Healing Drum Retreat

Building a drum is a spiritual experience. Native drums give honor to both ourselves, Great Spirit, and Mother Earth.
Drumming can carry into many aspects of our lives. Kaye shares with us her recent gardening experience. “Since planting time is here we worked hard to create a big gardening area, a protected space for our vegetables [...]

We began our drum hide cutting party with the horse hides.  They were more flexible than the buffalo, but had a tremendous amount of pull in them.  Was this a display of the horse spirit, or just the fact that these hides were rolled?  Having known many horses in my lifetime, I know they can [...]

Just the other day while sharing a ride with a friend we found an owl feather in the car.  This car was closed up, and locked, and there was no way this feather could have been put there by intent.  It just appeared.
Who was this feather for, the owner of the car, or the person [...]

“This is a story told to me by my elders”, stated teacher Kaye Tahwakeena:
“Shaman says that within 30 miles of your birth place, that for every illness you would get there is a healing herb to aide you. The fight over land was not over control of the land, but for the healing herbs contained [...]

Kaye Tahwakeena, co-organizer of the Healing Drum Retreat, offered an overview on the healing properties of herbs and plants commonly found in our gardens. Many of these plants are overlooked or treated as weeds and nuisances, and are removed from our lives. We’ve lost touch with our history and knowledge of the healing [...]

In an earlier post we shared information about the Labor Day weekend and our giving space, teaching about medicine bags and dreamcatchers.  Call it a little practice for the upcoming Healing Drum Retreat.  For many this was an introduction, and while some do not carry the lineage of the native, we are all natives on this earth, [...]

Lobelia is a well known container garden flower, but it’s history demonstrates that it is one of the most powerful healing herbs.  Lobelia, known as Indian Tobacco, contains a nicotine like substance, and can be used by those seeking to “kick the habit”.   Lobelia is known for as a potent relaxant, to the mind, body and spirit.  It [...]