A Book Report On “The Grieving Indian.”  An Ojibwe Elder Shares His Discovery of Health and Hope by Arthur H.; George McPeek

Book report written by Kevin Jesmer 3/30/13

While in Winnipeg, I visited the offices of Indian Life Ministries. They publish books relevant to Christian ministry among North American Indigenous people. I was given a book called, “The Grieving Indian” as a gift. It was required reading for the IMCO 2007 conference. The book was first published in 1988.  It has 120 pages and is a quick, easy and intriguing read. It is a Canadian bestseller. More than 70,000 copies are in print. A person from Indian Life Ministries told me that they can’t keep it on the shelves. I started to read it on my 1,000 mile trip back from Winnipeg Canada. I couldn’t put it down until it was finished. The following is a book review by myself, Kevin Jesmer. Some of the words were drawn from online reviews.

The book is a story about Art H. Art was “a separated child, a World War II bombardier, a preacher and an alcoholic. For 13 years, his addiction ruled him until he lost everything he loved and valued. He knew it was only a matter of months until alcohol would also take his life. Then in the nick of time, his wife took a desperate step that turned his life around, and Art was spared from being just another…statistic.” (on line review) He found deliverance through AA and became a grief counselor. “The Grieving Indian” “tells the painful lessons Art learned as he tried to rebuild his life.” As a white man, I appreciated seeing things from a native perspective. I especially appreciated reading the lessons learned from a Native Christian minister who have been through it all and came out on top by the grace of God.

After counseling literally hundreds, if not thousands of people, he came to a realization that the core issue behind a lot troubles of Native people, has to do with unresolved grieving. A person who does not allow grieving to go to its completion will suffer in so many ways. It will cause a chain reaction in their lives that will affect possibly three generations. There are anticipated traumatic events and unanticipated traumatic events. Anticipated traumatic events are events like one’s grandfather, who has been sick for two years, dies. An unanticipated traumatic event is when a teenage son dies in a car accident. When someone is subjected to an unanticipated traumatic event, there is especially a need to grieve. If there is no avenue for proper grieving then there is so much suffering for the person. It could be anger, depression, physiological issues, rage, hatred, antisocial behavior etc.

The author goes on to rebuke the churches. He asks the question of why is it that 75% of recovered alcoholics actually find deliverance from secular organizations like AA and not the church. He says the church should start partnering with the secular organizations or provide the services that the people require. He also stated that about 20% of the Native peoples are free from the negative vices, while 80% are struggling with various vices that are burdening them. The author asks…why are the churches reaching out to the 20% and not to the 80%. I learn here that we need to partner with all kinds of organizations to bring healing to the people. We also need to develop the appropriate programs and we need to reach out to those who appear unreachable to us.

As I was reading the book I was taken back by some of the statistics. The Native people are subjected to so many unanticipated traumatic events in their lives. Out of all the traumatic events in the white folk’s lives, 20% may be unanticipated. That means 80% of the traumatic events were anticipated and people could deal with them. The white folk can also access counselors for grief counseling. But, in contrast, the Native people are subjected to a higher percentage of unanticipated traumatic events. Out of all the traumatic events in their lives, 80% of these events are unanticipated. There are so many of these events. The author states that the average age of white folk is 75 years old. But the average age of Native people is 45 years old. One of the greatest sources of unanticipated trauma is the separation of a child from their parents. The separated child is talked about in a couple chapters. These unanticipated traumatic events happen quickly and people are not ready to cope. They also don’t have the resources to grieve properly and completely. There are cultural blocks that do not allow proper grieving. This creates a whole cascade of issues that affects their whole lives, for generations.

I could see the power of proper grief counseling. Art was a grief counselor. He helped so many people to work out their issues. He listened and gave wise counsel. The right counsel was all it took for many people to turn their lives around completely. I can see the need for Christian counselors who are sensitive to the needs of the Native community. I know of one ministry, Interact Ministries, that actually support people to study and become Christian counselors. http://www.interactministries.org/#/where-we-serve/canada

“This is a powerful, healing book. Every native person needs to read it for the help and hope it offers. Every non-native needs to read it for the depth of understanding it will give.” (Online review)  It has increased my depth of understanding. I could see the core issues. I can see part of the solution, the establishing of Christian counselors for the Native community. My heart was moved to be a better listener. I imagined myself placing a table on Front Street of Sioux Lookout, with a big sign saying, “I am here to listen” and just sit there and serve water and listen to people. I want to commit myself to be a better listener and becoming someone who can be trusted to give wise counsel, starting with the people around me. I could also see the cause of many of the problems. This helps me to see beyond the surface issues to see the need. My heart is moved to be part of the solution. May God raise up an a whole host of people who can listen and give wise counsel. May thousands of grief counselors be trained and find ways to interact with the Native people. Amen!