The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sweet Medicine Nation, on the left, with participants at an international forum for native peoples held in Mexico. photo by Susan Springer A forum of indigenous people representing peoples from Alaska to Argentina was recently held in Mexico. Sisters resident Sweet Medicine Nation was the North American delegate.

She and the 360 representatives discussed issues of health, politics and law. One result of their forum will be a report for the United Nations.

Sweet Medicine Nation, a holistic health practitioner, was asked to attend to bring her wisdom on healing.

"We want our voices to go far and we want to make a difference," said Sweet Medicine Nation. She said one main purpose of the forum was to see that "we're all one people."

"We have boundary lines on a map we've been told about," she said adding that the forum attendees came to the realization that they were all dealing with similar issues regardless of country or economic status.

"A lot of these people actually come out of the jungle," said Sweet Medicine Nation.

She said lots of logistics and money were needed to get many of the elders together from remote places.

"These are real, everyday people working in villages," she said. It was important to have an honest representation including healers from isolated places who could hand down their knowledge of cures.

The forum was held in late September in the city of Morelia in Michoacan. Through panel discussions and demonstrations, representatives shared what they are doing in their countries. Because she doesn't speak Spanish, a translator was by her side during the entire week of the forum.

Sweet Medicine Nation has Chickasaw/Choctaw blood and, later in life, was adopted by the Lakota tribe. Her tribe honored her when they recognized her as an elder. She was not raised in a native way but always had an interest in healing.

Sweet Medicine Nation has studied broadly and has experience as a midwife and owned an herb store. Now she spends her time healing and educating.

She said some of her most memorable experiences came from the warmth of the people she met at the forum. One owner of a fine hotel in the hills invited some participants to be her guest one evening.

Sweet Medicine Nation needed to buy another suitcase because of all the gifts she received. She saw how interested the city was in the forum when residents filled the opera house for evening lectures. She also enjoyed the tropical plants and weather.

Sweet Medicine Nation said the international forum helped break down boundaries and helped people reach similar realizations.

"We came to these amazing commonalities," she said.