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Native health, wellness leaders mark suicide prevention month with a panel about healing

Adrian Florez
/
KNKX

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and leaders from Native community health and wellness organizations came together this week to discuss strength, resilience and healing. 

Abigail Echo-Hawk is director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, a research division of the Seattle Indian Health Board. During the public panel Thursday, she said it’s important for Native communities to have access to resources for healing.

"All of us, when we step into our healing, we heal those next generations. We're healing backwards for our ancestors and forward for the next generations," Echo-Hawk said.

Discussions around suicide can often include a lot of data. Echo-Hawk said it’s important to look at the bigger picture.

"We talk a lot about the statistics, we talk a lot about the data, we talk a lot about what we do in our clinics and what we do in our communities," she said. "But sometimes we just need to have a conversation that reminds us who we are."

Echo-Hawk said there’s still a lot of stigma around talking about mental health struggles. Leaders from other groups in the discussion said it’s also important for Native communities to have access to resources that promote healing and help with navigating trauma.

Other participants in Thursday’s discussion were Echo-Hawk's sister, Elisabeth Echo-Hawk Kawe, who works with youth and in nutritional therapy and wellness; Jillene Joseph, executive director of the nonprofit the Native Wellness Institute; and Emma Elliott-Groves, a professor in the department of Learning Sciences and Human Development at the University of Washington. 

Much of Elliott-Groves' work centers on using Indigenous and land-based knowledge and practices to address social and mental health issues in Indigenous communities. She said the tradition of sharing stories between generations helps with healing, and builds relationships.

"There’s nothing more important than the relationships that we have in our lives," Elliott-Groves said. "The relationships with our plants, our animals, the natural world, our ancestors, our creator. And those relationships are what's going to continue to bring us strength."

Resources are available if you or someone you know is in crisis: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 Hours: available 24 hours Languages: English, Spanish Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741 Hours: available 24/7 StrongHearts Native Helpline 1-844-762-8483

Rebekah Way is an on-call news host at KNKX. She began her career in public radio as a news intern at KNKX, where she's also worked as an interim producer and reporter. Rebekah holds a life-long passion for music and also works as a professional musician and educator in the Seattle area.