CoChairs:

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Co-Chairs Representative Sharon Cissna Senator
Donny Olson
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Check out our website at www.akhealthcaucus.org
Filling the Need Traditional Healing
Wednesday, April 18th 2007 Noon to 100
PM Butrovich Room, State Capitol A light lunch
will be served
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Video-Teleconference Presentation Traditional
Healing and Allopathic (conventional) Medicine
Dr. Bob Morgan Dr. Ray Pastorino Dr. Kathleen
Graves
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(No Transcript)
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Maniilaq Tribal Doctors Program Presentation
by Chris Stein and Susanna Norton
From left to right standing Sue Norton, Chris
Stein, Nina Ahkpuk, and Evelyn N. Karmun sitting
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Maniilaqs Tribal Doctor program started in 1975.
It was founded by Della Keats and was called
Della Keats Healing Hands.
She trained others that wanted to learn
traditional healing because she wanted to insure
traditional healing for the Inupiat people of the
future.
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Completion of the training occurs when the
tribal doctor believes that the trainee is ready.
This results in graduation and independent
work. Tribal Doctors work to enhance healing.
Tightness of muscles, joints, ligaments,
migraines, and other similar symptoms bring
patients to these professionals. If the physical
injury or illness cannot be properly treated by
the Tribal Doctors, they are referred to other
appropriate professionals in the Maniilaq health
system, or beyond.
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This program serves Kotzebue and 11 other
villages. In order to obtain the services of the
Maniilaq Tribal Doctor program, a village
requests Tribal Doctors of their choice that
normally travel to the villages in groups.
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The region served by Maniilaq includes these
following villages Point Hope, Kivalina, Noatak,
Kotzbue, Noorvik, Kiana, Selawik, Ambler, Kobuk,
Deering, Buckland and Shungnak.
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Chris Stein Tribal Doctor Maniilaq
Association Kotzebue
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Chris Steins Uncle, Charlie Jones, was a Tribal
Doctor throughout the NANA Region and other parts
of Alaska. In the mid 80s he wanted Chris to
train under him. When Chris got sick, his uncle
helped him and Chris began to learn about what
helped and how it was done. With the
decision to enter training he entered the Tribal
Doctor program at Maniilaq with Tribal Doctors
Della Keats and Charlie Jones. His training was
helped also by Tribal Doctor Truman Cleveland. He
learned about the bodys circulatory, and
digestive systems and he agreed to learn and work
on dislocations, acupuncture and traditional
treatment. His training continued over 5 years.
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The Tribal Doctors provide care to 13 villages
in the NANA Region. The doctors also provide
care at the Alaska Federation of Natives
meetings every year, the Inuit Circumpolar
Conference, and often with Elders when they
travel to conferences. They have been invited to
the villages of Hope and Barrow. The Tribal
Doctors are requested to see clients from Nome,
Anchorage and other parts of Alaska. Tribal
Doctors were the only care available for the
people of Alaska in the states prehistory. For
most of the Inuit peoples, these health
professionals were relied on until the relatively
recent past as that was only care available in
rural Alaska.
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Tribal doctors work with hands and use medicinal
plants as important tools for treatment. They
can detect tumors, dislocations, cancer. Their
training gives them the ability to detect
different disorders, for instance, questionable
lumps. They refer these patients to Western
medical providers. On various occasions, they
detect problems before modern screening is able
to observe. Traditional medicine techniques help
Tribal Doctors to pick up problems earlier and
often prevent more serious health problems.
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Tribal Doctors also do blood work, and improve
the blood supply (referred to as the rivers of
life) through the body. They are often called to
work with strokes, heart attacks, blood clots.
Native people in the past kept in good health.
In addition to body work, Traditional healing
utilized medicinal plants. Certain plants that
can fight infections and provide relief. The
native people in the past were used and it
worked.
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Tribal Doctors take care of a lot of people.
There are a number of trained Tribal Doctors, but
the biggest challenges are funding or building
affordable facilities in which to train. With the
training that is being practiced at Maniilaq, it
has been proven to be an effective program, but
it operates on a limited budget. With
additional funding, Tribal Doctors could travel
to more villages. They would also like to help
more communities to have tribal doctors trained
and that live in each community. That would
allow communities to stay healthy and decrease
serious health conditions.
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Susanna Norton Tribal Doctor Maniilaq
Association Kotzebue
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An Inupiaq from Noatak, Susanna started working
as a Tribal Doctor with Maniilaq three years ago.
