Nagibon, Herb. The Hollow Tree: Fighting Addiction with Traditional Native Healing. 2006. 118p. ISBN 9780773531321.
A member of Canada's First Nations, Herb Nagibon was forcefully removed from his family in the 1950s and sent to school where his heritage and language could be stamped out of him. The goal of the Canadian government by offering residential schools was to remove the "savage" from Native Americans and "civilize" them into Canadian society. Unfortunately, all this policy did was cause harm and destroy the social fabric of communities that were already marginalized.
Herb grew up dependent on alcohol. Always drinking, Herb moved from job to job, and from relationship to relationship. He lost an arm during a train accident for which he has no recollection. He had a couple of kids, but often found himself homeless. Despite his struggle with alcohol, Herb secured employment with the Canadian government. Eventually, his boss gave him one more chance: sober up, or lose your job.
Introduced to ancient healing techniques by the Cree elder Eddie Bellerose, Herb began to learn how to unravel years of damage to himself and to his mental health. He struggled through his addiction with the power of spiritual teachings of the First Nations, and the love that his people still had for him. Drawn from the four sacred directions, Herb reconnected with his own people's cultural and social practices, and in the process found the sobriety he had been missing.
Looking back, Herb realizes that his feelings of inferiority for being a member of the First Nations and his resentment at Canadians for taking his people's lands and rights away from them only served to undermine his own life and that of his community. Rediscovering cultural practices such as the sweat lodge and the smoking of the pipe reconnected him to his cultural heritage, and allowed him to escape the bonds of addiction. Herb now shares his experience so that others can see healing is possible, if one is true to oneself.
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