , the ones I know of , that help folks , do so for whatever you bring , tobacco , groceries , and whatever few bucks you can give. There is no pre-ordained set price for helping folks. If I go and all I got is 20 bucks , or 5 , I won't be turned away.

That the Native cultural institution, developed from a people's original instructions, if you will. Operating from the tacit understanding that these people and their gifts are important to our communal survival. So, directly and indirectly they will be supported. Within the fully indigenous context this works.

Where I see foresee problems is in cases where you have a western trained and licensed individual. For example, you have a licensed, therapist who uses spiritual practices/principles in their treatment -- analogous the Christian psychologists, some of whom's therapeutic approach rejects some elements of secular humanist psychological theory. This hypothetical practitioner has to have insurance, so on and so forth. And that has to be paid for somehow - insurance, grants, etc. Is the patient then paying to pray, as it were?

What happens when this person charges other therapists to learn their techniques? Is it different because in most Native belief systems I'm familiar with, there is some supernatural investment, which isn't going to happen in a classroom?

... there is a line somewhere and I just don't know where that is.

Absolutely.