7. Healing Ourselves

RESPECT FOR ALL AudioGuide

“All life is dependent on all life. There is no separation. Everything lives for everything else. There is no separation. My Grandmother and Grandfather said that the animal, the vegetable, the mineral, the human, are all one. There is no separation.” —Kenneth Little Hawk, Mi’kmaq, Mohawk
NATURE HELPS US UNDERSTAND OURSELVES
“When you’re connected to nature, deeply connected with nature, there is a knowledge you can gain quickly that you can’t gain anywhere else. You learn to respect the signs of what mother nature is going to do. Listening to the sounds of the river and the wind, reading the sun and the sunset, reading the clouds and the mountains, is learning to read those signs in yourself.” —Otha Day

DRUMMING IS HEALING
Drumming has been used to promote healing since ancient times. From Native American medicine men to Mongolian shamans to West African healers, drums have been used as a highly effective form of healing to help people become healthier: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Current research shows that drumming reduces anger and stress, increases feelings of happiness, improves cardiovascular health, boosts the immune system, and even produces endorphins that naturally decrease pain in the body. Drumming also improves our intuitive nature. With group drumming and drum circles, extended periods of drumming (15 minutes or more) can increase a groups feeling of greater cooperation and community. When people drum together there is an increased production of endorphins which produce healing effects and happier, more joyful emotions. This is why Otha says, “We all just need to drum!”