Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2025)
Page 3 Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs In Oregon traditional Native healing practices now covered by insurance The federal government has expanded both Medic- aid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, CHIP, for practices that would include sweat lodges and drumming, in Oregon and three other Western states. Jen Procter Andrews, of the Coquille Tribe, is a member of the Portland Area Indian Health Board. She called it a fantastic de- velopment which will ad- dress issues specific to Na- tive communities. “Native women die from pregnancy-related causes at twice the rate of white women and native in- fants die in their first year of life at a nearly twice the rate of white infants,” Ms. Andrews said. “And our populations ex- perience higher levels of other health issues like chronic liver disease, diabe- tes, high blood pressure, un- intentional injuries, and the list could go on. “But the expected result is better quality health and health outcomes in tribal communities really by im- proving access to culturally appropriate health care.” Access to cultural and ceremonial practices has been increasingly used in a number of settings where Native people live and work. Some advocates say being treated for illness and The sweat lodge is seen as a way to physically and spiritually detoxify, while drum- ming can replicate the heartbeat one first hears as an infant... injury with a more culturally relevant focus can improve outcomes. This is also in light of his- torical trauma, which in- cludes colonization, disease, displacement from tradi- tional lands, and the board- ing school era. Andrews said this open- ness to incorporate Native American values and ties to the land is important. It also allows healing practices in- volving communal gather- ings or plants to become more accepted among West- ern medical practitioners. “We see this in elder care facilities where community engagement is encouraged, or where many of our medi- cines are produced based on traditional plant medicine,” she said. “So there are hints of it here and there, but I think it’s definitely encouraging for being able to break open that wider concept of what health really means.” Many Native Americans find value in the plants their ancestors used for maladies, including forbs for head- aches, sage for cleansing the soul of negativity, and sting- ing nettle for stomach pain. Sweating inside a tradi- tional sweat lodge is seen as a way to physically and spiri- tually detoxify, while drum- ming replicates the heartbeat one first hears as an infant, and ties the listener to the earth. Advocates say there’s more work to be done in in- corporating traditional Na- tive American healing prac- tices into Western medicine, which has potential. But stigma and views of this ap- proach being an “alternative medicine” remain a chal- lenge. The expansion for Med- icaid and CHIP is on a pilot basis. It’s set to expire at the end of September 2027, un- less extended. Andrews is hopeful that it will continue. “Our indigeneity is unique because it encompasses the past and present treatment of indigenous peoples and includes the connection be- tween health outcomes and the environment in which we live,” she said. “Indigenous peoples’ en- vironment, the deep-rooted cultural beliefs, and other components that are not usu- ally found in our current, frankly colonial approaches to healthcare.” The Coquille Tribe operates several health clinics, including one in Eu- gene, well beyond its tradi- tional territory. June 22, 2025
