Grandmother Rita
Yupik Traditional Elder
We can all learn a great deal from Grandmother Rita because through her childhood, the way she was raised, her community, and her spiritual connection to the universe she is very much so removed from the things that plague most humans in contemporary society. It is said that insights from our ancestors and in many indigenous beliefs that humans were created to be the caretakers of the earth. Sometimes healers can witness that even inanimate objects or people radiates some kind of energy or vibration. She is so centered and focused on healing and connection with others, which can have profoundly beneficial effects on both our mental and physical well-being. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to watch this enlightening video of a renowned Alaska native healer, displaying a connection between prayers, education and the awareness of our world, as mother earth. I enjoyed the songs and storytelling. Songs and dances have always had a profound impact on me. The sounds and rhythms of those chants promote mental and physical health. Healing songs are those that positively evoke emotions or memories, helping individuals cope with stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, and other difficult life experiences – the essence of harmony and healing. Those chants and songs invoke a communal reunion where each of us feels the connectedness to mother earth. Not only we are as “one” but we start to understand the meaning of life amid those rhythms, healing our physical and spiritual health. Our body and spirit are intimately connected. We must heal them together, and by association mother earth. Not only we are witnessing Yup’ik elder Rita Blumenstein as a traditional healer and mentor, but we can feel the interconnectedness of nature, the spirit world, community, and people. Our lives belong to us through our past ancestors and out of our future. When we heal ourselves, we heal mother nature.
A quote from her that is featured in the video that really stuck out to me was, “We are here for the universe” and this stuck out to me because it is a very rare point of view to have in life. Life is a journey intercepted by various interconnected points in our daily lives. Our world is a giant sphere of prayers where each of us need to share our ancestral wisdom, guiding us to exchange our multifaceted perception of our universe and cultures. Most individuals are very focused on themselves and their own lives and many do not search for meaning in life outside of themselves. A quote that also resontaed with me from Grandmother’ Rita is that she tells her granddaughter that “the whole universe is for everyone’s use… Nothing is to be owned… only shared”. This quote is the essence of Grandmother Rita connection to the universe, linking indigenous cultures and communal living and the the deep attachment to the land. This emphasize the notion of “togetherness”, and the rejection of individual ownership. I see a strong recognition of interconnectedness between humans and the natural world, void of materialistic envy. Following Grandmother Rita healing and quotes, the earth is a living and breathing entity, with its own spirit and consciousness. Our well-being is intricately interconnectedI and linked to the health and balance of our natural environment. Practices and rituals like Grandmother Rita performs seek to restore and maintain the balance of our natural world that has been passed down form generations. think we can learn from Grandmother Rita that a connection to the universe is healing in itself and that we need to humble ourselves and be reminded of everything that exists outside of ourselves. That is the foundation of “we are”. It’s also very interesting that Grandmother Rita was able to gain knowledge and wisdom from the grandmothers around her as a child because most indigenous children of her generation were put into schools where they were not allowed to talk in their native language or practice their own native cultures where the result of these schools ended up with many native cultures and ways of healing were lost or forgotten. Grandmother Rita shows us to cultivate a sense of respect for ourselves through the recognition of our position as a caretaker of mother earth. Our actions on ourselves and others have a direct impact on the health of our world, as shown by Grandmother Rita. We all need to aspire to a harmonious relationship with mother earth by cultivating respect, gratitude, and responsibility. I will remember Grandmother Rita’s words of wisdom to the world through her kind, compassionate eyes and soft-hearted smile radiating tho mother earth with tenderness. As Rita Pitka Blumenstein, Grandmother Rita, said “The past is not a burden, it is a scaffold which brought us to this day. We are free to be who we are – to create our own life out of our past and out of the present. We are our ancestors. When we can heal ourselves, we also heal our ancestors, our grandmothers, our grandfathers and our children. When we heal ourselves, we heal Mother Earth.” (2021)
Sean McCrossin
Hey Alex, I liked what you shared what was meaningful to you through Grandmother Rita. I remember taking an anthropology course and learning about native cultures. It’s scary how many languages we have lost due to the modern era. It’s almost like it was inevitable, since kids even being homeschooled and staying in their village are still being motivated enough to speak English rather than their native language so it’s proving to be a huge challenge to intercept. Grandmother Rita had a good message to share that I think you conveyed well that humility is a key component in getting the universe to heal.
