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Tribe's tresiteinrDeinifi: center teaches
youths moire tbm "just say on"
uPride and hope are the main values taught at Nanitch Sahallie in Keizer.
January 1, 1999
By Oscar Johnson
Staff Reporter
Seventeen-year-old Joey Murray
was one of six youths to successfully
make it through Nanitch Sahallie's
chemical dependency program for
Native youths.
He says he was on his second year
at Chemawa Indian School in Sa
lem when his daily Marijuana habit,
bad attitude, and low-self-esteem put
an abrupt end to his high school
daze.
"Before I just didn't care," says Joey.
But after struggling through the
intensive eight-week program last
month, he has gained a few weeks
of sobriety, a better outlook on life
and says he is ready to turn from
negative peer pressure towards a
future as a lawyer or maybe a comedian.
Nanitch Sahallie is
nearing its tenth year of
helping Native teens like
Joey between the ages of
13 and 17 overcome
chemical dependency.
The residential facility
is one of only eight in the
nation offering one-on-one
counseling, peer sup
port groups, interim
school courses and what
Nanitch staff calls, "cul
turally specific" treatment.
About 23 percent of the nation's
Indian youth between ages 12 and.
17 reported using illegal drugs such
as marijuana, inhalants or halluci
nogens within the last year.
This was the highest rate for 11
racialethnic groups surveyed by the
U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services from 1991 to 1993.
While there was not enough reli
able data on alcohol use for this age
group, 1.3 percent of the youth re
portedly needed chemical depen
dency treatment.
But Nanitch Acting Division Man
ager, Candi Henry, says statistics do
not tell the whole story.
"Very few people are not touched
by alcoholism," she says. "And num
bers can't even begin to reflect the
impact of alcohol and drug abuse on
Native American people."
Henry believes this is due, in part,
to the historical assault against In
dian culture and spirituality.
She says just as Native America is
reeling from the affects of this as
sault seven generations later, it may
take another seven generations of
hard work to reverse the process.
"We try to teach kids pride in their
language, culture and traditional
tribal practices. And to have pride
in themselves," says' Henry. "With-
J :
Photo by Oscar Johnson
PROUD DAY: Family and
friends stand in line to
congratulate graduates of
Nanitch Sahallie's eight-week
recovery and treatment
program. This past session
was for male clients.
out it, recovery is difficult. Without
pride, hope is truly far away."
Nanitch is unique because it is
administered by the Grand Ronde
Tribe, run by a mostly Native Ameri
can staff and funded with federal
and state dollars.
The program also alternates be
tween all male and all female ses
sions. Teens from 47 different tribes ben
efitted from Nanitch's services in the
last year.
The program draws Native youth
from all over including Arizona,
Montana, Idaho and even Canada.
The state subsidy also allows for lim
ited reserved spaces for local youth
of any ethnic background.
But what makes the program truly
unique is its emphasis on Native
American culture.
"Whatever we do we always have
culture in the back of our minds,"
says Nanitch Counselor, Robert
Schmid.
In addition to learning about is
sues such as drug and alcohol de
pendency, anger management and
how to say no to peer pressure, teens
are also schooled in spiritual and
cultural values, Schmid says.
He says part of a client's treatment
plan might include anything from
traditional crafts and nature hikes to
parental approved sweat ceremonies.
Another cultural aspects of the
program is a Talking Circle which
gives youths a chance to share can
did thoughts and feelings with their
peers. . -
A four-day rights of passage re
treat called the "Four Directions
Walk" is also central to each eight
week session.
"It's an opportunity for the girls to
spend time with other women, na
ture, doing crafts and enjoy being
sisters and daughters being
women," explains Kacey Farrenes.
Farrenes has been a Nanitch
counselor for a year and helps lead
the all-girl sessions on their four-day
retreats. Male staff lead the all-boys
sessions. ; ,
Nanitch staff say chemical abuse
is not the only hurdle the youths
have to clear.
"I don't think chemical addiction
is always the primary problem," says
Farrenes, echoing similar state
ments made by her colleagues.
She says often teens are using
drugs or alcohol to deal with grief, .
depression, physical or emotional
abuse, low self-esteem or abandon
ment. . The program also includes a fam
ily component.
During the last week of the ses
sion youth's parents join them for a
five-day residential family program.
Parents are introduced to family
support groups available in their lo
cal area, taught how to recognize
signs of relapse and co-dependency
and also receive family counseling.
Val, who was on hand for her 14-year-old
son's graduation, says since
her son has been at Nanitch he has
learned to take responsibility for his
life and to make better choices.
But the veteran kindergarten
teacher from Browning, Montana
says her son is not the only one get
ting something out of the program.
"It's been a very good experience,
not only for him, but for me," says
Val. "By coming here we've learned
to communicate and accept our
selves." Val's optimism is what Henry and
other Nanitch staff look for.
"I watch kids leave here with some
hope," says Henry.
The kind of hope that Joey has as
he gets ready to punctuate the end
of his eighth week at Nanitch with
a commencement ceremony.
"I can make it in the out," he says,
referring to what he and his Nan
itch peers call life outside the center's
rigorous structure. "I don't need that
(peer pressure). School is more im
portant." Smoke Signals received permission to use
client and family names for this story.