“Good evening... thank you for including us in your work. it seems we indigenous people have so much in common with this intergenerational trauma imposed upon us. So glad we are exchanging information… we can help one another heal our people.”
So who is Don Coyhis you might be thinking? Here’s a short bio:
‘Don Coyhis is a member of the Mohican Nation from the Stockbridge Munsee Reservation in Wisconsin. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the founder and president of White Bison, Inc., an American Indian non-profit corporation that has the following vision: 100 Native American communities in healing.
White Bison, Inc is dedicated to developing culturally relevant treatment, prevention, and recovery materials to support the Wellbriety Movement.
The Wellbriety Movement is an effort to create the opportunity for individuals, families, communities and nations to live sober and balanced lives; healthy lives that are balanced emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.’
You can find out more about The Wellbriety Movement on our website. We also have extracts from an interview of Don by leading American recovery advocate Bill White.
Here is a taster from that interview:
"Suppose you have 100 acres full of sick trees who want to get well. If each sick tree leaves the forest to find wellness and then returns to the forest, they get sick again from the infection of the rest of the trees. The Elders taught us that to treat the sick trees you must treat the whole forest - you must create a healing forest. If not, the trees will just keep getting sick again."