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.

Within the context of the World Health Organization’s new Global Strategy on Traditional Medicine (2025–2034), this article employs Indigenous Research Methodologies to examine the integration of Indigenous medicine into contemporary clinical practice. Drawing on personal reflexive ethnography, the author proposes moving beyond a dualistic framework and the notion of “second sight” toward a multifocal perspective that weaves together narrative, Indigenous teachings, and scientific discourse. This approach emerges from a mixed Indigenous and multicultural identity that articulates Indigenous medical practices, integrative medicine, and Western biomedical science. The analysis includes a critical review of traditional, integrative, and complementary medicine, biomedicine, gender disparities in healthcare, and the historical role of women, with particular emphasis on Sámi traditional medicine. Finally, the article discusses clinical experiences that engage with the four objectives of the WHO strategy: evidence, safety and efficacy, integration into health systems, and community empowerment