It’s extremely personally rewarding after a very difficult 10-11 months to be able to sit with some knowledge keepers and healers, offer them the vaccine, and pray together.
I think it’s a real landmark, hopefully a turning point for where we’re at in the pandemic. And it was a good opportunity for me to pause and reflect and really be grateful for the relationships that I have, the teachings I’ve received from healers and knowledge keepers who are present today.
I think it points to really strong collaborative and respectful relationships that we were able to say that we want to vaccinate our healers and knowledge keepers, and we want to have a ceremony at the site with them when we start the program. All of our partners were very supportive and facilitated making it happen.
And I think it’s a real critical part, when people are thinking about taking the vaccine, to have a group of respected healers and knowledge keepers showing how they actually are using both. We are praying and are using the medicine, drumming, and also getting the vaccine. There doesn’t have to be a choice of one or another.
We can use all of these tools in protecting ourselves and our families.