John Da Broi
Hi Alex,
I am not from Fairbanks I’m not even from Alaska growing up in Los Angeles, California my whole life I have been used to bigger picture stuff and a fast-paced lifestyle where you are trying to balance so much stuff at once that you end up losing track of enjoying everything around you. Rita’s point of view is that stuff exists outside of what we need daily and maybe it was placed there for a greater purpose. I have appreciated learning more about Alaska natives while I have been up here and seeing Grandmother Rita’s point of view on life saying “We are here for the universe” For me this means that we don’t need to change for others we are perfect the way we are because we are here for something greater than the appeasement of other people.
Sarai Gomez
I also resonated with “We are here for the universe.” As a person who has no interest in religion or even spirituality, it did serve as a gentle reminder that the world does not revevole around me. I am, spiritually or not, connected to “the universe,” whether it be the people I interact with every day or the decisions I make for myself; it has a bigger impact than I could ever imagine.
Trinity Greer
Grandmother Rita speaks with such experience and knowledge. The quote you used from Grandmother Rita, “We are here for the universe,” is such a powerful quote that stuck with me as well. Something from the video that also stuck with me is, “With no forests or trees, the Yupiks said special prayers for the return of the driftwood each year. They also prayed for the animal spirits, for help.” They care for our earth and universe, and our actions have hindered it. As Grandmother Rita said, you pointed out, “Our actions on ourselves and others have a direct impact on the health of our world.” We need to be kinder to our world and treat it better. I love that Grandmother Rita strives to keep her culture alive. The video says, “Grandmother Rita has taught in over 150 counties on cultural issues, basket weaving, song dances, earning money for Native American colleges.” Which is so incredible and inspirational. I took an Alaskan Native class, and many cultural aspects of the indigenous cultures of Alaska have slowly become extinct due to modernization and the lack of knowledge. It is incredible that she is going to different countries to provide knowledge on her culture to help keep some of her cultural aspects, such as basket weaving, song, dance, and language, alive. Language is something that, based on my Alaskan Native class, I feel is one of the easiest things to forget about; as said in the video, “Yupik people struggle with U.S. policies… outlawing tribal language and tradition.” Grandmother Rita speaks truthfully and transparently, and I enjoyed watching the video. Your post also provided a good reflection on Grandmother Rita.
Ben Woods
Hi there Alex, I really enjoyed reading about Grandmother Rita! I also like the vocabulary and the perspectives used in your post. I like her quote, “We are here for the universe.” I like it because it backs up her perspective of “togetherness”. I firmly believe a life of service is a life worth living. To an extent, we all serve each other but in different ways. I watched a few videos on YouTube and now I’m curious about her history! I thought it was really neat to see her employed at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) as a traditional doctor! “I had a vision the ancestors told us to heal the world and we’d better hurry up!” I value this quote for two reasons (at this time, after just reading it). One, it’s selfless and shows that we need to value our planet. Two, it’s our responsibility! Who else is going to do it? There’s no one else but us! Let’s get to it! Great post, Alex!
Jackson Foster
This story is very inspirational just because of how it talks about the power of healing like I enjoy learning about how Grandmother Rita was able to grow mentally and physically on music and people around her and I agree that they are sounds and rhythms of music that promotes mental and physical health just because of how healing songs are those that positively evoke emotions or memories, helping individuals cope with stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, and other difficult life experiences and the essence of harmony healing and there are also music that makes us feel connected around existence mentally and spiritually.