Skip to main content
Full Title
Yakama Women at the Longhouse—Huli-Carried Medicine and Traditional First Food Ceremonies. Part 1
Publisher
Fourth World Journal
Abstract

In this article Hailey Allen (Yakama) explores the role of traditional medicine among Yakama women as a vital expression of Indigenous knowledge and a fundamental aspect of Longhouse (Washat) cultural continuity. Referred to as the Seven Drums Religion, or Waashat and Washani, the Longhouse Religion of the Columbia Plateau, including the Yakama, is better understood as a spiritual way of life rather than a formal religion. This study employs an immersive, participatory framework, utilizing elder interviews, Longhouse ceremonies, ceremonial runs, and community knowledge, alongside the harvesting of sacred First Foods: salmon, roots, berries, deer, and water. These elements are central to Longhouse practice. Anchored in the metaphor of Huli, the Sahaptin term for wind, Allen illustrates how Yakama women embody the cyclical and relational transmission of knowledge, thereby fostering cultural continuity and ecological stewardship through generations.

Document
Attachment Size SHA-1 hash
01_Bridging+Worldviews_0.pdf 303.42 KB b327b142f491b7a5a6e904ed99d2a9d09deae26b
Document
Attachment Size SHA-1 hash
01_Bridging+Worldviews_0.pdf 303.42 KB b327b142f491b7a5a6e904ed99d2a9d09deae26b