Description:
Sensing her ancestors, the author began listening to their messages and uncovered five generations of stories, starting with a Nez Perce chief who met Lewis and Clark in Idaho. The result is one family's saga--told with the intimacy of a memoir, the heart of a warrior, and the intensity of a woman on a mission to heal the soul of her people.
Brief description:
An enrolled tribal member of the Nez Perce tribe, Roberta Tawlikitsanmay' Paul, Ph.D., was born and raised on the reservation. She now gives presentations for survivors of intergenerational trauma, where she teaches that sharing stories is a Native way to heal wounds--but, she says, "If you don't know the story, you can't heal." Unearthing that past became her own first step toward healing wounds of racism, relocation, and assimilation. In addition, she teaches workshops on healing historical trauma using a ten-step model she developed--one she describes in Listening to the Birds.
Review Quotes:
"The manuscript is truly an Indigenous, Native American work filled with spirits, dreams, and knowledge. The author is a Truth Teller [who] offers wonderful ways to recognize and fight historical trauma, which is major contribution...Young people and their families carry many Soul Wounds, and I find this book manuscript to be helpful to individuals and families."
-- Dr. Clifford Trafzer, Costo Distinguished Professor of American Indian Affairs, University of California Riverside