Storytelling as Medicine

Applying cultural wisdom like a salve to 2020

This week’s feature article is written by Sophia Madrigal, 16, her sister Isabella, 18, (both Cahuilla-Chippewa), and mother Renda Madrigal (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) of the new Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit. Join the Madrigals as they partner with Dorothy Ramon Learning Center online at 6 pm Monday, July 20, 2020, for a live-stream (via Zoom) family workshop. Explore healing through art and sharing in Native storytelling.

Voices of the Ancestors as a Guide

“You don’t have anything if you don’t have stories.
Survival is contingent on his ability to keep telling the story, to continue the circulation of narrations and words that make up the past, present and future of Native American culture.” Leslie Marmon Silko Elder, writer

Sophia Madrigal is founding the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit. Her father, Luke Madrigal, was a traditional bird singer, culture carrier, and activist. His life’s work was promoting and preserving American Indian families and children. He believed in work that helped us remember who we are, that revitalized Indigenous culture, brought youth together with adults, and involved sharing the arts together. It is in that spirit that the mission of the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit was formed. Our world needs Native voices telling Native stories. We need youth and adults experiencing together, and bringing forth, the Indigenous voice of the ancestors as guidance for our lives today. 

Sophia developed an online Art as Healing workshop series this past spring, leading community members through an eight-week journey to find the wisdom of a traditional story by developing their own story. Twelve teen-agers, adults, and Elders explored how ancient wisdom applies directly to what they are facing in their lives today. Characters in the stories included a messenger goose that loses her flock, a palm-tree daughter who has land and animal allies, and a grandmother who sheds light on coyote stories. Wisdom gained included remembering who you are, no one is ever truly gone, life is about transformation, bringing compassion into the fight, and having a good and happy life. 

Native Storytelling in Action

The Native Storytelling Project joins the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit. The Native Storytelling Project began with the play Menil and Her Heart, written by Isabella Madrigal, about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and finding healing through traditional Native stories. After the debut at Dorothy Ramon Learning Center in February 2019, the play has been performed by non-actor community members throughout California in the last year and a half. 

The new nonprofit will offer Healing as Art workshops and a new play walking the landscape of grief, loss, and violence written by Sophia Madrigal, a student at Orange County School of the Arts Acting Conservatory. In addition, Renda Dionne Madrigal, Ph.D., is offering Mindful Family and storytelling for personal growth and healing workshops.  Her book, The Mindful Family Guidebook is scheduled to be published May 2021. It is based on connecting your circle to spirit, nature, and wellness. Isabella, now a Harvard University student, is taking the lead on developing workshops using Indigenous knowledge for social justice. More info: email.

Learning from the Elders: 2 Stories

In this video, Elder Ernest Siva (Cahuilla-Serrano), president of Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, shares the power of healing through storytelling with two stories from his Elders about anger:

Dorothy Ramon Learning Center is a 501(c) nonprofit that saves and shares Southern California Native American cultures, languages, history, and traditional arts.
Join us at dorothyramon.org and Dorothy Ramon Learning Center on Facebook.
Please tell us what you’d like to see in your newsletter: Email. Thank you! July 15, 2020