Safety and Sovereignty
Ending Violence Against Native Women
Mending the Sacred Hoop works from a social change perspective to end domestic, dating, sexual violence, trafficking, and stalking against American Indian/Alaska Native people while restoring the safety, sovereignty, and sacredness of our women.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Minnesota, Mni Sota Maḳoce, is known to Indigenous people as “the land where the waters reflect the clouds.”
We hold this land as sacred and are the original keepers of the land.
MN is home to 11 Tribal Nations including Anishinaabe, Cheyenne, Cree, Ho-Chunk, Blackfeet, Oto, Arikara, Iowa, Assiniboine, Hidatsa, and the A’aninin.
There are seven Anishinaabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa reservations and four Dakota communities, results of land ceding from treaty agreements signed by the US and First Nations people between 1778-1867.
REWARD FUND FOR MMIWG2S
Mending the Sacred Hoop, Native Lives Matter Coalition, and the City of Duluth announce the creation of Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag “They Will Be Remembered Forever” Reward Fund for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit relatives in the Twin Ports, MN area. All funds raised will be used to encourage those with knowledge or details on the missing to report information.
What People Are Saying About Our Services
“This information has helped me work with victims better. I have a greater understanding of trauma, collective trauma, and how to work with it. Excellent information, everyone needs to know this!”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“I’m teaching a multicultural counseling graduate course and I was able to share a little bit about IFOT during the ‘Non-Western Indigenous Healing Practices’ and many of my students want to attend IFOT. This training has changed me completely.“
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“The victim panel presentation was very powerful. It brought more awareness to strengthen response for safety and increase the numbers for advocacy in my community.”
SA Training participant
“The training is relaxed and personal. It has given me a clearer vision of where we want to go and how we need to go forward in our endeavors with our grant. Thank you!“
Introductory Training on Violence Against Indian Women participant
“Most helpful with learning about Grant Financial Management, the direct and indirect issues and program challenges.”
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“It confirmed that a slow build is okay. Things take time. I appreciated that the presenter included their ancestors in a story. Learning about community collaboration, it was all new and informational.”
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“This training has changed my language and increased my skills IMMENSELY. I will be using all of the IFOT training to do a particular session with my clients. This has changed the language and conversations we will be having in sessions. “
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“It has changed my outlook and my judgement. Instead of blaming, I wonder what tools can help someone with trauma. It’s changed my thought process from less judging and more trying to understand.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“I have seen such great outcomes in therapy with trauma victims. The most amazing outcome was with a 15 years old boy experiencing nightmares after the tragic death of his mom. He was able to look at dreams differently and start to heal. I feel more confident working with trauma and not afraid. This has been life changing for me and my clients.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“I am more aware of how Native folks process trauma and how to help without superimposing Western ideas on to their experience. It has dramatically shifted my interactions away from talking about trauma to focusing on the felt sense of trauma. This has been life changing and transformative. Thank you!”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“Loved them being down to earth, sharing their personal experiences, and humor. I am so glad to be able to be a part of this, I feel super blessed and appreciate all the information.”
Principles of Advocacy Training participant
“I learned so much about the Indigenous worldview and post-traumatic growth. Reframing my brain was huge and this impactful teaching that the client already has all the answers/medicine they need has increased my ability to work with Native survivors. This new framework helps me remember how to have conversations about trauma. I will be using these tools in the community that I work with and foresee this having a HUGE impact for trans/bon-binary/two spirit folks. “
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“The training has helped me work with clients without judgement. To just notice and hold space for them to do their own work. This is a new way of collaborating with clients to heal and using nature to heal. This is useful information that includes historical pieces and a deep spiritual side that Westernized therapy doesn’t.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“Many of my clients don’t want to talk about their trauma or their lives. It’s given me better healing language, a hope, that Western therapy doesn’t give. I love the focus that people are not broken and post traumatic growth versus post traumatic stress disorder.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“Presenters were very knowledgeable and professional, presenting material in a way that kept my interest. Very well done!“
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“IFOT was the gift of a lifetime. It has transformed the work, not only for me, but for those I try to serve. It allows me to offer so much more relief with trauma from the past, including generations prior. I practice at a reservation where up until now, the only option was a colonized and very rigid shaming mainstream system often linked with the justice system. Since I have began to learn and implement IFOT, most of the community who want services are responding with results and healing. It honors the people in a way they can feel more and heal with so much movement.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“Learning the 8 step protocol, how to do contracts for Community Crisis Response (CCR) team was most helpful. Having the interactions to explore approaches to create community change, the spectrum of prevention wheel and graphs were helpful, it s was all new to me”
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“It helped with learning how to apply for grants. I am not too good with financial, but I took pictures to bring back to my tribe. Learning step by step how to utilize grant management systems was most helpful.”
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“I have learned so much about working with clients who are Native from this training. I have used it in my practice and feel that it has given me a much more sensitive and effective way to do therapy. It is VERY client centered, which gives me a different approach based on what the client wants to work on. It has been the best and most beneficial therapy I have ever learned or practiced.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“It was most helpful in hearing from everyone and what they do in their communities. Being able to collaborate with others and what they’re doing, hearing from peers in the state was helpful. As a financial person, I was working in a ‘silo’ and I didn’t realize how much our social service program was doing. Hearing from others makes it easier.”
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“This made me realize that there is much to do back home. This helps us rename what we teach. The training staff and presenters are a very powerful group of women. I’m taking away with me more than I’ve ever had from prior trainings.”
Sexual Assault Advocacy Training participant
“Thank you for reaffirming my desire to be an advocate. The Men’s Re-Education group session offered information that was very insightful in the area of conceptualizing and processing the attitudes, language, and behaviors of batterers toward their intimate partners. The information provided was new and constructive, it was presented with a very deep understanding of the issue and offered new methods and ideas. “
Introductory Training on Violence Against Indian Women participant
“This training has increased my understanding of the elements of PTSD on a deeper level and in a holistic way of responding to PSTD. As well as intergenerational trauma and trauma bonding. I recognize the need to reflect back to clients what I’m observing. I’ve learned how not to “tank” and reduce burn out. I will continue to use these activities personally as well. This program is EXCELLENT. The tools and techniques are priceless. I have learned to much to even write about, I will use the things I’ve learned for the rest of my living life.”
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) participant
“Networking was AWESOME!!! The trainers were inspiring and scenarios/roundtables was very beneficial. Great job.“
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
“Learning about other resources in Alaska was great! Everything was all new to me. It was most helpful in learning about grants and who can go to for advice.”
AK Project Implementation Workshop participant
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