ThunderMaker Wellness, founded by Ho-Chunk tribal member Hunter Thundercloud, is helping to reshape the way recovery and mental health care are delivered in Indian Country.

     Based in Arizona, ThunderMaker Wellness focuses on substance use and mental health healing through a holistic lens. The program ranges from six months to two years, beginning with a stabilization phase before transitioning into apprenticeships that teach life and vocational skills.

     “Our goal is more than just treating the symptoms,” Thundercloud said. “We want to instill pride, cultural identity, and real-life skills that can be carried with them long after they leave.”

     Thundercloud’s vision for ThunderMaker was shaped by his own recovery journey. After battling addiction for several years and facing incarceration, he entered treatment eight years ago.

     “I had three DUIs by 25 and did nine months in jail. I realized I couldn’t keep drinking,” Thundercloud said. “I got into heroin after that and struggled for six years before my parents sent me out here for treatment. My dad said, ‘I’m not going to let my son die.’”

     What began as a personal transformation became the foundation for ThunderMaker Wellness.

     “When I got clean, I started a sweat lodge at my house. That’s where I found my spiritual awakening,” Thundercloud said. “Culture saved my life.”

     Over time, he and co-founder Arrow Funmaker, who was also working in behavioral health, built a program rooted in both clinical and cultural practices.

     Today, ThunderMaker operates as a long-term recovery program offering psychiatric and medical care alongside cultural programming like sweat lodge, drum circles, and medicine harvesting. The center also partners with local farms to provide traditional foods through a food sovereignty program.

     “Lots of people in addiction don’t have stable lives,” Thundercloud said. “We focus on teaching basic skills, how to cook, clean, and maintain a home, while surrounding them with ceremony and community.”

     The facility currently has 17 beds, with renovations underway to expand to more than 30. All of ThunderMaker’s upper management and clinical leadership are Native, ensuring that the program remains grounded in Indigenous worldviews.

     “The culture stuff we do, we don’t have to ask anyone for permission,” Thundercloud said. “Everything we do is through a Native lens.”

     ThunderMaker also hopes to launch a women’s program soon.

     “The way women experience addiction and trauma is very different from men,” Thundercloud said. “We want to make sure that program is 90 percent women-run and built specifically for their needs.”

     ThunderMaker Wellness stands as proof of what’s possible when recovery is guided by identity, ceremony, and love for community.

     “If no one knows we exist, how can we help anyone?” Thundercloud said. “My goal is to build something that works, and then bring it home to our people.”

(Photo Credits ThunderMaker Wellness)