Charity Pitch: White Bison

When observing the entitlements some people have been gifted in life, simply by chance, versus the adversities others have been forced to endure, the vast distinctions are obvious to the naked eye. It is hardly difficult to assess the ways in which status, wealth, and opportunity can critically influence someone’s continuous trajectory, regardless of how much they may resist. As uncomfortable as it can be to acknowledge, many of my personal accomplishments may have very little to do with talent or perseverance, but rather be due to privilege I was born into. I can only imagine what my capabilities would be if I had not been lucky enough to grow up in a home where my parents loved and supported me, attended a school where I received a great education, and lived in a country where I was allowed to be educated at all. 

However, despite the tragedy of money and social standing and circumstance frequently predetermining some success, it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface into the most crucial factors that all but guarantee the failure of certain individuals. It can be straightforward to examine the material and concrete variables that contribute to structural inequality, but it does not account for the full extent of the weight that pins people down and prevents them from making progress beyond a disadvantaged upbringing. Other elements are significantly embedded in the root of inequality, but they aren’t addressed in the same way because they are less tangible and because it can be impossible for people without these disadvantages to truly imagine their effect, no matter how much they may sympathize. Physical misfortunes cannot produce consequences as impactful in their severity and longevity as psychological misfortunes. 

When someone grows up in an environment where they have notably less in some measured aspect they often inwardly place them below everyone else. I expect that person would internalize at least some of that placement when judging their own value as a person. Therefore, a great number of people who grow up having less will correlate that to them being worth less. It is indisputable that this mindset can irreparably damage someone’s belief in their ability to succeed so they will in turn have a much harder time succeeding. Depending on the scenario, this can create varying degrees of hopelessness and self-doubt, but in some circumstances this negative sentiment can be exacerbated to more devastating levels. 

One of the most extreme and heartbreaking portrayals of this can be witnessed in American Indians and Alaska Natives.The injustices that have been committed onto indigenous people for centuries have resulted in some of the pronounced displays of psychological damage. Prior to colonization, native tribes were guided and nourished by their healing rituals, ceremonies, art, and language, all of which they embraced on a physical, spiritual, and emotional level. These practices connected them, not only to their land, and to their beliefs, but most notably to one another. Upon infiltration from the Europeans, the communities were rapidly robbed of their resources, their land, their culture, and their lives. The European settlers forcibly removed tribe members from their homes, spread fatal diseases, and placed bounties on tribes, tactics which ultimately slaughtered 95-99% of the initial indigenous population that existed prior to the arrival of settlers. 

Following this mass genocide the persecution continued and a law was enacted in the late 1800s, which outlawed indigenous people from practicing their religion, a ban that lasted almost 100 years. Also, around the time of this law’s execution, boarding schools were constructed to become areas to educate indigenous children on Christianity and to erase their native upbringings. These church-run schools stole children as young as 3 from their homes, without their parents consent, and would contain them in the schools for several years during which they were not allowed to practice their religion or speak their native language. Additionally, it was revealed that many of these children were being viciously abused both physically and sexually. 

When considering the events that took place it is apparent that all the natives alive during this period, suffered from deep trauma. However, within the past two decades it has been observed within scientific studies that this trauma did not only infect the communities of the time, but was transmitted from one generation to the next and is currently prevalent in a large portion of present day natives. This phenomenon, known as transgenerational or historic trauma was first documented among children of Holocaust survivors and has now been measured in descendents of Japenese-Americans housed in internement camps, Africans Americans who were enslaved, as well as indigenous people across the globe. 

Based on this information, it is unsurprising to discover that American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest percentages of mental health and substance use disorders when compared with all other ethnic groups in America. The common diagnoses of depression and addiction are often compounded with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which has continued to bring tragedy onto these communities, triggering domestic violence, substance related deaths, child abuse, suicide, imprisonment, poverty, and physical health issues. It is still a common sentiment among many that this is due to indigenous people being genetically predisposed to addiction, despite the myriad of other more likely explanations for their substance use. The extreme intensity of the initial trauma forced victims to cope through self-destructive means, to dull the pain. This is magnified by the idea that the wrongdoings committed were never truly made up for or even acknowledged and to this day the American government continues to perform actions, which rob natives of their independence and dignity. 

I can only guess how the anger and fear and devastation continues to manifest within these communities. Also, many of these tribes have been conditioned to feel an inner shame for their religious and spiritual practices, due to the widespread efforts made to erase their culture. This can inhibit their ability to find comfort in their beliefs. Another factor to consider is the close ties the members of the tribe have to one another, which could result in them feeding their anger off of one another. These behaviors are prolonging their suffering and creating an environment where every child born there will learn to adopt this sentiment, thus continuing the cycle. While the government has provided substance abuse treatment to these communities, the treatment has always been identical to all other alcoholics anonymous programs and doesn’t accommodate for their other struggles. 

Following World War II, alcoholism spiked in Native communities and Don Coyhis of the Mohican Nation founded White Bison, a nonprofit for treating alcoholism in tribes. Gradually, their AA meetings started to incorporate healing rituals, art, and music into the setting. During this time, Coyhis performed scientific research connecting trauma with substance abuse and expanded the organization to treat all mental health illnesses within these communities, which developed into the Wellbriety Movement. This movement combines treatment of substance abuse with improving overall wellness and finding balance on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. There is also a key focus on the community coming together to receive treatment, give each other support, and spread the healing process. In summary, their mission is to inspire and expand the movement by creating and teaching culturally based healing and wellness, which can be transmitted onto the next several generations of indigenous people. 

The organization travels to tribes around the country to educate them about the treatment programs, train professionals who wish to lead the programs, and certify recovery centers in Wellbriety treatment. The organization has also continued consistent research to improve their programs and they have been developing some quantitative methods to measure the progress and effectiveness of those undergoing the treatment. They have a large range of diversity in all of their programs in order to meet the needs of all of the members of the community. There are certain programs dedicated solely to transgenerational trauma, others dedicated solely to substance abuse treatment, and some which combine the two in addition to other topics. 

The organization employs treatments for men, women, and adolescents, both separately and as families, as well as meetings that span the entire community. They also have programs specifically focused on preventing relapse through building and maintaining relationships of support and accountability for one another. White Bison also implements Journeys of Forgiveness in which members of the organization travel to the church-run boarding schools nationwide and the elders who attended the schools recount their experiences. They know that healing is only possible when anger and resentment is extinguished so forgiveness is a pivotal aspect of the healing process. They also know that through executing treatment on both an individual and community domain they are facilitating further spread of this treatment and allowing people to heal one another. Overall, this organization is making strides to treat trauma that has been hurting the indigenous community for generations through the connections shared between the tribe members and through promotion of healing and wellness. 

Danielle Stern