Her Grandma Alta Wilson taught healing hands
to Susanna so that she could take care of the
health of her young children and herself. She
spent the years raising her children while
working with Traditional Healers, including Della
Keats and others in the NANA Region.
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Through thousands of years they learned what
medicinal plants worked best. Stinkweed, for
instance, fills a whole lot of purposes. It
works like penicillin and other cures.
Hotsprings greens has good medicinal purposes.
It is not possible to compare medicinal plants
and modern medicines, but they were used and that
knowledge is still passed on to the younger
generation.
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Medicinal Plants used by Tribal Doctors   Sargiq
-- Stickweed Juniper (Berries are known as
Ravenberries) Cranberries - Lowbush Spruce
Needles Ice Warts Swallows Fat Porcupine Blackberr
ies Labradore Tea (Tundra Leaves)
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Maria Dexter Traditional Healer Norton Sound
Health Corporation Nome
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After 8 years as Certified Community Health Aide
in Golovin, trained as tribal health doctor
during one year at Maniilaq Tribal Doctor
program. Work as Tribal Healer, Norton Sound
Health Corporation, Nome.
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A Tribal Healer Work with hands, massage, on
muscles, ligaments, circulation of the body.
Work on shoulders, arms, and whole body. Also
work on the abdomen, digestive system. Do not
work on bones. When asked to help with injury
Ask when, and how injury happened, and if they
have seen a doctor. Depending on injury, broken
bones, swelling, if appropriate health problem,
refer them to a medical doctor.
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The most common problem Greatest problem is
back problems. Find the problem without
explanation, work on circulation, and untwist the
tendons and ligaments. After straightening out,
it puts muscles in right form and it opens up the
circulatory system of the body.
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Visit 15 villages in the Nome region. Villages
must send for and pay air fare, it is the only
way to travel because of the budget.
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White Mountain with its 200 people sends for
Tribal Doctor care. More often than smaller
villages. Elim was the last visit made and with
its population of 300, it was very busy worked
five days, and saw over 35 people. People
talk about being satisfied, feeling better,
hoping they can continue to get Tribal Doctor
care. They like the hands-on care better than
medications.
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The Clinic has tried to look for additional
funding sources to increase the number of Tribal
Doctors. They have applied for grants but are
unable to find matching funds. So when succeed,
they havent been able to use those grants. The
biggest concern is to get more traditional
healers for the Region.
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Tommy Jimmie Certified Substance Abuse
Counselor Haines 1990 - present
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What are the most significant cultural lessons
learned?   1. We are all meant to live in a
good relationship with ourselves, each other, and
with all things.       a. raven and eagle are
symbolic reminders to live our lives in balance
and in harmony.       b. our koo.eex'  models
this importance the box of daylight reminds us
that we are all related and, the story of hawk
and raven reminds us of the cycle of life and
death.       c. rituals of respect and of
gratitude  seal and bear rituals.
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What are the most significant cultural lessons I
learned? 2. Our attitude about life is
important.       a. ooligan are energetic and
happy people.       b. origin of the expression,
ho-ho whatever we harvest from the land and
water are not simply there for the taking, they
are provided for us. we must harvest with an
attitude of gratitude.       c. we must think of
our glass as half-full rather than as half-empty.
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What are the most significant cultural lessons
learned? 3. Don't give up there is always
room for improvement.        a. our maternal
uncles were our teachers they challenged us to
strive and endure.        b. salt-water bathing
was meant to help strengthen our mind and body,
to help meet any challenge we are confronted by.
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What are the most significant cultural lessons I
learned? 4. It is important to know who you
are.        a. all our history influences our
lives we need to know and understand those
influences.        b. if we don't know our
history, we are doomed to repeat our mistakes
over and over again. This is true for us as a
nation, as a tribe, and true for our individual
lives as well.
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What are the most significant cultural lessons I
learned? 5. We are responsible for our
health.        a. rites of purification were
always an important inclusion for any
endeavor.        b. lesson of the morning dew.
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Co-Chairs, Sen. Donny Olson and Rep. Sharon
Cissna thank you for participating in the
Legislative Health Caucus. A copy of this
powerpoint, as well as other up-to-date
information, can be found on our website
www.akhealthcaucus.org The audio file of todays
program can be found at http//www.ktoo.org/gave
l/audio.cfm (type in the date of this
Caucus). For more information, please call
1-800-922-3785