The Ho-Chunk Nation held its Sixth Annual Family Healing Camp August 4-6 at the Andrew Blackhawk Memorial Powwow Grounds in Black River Falls.

     This year’s camp carried the Hoocak message “Wooxetekine Wookixetewire,” or “Love yourself. Love each other.”

     Throughout the camp, participants took part in healing circles, cultural activities, educational sessions and family programming for both youth and adults.

     More than 20 learning stations offered activities including moccasin making, hand games, traditional medicines, corn husk dolls, language activities, lacrosse and weaving.

     Sessions throughout the week also addressed historical trauma and resilience, Ho-Chunk history, recovery, family relationships, clans, kinship, and traditional roles and responsibilities.

     On Wednesday evening, Navajo, Oglala Lakota, and Omaha brothers Nataanii Means and Tatanka Means brought music and comedy to the camp during a “Music is Medicine” performance.

     Returning for his second year at the camp, Nataanii Means performed songs reflecting his own experiences with sobriety, healing and reservation life.

     “I wanted to perform some songs that involve a lot of kind of my own personal healing, my own journey with sobriety, and dealing with, you know, reservation life,” Means said.

     Means also reflected on what he had witnessed during his time at the camp, saying he intentionally arrived on the first day to listen to elders, talk with participants and learn from the gathering.

     “You don’t see collective healing like this,” Means said. “You see the ceremonies, you see the gatherings, but when there’s something focused on collective healing, that’s very inspirational for me to see.”

     Means and others worked with several local youth during a Music is Medicine workshop, teaching participants how to write songs and record music.

     The youth also helped direct a music video filmed around the Black River Falls area, along with a short documentary showing the process behind the project.

     Means said programs centered specifically on collective healing are something he would like to see in more Native communities.

     “This is something that needs to be rooted in almost every Indigenous community,” Means said. “Beautiful, what you guys have here. You know, take care of it, nurture it.”

     Tatanka Means followed the night with comedy, bringing humor into an evening.

     The camp continued Thursday with a recovery panel, family support programming, healing circles and family sessions focused on roles and responsibilities and kinship.

     The three-day gathering concluded Thursday afternoon with participant feedback, a traveling song and lowering of the flags.