Community Circle of Healing Gatherings
COVID-19, Collective Trauma, and Community Healing
The Southwest Indigenous Women’s Coalition (SWIWC) is Arizona’s statewide Tribal Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition. Since its inception in 2006, SWIWC has worked with most of Arizona’s 22 Indian Tribes to increase their capacities to respond to violence through education, training, technical assistance, policy advocacy, and culturally sensitive supportive services. SWIWC has the distinction of being one of two Tribal Coalitions in Arizona. Our sister coalition, the Hopi-Tewa Women’s Coalition to End Abuse (HTWCEA) primarily serves the Hopi Tribe. Our vision supports working toward safe Indigenous communities.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a type of coronavirus. Since June 1, the death toll for Americans is more than 1.2 million. Less data exists on those with long-lasting health conditions. Tribal communities across Indian Country were especially devastated by COVID-19. Tribal communities lost history keepers, language keepers, and entire families were devastated—losing elders, loved ones, family members, and cultural leaders. In addition to these losses, our ceremonies and cultural protocols were halted due to safety concerns. Loved ones died alone, and families grieved alone. American Indians and Alaska Natives are no strangers to collective trauma, which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines as “an event or series of harmful or life-threatening events that a group of people experience that has lasting adverse effects on their mental, physical, social, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being.”
SWIWC acknowledged the need for collective healing and utilized the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) to support their efforts. Through our ongoing work as a statewide Tribal Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition, SWIWC has heard the stories from Arizona’s Tribal communities and felt the need to opportunities for healing and connection. The healing activities shared at gatherings centered on helping the community work through trauma, grief, and loss caused by COVID-19. These activities included discussions on gender-based violence and intended to provide survivors the tools to work through their trauma and, by extension, help the community on a path towards healing.
Community Circle of Healing Gatherings (CCHG) commenced in three of Arizona’s Tribal communities thus far in 2024 over the course of four days. The first CCHG was in Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) in Parker, AZ, from January 17-20. Total attendees were approximately 179. The second CCHG took place for the Hualapai Tribe’s community in Peach Springs, AZ, from June 10-13. Attendees were approximately 104. Our final CCHG for 2024 took place for the White Mountain Apache Tribe on July 15-18. Attendees were approximately 104.
As SWIWC envisioned, planned, and implemented the CCHG opportunities, the impact of community healing was palpable at each gathering. SWIWC saw years-long estranged family members embrace after a couple of days of healing activities, and families shared valuable insights and solutions into the myriad social issues their community is facing. Families shared their trauma and grief and learned tools on how to support each other moving forward.
Healing activities included team-building exercises, during which attendees created their own “councils” to address the social issues facing their communities. The council created an action plan to address social issues and strategies for social change. Other exercises included breath work, recognizing trauma held in the body, mind-body connections, guided meditation, journaling, and reconnecting with culture through the collective healing process.
Our amazing facilitators, Waylon Pahona and Johanna Corpeno, provided all workshops, exercises, activities, guided meditation, and journaling sessions. SWIWC was on hand to provide information on our work and culturally specific information on domestic violence and sexual violence.
At least five more Community Circle of Healing Gatherings are scheduled before the end of 2025. SWIWC intends to host one final large in-person CCHG, inviting all Arizona Tribes that SWIWC visited during the project.
SWIWC has been focusing on collective healing for the past few years. In October 2023, SWIWC held the first-ever national gathering for families impacted by missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives. It was during this that we recognized the awesome power of collective healing. The sense of community and connection the MMIWR families created the blueprint for how the CCHG gatherings flowed.
The most impactful aspect of the CCHG are that the community members, and those most impacted by the grief and loss of COVID-19, MMIWR, DV/SA, elder, and child abuse, have the most valuable insight into how to heal the community together. SWIWC is proud to have been the conduit for those ideas to flow.
