Katirvik Cultural Center recently held an event celebrating 20 years of Nome’s tribal healer program. Maria Dexter led the event with a speech about the hardships of keeping the tradition alive and how thankful they are to continue having tribal healing in Nome. She helped start Norton Sound Health Corporation’s Tribal Healing department in 2004. The other tribal healers from villages across the region came to celebrate the tradition. After speeches from each tribal healer, elders were invited to fill a plate full of native foods, including (ugrug) seal and walrus. For dessert, attendees could indulge in tundra delight and akutaq. The berry-based dishes were handmade for the occasion and were served alongside a sheet cake with the tribal healer department’s logo, designed by Mandy Ellanna. Then, a four-man drummer group led by Carl Topkok performed several songs as women from the audience took turns dancing.
Tribal healing is a cultural style of medicinal healing that has been passed from generations of Alaskan Natives. Tribal healers are accredited by the hospital and receive a certificate through a rigorous training program. The medicinal plants, such as stinkweed and rose root, are handpicked in the summer by the tribal healers. These plants are then processed into salves to be massaged into areas of pain.
