By: Cameron Cassar
We’re all a part of the universe, and we all have a role to play. We need to do the internal work to be a good relative for others and be a good resource for others… you can bring resources to the community, but at the same time, you need to bring healing. Without the internal healing, it’s not going to stick…
Del Laverdure shares some indigenous wisdom.
… says Donald (Del) Laverdure, an enrolled citizen of the Crow Nation, member of the Ties the Bundle Clan, and a descendant of the Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians. Del’s words captured the theme of the “Healing Across Cultures: Integrating Peacebuilding with Local Wisdom and Practices” webinar, held on February 23rd, 2022. This webinar was convened by the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation and Think Peace Learning and Support Hub, which will also serve as an episode of the Think Peace Podcast: Where Peace Crosses the Mind. This event was co-hosted by creators of the Think Peace Podcast, GMU Research Professor Colette Rausch, and MHCR Communications Officer Cam Cassar.
Colette opened by explaining the event’s goal; then Cam introduced both guests: Del Laverdure and Dr. Euphrasia (Efu) Nyaki. Efu is a co-founder of AFYA: Holistic Healing Center located in the northeast of Brazil, a Faculty Member of Somatic Experiencing®️, and a Professor of Family Constellation System Therapy by Hellinger Institute. She also holds a Ph.D in experiential practice.
This webinar’s goal was to explore the range of peacebuilding practices focused on healing through a conversation with peacebuilders working within their communities using their traditional and indigenous methods. Facilitators asked participants to address questions such as: "How can local wisdom and practices expand our definition of ‘healing’?” and “What can we learn from indigenous peacebuilding?" After introductions, Colette opened up the questions by asking the guests about their journey and life experiences thus far that have paved the way for them to begin conducting healing work.
Dr. Efu Nyaki shares a story with the panel.
Dr. Nyaki answered by telling a story from her upbringing in Tanzania. She explained how she came from a small tribe and how her grandfather shared a story regarding the significance of their community. Their tribe had once been in battle, and some of the members were injured in the fight, but when they returned to their land, they were healed from their wounds by a snail who lived in their land. She also recalled her grandfather explaining that they do not attempt to remember the trauma but to remember the significance of their tribe because their tribe was given extraordinary healing power. This paved the way for her journey towards healing which started with her working as a teacher and has taken her worldwide from Tanzania to New York to northeastern Brazil, where she now calls home.
In Mr. Laverdure’s response to the question, he also told the story of his journey. He discussed how he was born into two tribes on a reservation in southeastern Montana. In his tribe’s tradition, children follow the mother’s tribe; this is the tribe that raises you, while the purpose of the father’s tribe is to make sure you maintain humility.This is done in multiple ways, and they both play a pivotal role in shaping the person you become. He also described how many members of the tribe served in the military, and these individuals brought back a lot of trauma. When coupled with the multiple generations of harmful federal policies, this impacted all members of the tribal region deeply. After seeing how this return of trauma-affected his community, he left his homeland to receive a Western education and eventually returned years later. He then made it his goal to act as a healer for the members of the tribe.
“Traumas happen in our current and past lives, and we fragment. Thinking leaves the body, and emotion is scattered. Healing is like being whole again.” said Dr. Nyaki in response to Colette’s question, “When you think of healing, how do you define that, and what does that look like to you?”
Co-host Colette Rausch directs a question towards the guests.
Both Mr. Laverdure and Dr. Nyaki shared anecdotes from their experiences abroad and shared their different perspectives of what healing looks like to them within their cultural contexts. Mr. Laverdure elaborated on his view of healing, “When I think of healing, I go back to the present. When you are fully present, you are not stuck in the past and not thinking about the future. That's where healing begins for me, with the present.” On the theme of being present, he also shared a story of the seven “grandparents” of his tribe: love, respect, humility, gratitude, courage, wisdom, and truth who he calls upon in times of need. He explained that when he calls upon them he is fully present and embodies these attributes (grandparents) in spirit.. “If my mind, body, and heart are in line, I can call in the spirit to align,” he declared.
“How do storytelling and truth-telling play a part in each of your healing practices?” asked Cam.
Co-host Cam Cassar fields a question for the guests
Dr. Nyaki explained: “stories are told for our healing, for prevention, and it is always going toward healing, healing of the tribe, the people, and for the younger ones about how to live.” also shared a story from her time as a therapist. She described how she discovered that some clients like to tell stories for the sole purpose of blaming someone else and do this without realizing the effect that harboring that negative energy has on their mind and body. She shared that these clients become aware of how their body feels when they tell their story, usually through their breath. They can then see why they are feeling the way they do, and by monitoring these bodily feelings, they can understand the root of their trauma. They then no longer need to tell their story and figure out a way to potentially heal from them. On that point, Dr. Nyaki closed this story with, “If we change the story of blame, victimization, and trauma, we can heal these conflicts.”
To close out the conversation, Colette asked, “If you were to give wisdom on reconciliation processes based on your experiences, what are pieces that you see as fundamental to these processes for them to be successful?”
Both guests reiterated the importance of presence in conducting these dialogues. Dr. Nyaki described how, in her practice, she has couples and opposing parties “pause and connect and unload the fighting energy and be present so they can look for the resources in the room.” Mr. Laverdure continued with this theme by mentioning how “We have to avoid othering the groups and rehumanize everyone and become comfortable with each other…we are the same in our humanity, focusing on our differences creates even more problems. When we remember our sameness we can relate.”
The guests both provided many examples and insights into what it means to heal based on their traditions and practices. They touched on many themes throughout the conversation, such as: spirituality, cross-cultural dialogue, the interconnectedness of the human experience, and much more. The discussion was highly fruitful and enlightening, their experiences as practitioners in their respective settings provide a blueprint for healing divisions within not only the US but on a global scale.
You can watch the entire webinar here and subscribe to the Think Peace Podcast: Where Peace Crosses the Mind on all podcasting platforms to stay up to date when the podcast version of the webinar goes live.
