Healing arts collaborative blends culture awareness, massage therapy

 

By Marijke Fakasiieiki

Rachel Ferguson, founder and director of the nonprofit Sweet Grass Healing Arts and Wellness Collective, brings her Indigenous perspective, trauma-informed care, holistic practices, health care advocacy and passion for healing and equity to her professional and community life and the board of Better Health Together.

"I believe the creator and my ancestors are guiding me in this work. Prayer and learning to pray is important for the work we do, and the cultural arts and practices help heal the historical trauma from forced assimilation by the dominant culture and church. A big part of our healing journey is learning and restoring our cultural practices," said Rachel.

Rachel's parents both experienced forced assimilation and were forced off the reservation. Her father was in a boarding school, and her mother was sent to live with Catholic families. Her aunts and uncles were separated from each other. They weren't allowed to speak their language or learn cultural traditions. They were told it was witchcraft.

"My parents have passed, but when I share this work with aunts and uncles, I see them healing and remembering, as we do things like root digging, picking berries and connecting with the land and the water in the canoe journeys," said Rachel, whose tribal ties are to the Colville Confederated Tribe, the Spokane Tribe and the Kalispel Tribe.

"Teaching people that we can practice our culture without fear or guilt is healing," she said.

Her aunt still struggles and asks, "Why do you need to go to the salmon ceremony?" Rachel responds, "To pray for the salmon." Her aunt asks, "Why would you pray for salmon?"

"Praying for the salmon is a way of connecting with the salmon and decolonizing prayer," Rachel said. "We should pray for salmon and for the earth, and recognize all life should be respected," said Rachel.

While smudging heals, cleanses negativity and is an important part of prayer, she said her parents' generation weren't allowed to do it because Native American religion was illegal until 1978.

"When we go to pick berries, we make an offering and say a prayer. Most of the time, we practice smudging before we start our work to get rid of negative energy. Smudging is a positive, healing experience. Our prayers go up in the smudge smoke to the creator," Rachel said.

She believes it is important to heal and change the narrative to one that respects and celebrates Indigenous identity, including Indigenous practices. She believes churches must claim their part in restorative justice to heal the relationship between the church and Indigenous people around the world.

"The massage therapy has been central to my healing journey from surviving domestic violence and healing from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from physical violence I experienced," she said, pointing out that, for those who have grown up in an urban setting, massage promotes health, wellness, substance abuse prevention, pain management and improved mental health.

Rachel had no idea that massage would lead her on a path of healing. As a new single mother of two young girls, she waited on tables at The Davenport and Masselow's. She had gone to college, but her financial aid was on hold. Seeing an ad for the American Institute for Clinical Massage Therapy in Post Falls, she worked to put herself through the program.

"That was key to my healing from PTSD," said Rachel.

At Sweetgrass Healing Arts and Wellness Collective, she makes her services affordable, understanding that, while massage helps clients manage chronic pain and mental health issues, it is not covered by Medicaid.

She raises funds by selling smudge spray at the Festival of Fair Trade market in the Community Building. Made of sweet grass, sage, cedar and rose with a witch hazel base, it is used to clear energy and as a hand sanitizer or cleaner.

Rachel's work as a suicide prevention coordinator with the Spokane Tribe Suicide Prevention Program is an avenue to merge her nonprofit work with suicide prevention.

The Spokane Tribe has language classes and a bimonthly two-spirit group that focuses on cultural arts. They make things like hand drums and paddles. Classes are open to the community with one in Spokane and one in Wellpinit, both online and in person.

In addition, participating in canoe journeys and powwows gives the tribes a chance to connect, she said.

The salmon ceremony is an opportunity for tribes to paddle for salmon with people from the Sinixt Tribe paddling from Canada, the Spokane Tribe paddling from Davenport and the Kalispel Tribe paddling from Usk. They meet at Kettle Falls in June for the salmon ceremony.

Then, the Kalispel Tribe paddle that ends with their powwow goes to Sandpoint and comes back to the Kalispel lands.

"It's something positive for young people to be involved in because there's little for them to do on the reservation in the summer. It is a multi-generational event that gives families a chance to travel on the water as our ancestors did," said Rachel.

As part of her work to bring healing to area tribes, Rachel has served on the board of directors for Better Health Together for five years.

She is part of their tribal partners collaborative, which includes Native organizations focused on health, wellness and mental health in her area. She is also part of the Better Health Community Voices Council, an advocacy group for people who experience discrimination in healthcare.

Rachel sees how funding cuts are affecting the groups she works with, changing how they raise funds, moving them from focusing on grants to doing fundraising in unique ways.

"I'm still trying to be self-sustained because my organizations have teachers who need support, so sometimes my massage therapy funds go to them," she said.

Spokane tribal health and human services programs are forming their own clinic. Funding cuts affect their prevention programs for suicide, domestic violence, drug and alcohol, diabetes and mental health. Those programs will be moved under the tribal jurisdiction, she said.

"We hope it will improve services if we depend less on outside funding and administer care for our community," Rachel said. "With education affected, tribes seek to increase their sovereignty over services."

Elimination of the LGBTQIA+ suicide prevention line affects the two-spirit community, a small percentage of the Native population. Rachel's nonprofit facilitates a two-spirit culture group led by Will Dennison. It meets twice a month for prevention.

"It's sad we are taking so many steps backwards because of the political climate," she said.

Rachel added that reclaiming prayer is entwined with relearning language. Louis Bates, a Spokane Salish teacher and tribal storyteller, works with her. He learned Salish because he wanted to pray in his ancestral language. He teaches Rachel and his students the importance of prayer in his work.

"So, we focus on prayer. Just being able to pray in our own language is a blessing," said Rachel, who works with Louis, Will and Lacey Bacon to do workshops about picking and preserving huckleberries, Spokane Salish, plant medicine, cultural arts and canoeing.

For information, call (833) 490-4448 or email chelguson1@gmail.com.