Medicine Talk

On Any Given Day, the Miracle of Renewal

By Dr. Terry Maresca
Tribal Connections

When I was little, I used to jealously wonder why the Chinese got to have two separate New Year's celebrations. I wondered if they had to actually decide which day was most important to them. Their event seemed so important and exotic -- popping firecrackers, dancing dragons in parades, and the little red paper money envelopes for kids -- a poor kid's dream! It seemed like a better deal than what went on in my house -- banging pots and pans outside after watching the Times Square ball fall down on TV at midnight.

That was before I became aware that as a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) person, we also have our own tribal New Year's celebration legacy that occurs in the middle of winter. It is the most sacred event in the ceremonial cycle. The Thanksgiving prayer is recited to acknowledge all creation. We reconnect with family and friends; dance and sing and eat and drink the traditional foods. We are reminded of our Creation story, and what our original instructions as a people are on this earth.

By the time I experienced my first Midwinter Ceremonial, I was no longer a pot-banging child, but an adult and a practicing family physician. Fortunately, by then it was also obvious to me how lucky Iroquois and Chinese people really are. You can never have too many opportunities to start life over again.

This past year has been rough on many levels. In my extended family, health problems have been unusually abundant, from skin ulcers to seizures. In the tribal clinic that I work in, many of my patients are struggling too -- with broken relationships, breaking-down bodies, and worst yet, broken spirits. "Fix me, doc!" Heck, some days, I can't even keep my own New Year's resolutions. As my patients can see from the clinic window, our new medicinal herb garden still needs more work before the plants can go in. Even the medical students I teach have had their ups and downs, and that always leaves a teacher guessing as to her effectiveness. I feel the need to motivate and encourage them all, and myself too. I find myself wondering -- where do any of us find the courage to make life changes? How can this be encouraged when it comes to health?

At Midwinter 2004, I felt a strong need for the ritual cleansing of the "women of the house". This involves ash brought from your home fireplace. Our teachings tell us that all of the negative things we say and think and do end up there. To begin again, you first need to "wear" what you’ve done. Once you claim ownership of your problems, you can be cleaned off to begin anew.

This year, two things stood out to me. The first is how many of us have drifted from the traditional wellness teachings of our people that might actually promote our self-esteem and courage. We've chosen the bland "pots and pans" celebration model, where the New Year is just another day, and nothing is sacred. Maybe we make a resolution for self-improvement, maybe not, and we usually give up quickly. In contrast, how fortunate we are as Native people to have another viewpoint on health and unique opportunities to change. We can return to traditional teachings of right relation, good foods, respect for seasonal cycles, and for our ability to chose. By choosing this, we feed our spirit. When we do this regularly, we are able to make smoother and longer lasting changes. Our New Year of health can happen anytime we acknowledge these gifts, not just at Midwinter time.

In future columns, I hope to bring up issues related to health of the mind, body, and spirit, as my patients, family, students, and community are experiencing them.

Happy New Year to all, and Skennen (peace).

Terry Maresca, MD (Mohawk) is a board-certified physician in family medicine. She is the former president of the Association of American Indian Physicians, and a clinical assistant professor teaching at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Her medical practice with the Snoqualmie Tribe of Washington combines her Western and herbal medicine approaches. She maintains a medicinal herb garden at the clinic, and is a frequent speaker on the subject of combining Western and traditional approaches to health.