In our fast-paced world, the idea of healing and wellness often revolves around medical treatment and technological advancements. Yet, there exists a deeper form of healing, one that extends to our inner selves and our connection with the world around us. Grandmother Rita Pitka Blumenstein, also known by her Yupik name “BAMIOVAN,” was a pioneering Yupik traditional Elder and certified traditional doctor in Alaska. Her teachings offer invaluable insights into self-healing, intergenerational wellness, and our connection with the environment.
“I grew up with the Grandmothers..,
Walked with the Grandmothers..
And learned with the Grandmothers…’
Grandmother RIta
Grandmother Rita emphasized the importance of understanding our past while not allowing it to define our future. She taught us to find balance in life, navigate internal struggles, and nurture ourselves while also offering healing to others. Her words resonate with a deep understanding of human behavior, urging us to be present and learn from our past and present.
Grandmother Rita’s teachings shed light on the interconnectedness of emotions, physical well-being, and environmental harmony. She spoke about how unresolved emotions can manifest as physical illnesses and the profound impact of healing, not only for ourselves but also for Mother Earth. This insight provides a thought-provoking perspective on how human behavior, emotional well-being, and the environment are intertwined.
“Emotions become physical, and the physical becomes emotional. Healing is about peeling. God said there is only abundance and the only way through, is to forgive. Holding on to negative emotions becomes cancer.., or another illness.”
“When we heal ourselves..,..we also heal Mother Earth…”
Grandmother RIta
Grandmother Rita’s teachings also stressed the significance of community and environmental connections in shaping our social behavior and overall well-being. She underlined the importance of respectful interactions with our surroundings and each other as fundamental to nurturing a healthy society.
Grandmother Rita’s guidance is a call for introspection and mindful living, a reminder to slow down and protect and cherish the precious environment that sustains all of life. Her teachings emphasize the potential for personal enrichment and the betterment of future societies through a deep appreciation of the interconnectedness of existence.
“The past is not a burden..,
it is a scaffold which brought us to the 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…”
Grandmother RIta
Grandmother Rita’s teachings, we have the opportunity to reimagine our relationship with our inner selves, our communities, and the environment. It’s a journey that invites us to prioritize harmony and interconnected wellness, a path that, if embraced and passed on, holds the potential to enrich not just our individual lives, but also the future of generations to come.
Robi Naranjo
Thank you for sharing, That is really good insight about holding in negative emotions becoming physical and manifesting in illness.
Maren Chaffee
Her teachings are inspirational, especially the impact of emotions or trauma on physical health.
Simone Smith
Hi Maren! I’ve enjoyed the videos about Grandmother Rita and your blog was great to add to what I’ve learned so far. I believe the key to saving our planet is listening to and learning from indigenous elders like her. She teaches the importance of community and knowing that we are all connected. Our white colonial capitalist society is all about individualism and keeping us separate. Teachers like Grandmother Rita teach us that we must come together, that we need to take care of each other because we need each other. Capitalism has brainwashed us into believing that we need to do it all on our own and then protect all that we earn, all that we ‘own’ to make sure no one takes it from us. This way of thinking has helped build a world where a few hold all the wealth and power and exploit the rest of people and the planet to keep that wealth and power and gain more. I believe indigenous teachers like Grandmother Rita can lead us back to wholeness. Like her quote “When you are in the hole, the way starts in the whole.” I’m just so inspired by and look forward to learning more from her!
Maren Chaffee
Thank you for sharing. I also agree that embracing a variety of healing modalities is crucial for personal growth and serving others. Traditional healing methods are increasingly sought after as complementary or alternative practices to modern medicine, recognizing the individualized nature of healing. Grandmother Rita’s teachings on universal interconnectedness and healing inspire us to expand our perspectives beyond our immediate surroundings. Her reflections on her ancestral experiences and the growth potential resonate deeply, offering valuable lessons for our own journeys. It’s heartening to see your enthusiasm for these teachings, and I also believe embracing them can lead us toward wholeness, learning, growth, and healing.
Sarai Gomez
I absolutely loved your Blog. You painted a picture that transmitted emotions. When I was watching the videos and heard Grandmother Rita say what you pointed out in your blog, “The past is not a burden.., it is a scaffold which brought us to the day.” it made me a little emotional. I have watched as generations before me, as well as myself hold on to the past in a way that it begins to hurt, affecting the current relationships we have. Its so important for us to remember that we can move forward, learning from the past and not allowing it to define us like Grandmother Rita encouraged.
Maren Chaffee
Thank you, Sarai! I wholeheartedly agree and found Grandmother Rita’s words about our past truly inspiring. We all face challenges in life, but it’s our ability to learn and grow from them that truly matters. Her teachings emphasize the importance of healing and personal growth rather than forgetting the past. I personally have struggles, and so has my family, and even the clients I work with often find it difficult to embrace this concept. It’s about putting in the work and gaining the knowledge, much like what Grandmother Rita advocates, to aid in this process.
Michelle Dunham
Grammas and Grampas! Family! Stories! The story of Grandmother Rita brought back memories of me sitting on the floor before my Grandfather as he told me stories and histories. Our generation overlooks the incredible wealth of knowledge and wisdom far too easily… If only we could learn to Listne.
Sharla Huckabey
I have loved everything I have read about Grandma Rita so far. I have enjoyed the videos as well. She has a way of expressing things that help you understand how to deal with your past and look at it as a path to where you are today. It makes me want to share about her with many people. So many people have trouble letting go of the past and remain living in it.
I like how you laid out your blog and enjoy seeing the pictures.
Maren Chaffee
Thank you, Sharla! I also appreciate how she communicates and teaches through her videos. I believe it enables individuals to interpret her words from their perspectives and apply them to their own lives. I think you can revisit her teachings and gain new insights, continue to learn, and grow.
John Da Broi
Hi,
I think we can all take something away from Grandmother Rita because we don’t need to dwell on the negative past but on how we will learn from that.
Elizabeth Jackson
Maren,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. I believe that natural cultural healing practices should be more utilized. I appreciate that you added in the crucial quote by Grandmother Rita “The past is not a burden.., it is a scaffold which brought us to the 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…” because it allows us to better understand the intertwining relationship between our current personal emotional or physical status and the past events that got us there. Well done, thank you for your inspired insights regarding cultural healing.