Native Roots seeds came to fruition in ambitions to honor the traditional medicine people and to create an honorable space for them to comfortably share their ancestral knowledge and practices responsibly trusting that the students will be briefed and trained to respect the knowledge they will here forth be receiving and walking with it responsibly. Our first priority is to honor the elders and the teachers and to create an environment where they are able to channel their wisdom as the vessels and intuitive that they are. We uphold a strict policy of conduct from students who choose to join the journey of reclaiming and celebrating a spectrum of traditions. Should a teacher feel disrespected or uncomfortable with your presence you will be given up to 2 warnings and then you will be asked to leave the program. Healing requires dedication, commitment and hard work. It is not easy.Your reactions are your teachings and you may be asked to look at them deeper, going beneath it you will find the wound and you will be asked to work through your wounds, your pain, your reactions during the course of this program. You will be asked to do your own shadow work, to look deep within and with support and mentorship.
Disclaimer: Our teachers welcome all genders, all cultures, social classes and ethnicities. We are a microcosms of the world with our diverse “Hogwarts of the south west”. We are quirky characters that have spent the majority of our lives being of service to community, changing policy, and practicing ritual, ceremony, and walking with the medicine we are bringing forth. Almost all of us have created uncharted territory within our respective fields, have taken a stand, have endured incredible transformation as leaders and as servants to the medicine way. We bring forth all of that as humans and not as gods or saints. Please remember that this course, in a very human way is for people who value and honor the elder’s teachings, honor and support your fellow medicine siblings and relatives that are in class with you. We support them and hold space for them and the work they do in community. Its important we remember that our fellow medicine people are actually our support systems, people we will learn to love, rely on and count on in times of need to hold up the community, in time of your private practices, free clinics, in times when you need to pray for one another relatives you will come to together just like in all traditional circles this has been and this will be.
Should a conflict or trigger arise for you we ask that you follow our
Conflict Protocol:
1. If you have an issue that is going to take away from the class context and teachings we ask that you bring up concerns with the class facilitator or teacher after class ends so as not to take away from the allotted dedicated time for class topics. Our elders feel its important to honor the content. Should they decide that further class time may be dedicated to the topic, concern or conflict they will schedule a time to address it during class hours. This will be at the discretion of the teachers. Teachers are preparing spiritually emotionally and mentally before class. Please do not address conflicts before or during class as this can be distracting for them.
2. Address conflict with teachers and elders in the form of a humble question to give space for a learning and teaching opportunity.
3. Calling In vs Calling Out: Please see attached forms and links below.
Teachers students and facilitators come from many different backgrounds, generations and forms of communications. At times it’s possible that you may feel triggered, offended or have judgment of an action, terminology, or lesson. We invite you to come forth with humility to approach the content that triggers you and mutual accountability with kindness, compassion and curiosity through our “calling in protocol” rather than calling out. Passive aggressive, micro-aggression and directly aggressive communication verbally or nonverbally towards teachers or students are not part of the space we hold. We hold space for students to move through their process without holding ongoing judgement. This is the medicine the teachers carry, that you see the fullest potential, that you believe in your fellow students and hold space for them to obtain and build trust together, to enter into medicine circles together, to pray for one another, to create medicine and healing together.
4. You are responsible for your own nervous system and triggers to respond in a nonviolent and nonreactive way. Should you need additional assistance, training, support or mentorship our teachers are available to book additional support sessions, counsel, therapy, or mentorship via the Native Roots website with the teacher team.
It is not uncommon that as students start to do their own healing work that they may feel exposed, raw, be revisiting old wounds and traumas to repattern, experience a spiritual death and rebirth, or healing crisis. If you volunteer to be worked on during class know that trauma work, ancestral, intergenerational, somatic and childhood wounds may surface to be worked on. That as we dive deep with many medicines that rate of this work may feel overwhelming at times and can take extensive time and dedication for integration. We will cover how to work through a healing crisis in orientation and encourage you to ask for further support when triggers or obstacles come up for you.
Gender Fluidity in Language:
We have been working the past year with elders to discuss gender fluidity. And while many are enthusiastic about recognizing that gender is a spectrum, supporting and backing classes that include gender non binary people or gender nonconforming people they haven't yet integrated fully the language. They have asked for grace and patience with their learning and their practice with this. When they speak they channel from their heart and so the process of the brain intercepting their heart teachings to communicate in consideration of new language is a practice that we ask of them and one that they have agreed to with the condition that their is acceptance in their human error, support and reminders. Examples on how to respectfully call in:“I would like to call in awareness around the phrase “you guys”. I would like to call in an active and compassionate practice of changing our language patterns to bring in gender neutral phrases.”“Dearest teacher, its (triggering for me, feels hurtful, is upsetting) to me when those jokes were made today. I felt uncomfortable. Was there a teaching in this I missed?” This invites opportunity for you to learn, listen and receive the medicine of the teaching, the teacher, and to come to understanding together. This way gives the teacher an opportunity to come to awareness without feeling criticized, defensive, or like the teaching that is specific to you that you may need to learn desperately to come through. What not to do: Interrupt the class of an elder and say “That joke was offensive and you need to be more conscious of the fact there are people that might take offense to that.”
Resource links for "calling in": https://www.wnpr.org/post/listen-longtime-activist-loretta-ross-speaks-out-against-call-out-culturehttps://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/guide-to-calling-in/http://www.racialequityvtnea.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/09/Interrupting-Bias_-
Calling-Out-vs.-Calling-In-
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/spring-2019/speaking-up-without-tearing-down