A heritage of wellness.

1. A Heritage of Wellness
A symposium kicking off "Women's Health Awareness Week"
by linking the wisdom of the past to the vision of a future
of overall health and well-being for women and girls
everywhere.
Made possible by a grant from the Mary Elizabeth Conover Foundation

2. National Women’s Health Week
Elouise Pepion Cobell,Yellow BirdWoman
(November 5, 1945 – October 16, 2011)

3. Florence Nightingale
(May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910)
Linking The Wisdom of The Past

4. To The Vision of The Future
Marie Curie
(November 7th, 1867 – July 4th 1934)

5. Rachael D. Goodman, PhD, LPC
Assistant Professor, Counseling and Development
Program, College of Education and Human
Development, George Mason University, Fairfax,
Virginia

6. Elizabeth Warson, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, NCC
Executive Director
American Indian Art Therapy

7. Ricky Gray Grass, is an Oglala Spiritual and Community
Leader, Educator, Substance Abuse Counselor from the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

8. Ricky Gray Grass will present on the seven sacred Lakota rites in
context to achieving balance and harmony with respect to Native
wellness.
Elizabeth Warson will present on the Isnati Awicalowanpi (coming
of age ceremony) for Lakota girls, one of the seven sacred Lakota
rites (see attached final report). The purpose of this ceremony is
to empower young girls to embrace their womanhood.
Presentation format: PowerPoint with colorful slides from our
collaborative Isnati project, funded by the Open Meadows
Foundation.
Objective: Attendees will understand the meaning of rituals as a
form of empowerment for young women as well as implications for
their own communities.

9. 4. Strategies
1. Enhance the inclusion of traditional Lakota art
forms to reinforce cultural identity formation
2. Conduct individual interviews with Isnati girls
and mentors
3. Create opportunities for traditional Lakota
women to mentor
4. Share the impact of the Isnati Awicalowanpi in
a cultural appropriate manner
5. Influential Factors
1. There is growing community support
2. Families are showing an interest in creating a
star quilt (central to ceremony)
3. New mentors will be volunteering their skills
and knowledge this summer
3. Desired Results
1. Strengthen cultural identity formation
through engagement with tradtional cultural art
forms
2. Foster community support and outreach
through mentoring
3. Heighten awareness of Isnati Awicalowanpi
as one of the Lakota sacred rites
2. Community Needs/Assets
1. Need for coming of age ceremony to foster
healthy cultural identify formation in Lakota girls
2. Need for Lakota women to serve as mentors to
model and teach traditional Lakota lifestyle and
practices.
Coming of
Age
Ceremony for
Lakota girls

10. The Human Spirit and Resilience
on Pine Ridge Reservation
by Rachel D Goodman