FAMILIES OF TRADITION
The Families of Tradition program is a weekly program designed to help family members relearn and practice
the traditional methods that made our Native American families strong. There are two important processes of the Families of Tradition.
The family learns how the Talking Circle process works and how to use to build healthy feelings and ways of thinking within the family
circle. Also the family learns to apply traditional principles, laws, and values to resolve family conflicts, make family decisions,
and ensure that each member of the family is heard and treated in a respectful way. Children are also included in the Families of
Tradition program for they too are a part of the family. They are included in the family Talking Circles at home which helps them
to learn that they can be heard and that the parents will listen to what they have to say. The DVD lessons in the series help family
members to create a family clan. Families of Tradition is based upon the Healing Forest model that is explained in the Medicine Wheel/12
Steps program and the Red Road to Wellbriety: In the Native American Way. The participants in the Families of Tradition program are
required to purchase the workbook and the Red Road to Wellbriety book.
Pre-Session Set Up
Step 1: Welcoming and Opening Ceremony
Step
2: Introduce the Theme of the Session
Step 3: Examine Workbook materials for the Lesson
Step 4: View Video/DVD Presentation
Step 5: Conduct
Talking Circle
Step 6: Small Group Work on Mind Mapping Activities with sharing
Step 7: Review what was learned the previous week
Step
8: Assign “Homework” (mind maps, journaling, Practice tasks at home and Closing
TALKING CIRCLES
Another major component
of the Warrior Down Program is the Talking Circles. It is usually here in the Talking Circles that many of those individuals who come
join the Warrior Down Relapse Prevention and Recovery Support Program begin to rebuild the trust that they have lost. The Talking
Circle helps them to begin the road to healing through the process of hearing others share their stories. These Talking Circles are
separate from those in the programs but follow the same format. We have a saying for the Talking Circles that says “Who you see here,
what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here.”
Opening Ceremony (Smudging and Prayer)
Item chosen for a talking tool
(Eagle Feather, stone, stick)
Theme (a theme can be used to help those in the Circle focus)
Closing
MORE
