In 1985, I was introduced to Native American communities and their traditional spiritual practices. Along the way, I have developed some very long-lasting friendships. I have had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time around many of these people on and off the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota. Often I would attend spiritual ceremonies such as the Sun Dance, and during that time, it became apparent that many people needed physical body work.

We were always camped next door to a guy everyone called Doc who would provide acupuncture and general first aid to the community, as well as the Sun Dancers. I got to know Doc and eventually he invited me to come over and help out. It was quite an adventure, as I was not able to control the environment or do things the way I might do in my office. There was very little time available to even educate, so I just put on my Rolfing® Structural Integration (SI) gloves and got to work. All day and often into the night, people were coming in with all sorts of issues. Given my experience as a registered nurse, I was accustomed to assessing quickly and doing multiple tasks at once, so it was great fun to be that busy and help so many people.

Throughout the years, not always at ceremony on the reservation, I have had opportunities to work with native individuals who were coming through town to speak to groups, or make themselves available to teach others who wanted to learn their traditional ways. Many of them travel with very little money in order to provide healing ceremonies to the people, but they suffer a great deal in their own bodies from spending a lifetime on the road doing healing ceremonies, eating road food, sleeping in different homes all the time, and generally not having access to good health care.

Figure 1: Buffalo grazing at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota. © Sandy Collins.

One of my favorite situations working with native people has been while visiting a friend in North Dakota. She works with her husband, who serves as a minister, doing nonstop service work for the people of Cannonball on the Standing Rock Reservation. Almost all summer long, there are people from different parts of the country coming to Cannonball to support by volunteering at their church, which is called Tipi Wakan.

Figure 2: The author with an elder and teacher from the Lakota Tribe in South Dakota. © Jerry Rushing, used with permission.

I went to simply visit my friend, but found very quickly that my ability to work on sore knees, ankles, etc. brought a few people to the door of their home asking for help. I always loved it most when I would enter my friend’s living room to find three or four women sitting there supposedly “just visiting.” It was never long before one of them would start rubbing a knee without any words, then someone else would ask if her knee was still hurting – of course, it had been hurting for a long, long, long time – never once looking at me. It would go back and forth for a while until my friend would remind them with, “Do you remember that Sandy does Rolfing [SI] and she might be able to help that knee?” “Oh yeah,” they would say, “we forgot”. . . . And then everyone’s knee or shoulder started hurting. They always kept me busy. I have come to know them that way, and now when I call to talk to my friend, someone frequently gets on the phone to say hello and ask when I am coming back.

I have never once done a full Rolfing series on any one of these people as it has been impossible due to circumstances. So I have typically done two to three sessions in a mini-series as time allowed, or as they were available over a very short period of time. I do the sort of session that is needed in the moment without expectation that I will see them again. Typically it is area-specific for whatever aches and pains they have, and then I do what I can to integrate them to the point that they can carry on in their daily lives. When I return, I do a little catch-up and try to continue with some sort of coordination of work they have received before.

I have worked on the ground, kitchen tables, sofas, and benches, just winging it. There have been times when it has been extremely hot or extremely cold, and sometimes under the stars. No, it’s not standard, but practically speaking I remember every one of these people and most everything they said along the way. Some brought me little gifts, some said a special prayer for me, some just wandered in and then back out, but almost everyone was grateful for the little bit of time spent. I think I am the lucky one: I am the one who learned a little humility and respect for whatever comes my way and was touched by funny little stories, a smile, or a little pat on the shoulder. What a blessing it has been over the years.

Figure 3: Chief’s full eagle feather bonnet, Lakota. Placed for the purpose of a wedding. © Sandy Collins.

Figure 4: Horses at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. © Sandy Collins.

I have an affinity or a calling of sorts to give back to this community for sharing with me their time, energy, and traditional ways. I charge them nothing as they have contributed their knowledge to me, and that has contributed to what I have to offer the clients that I see in my office.Giving Back to the Elders[:]