Healing the American Indian Soul Wound

Abstract

It was almost two decades ago that the authors became aware of the concept of a “soul wound,” although knowledge of what is characterized as the “soul wound” had been an integral part of indigenous knowledge ever since Columbus landed in this hemisphere and Cortez arrived in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Native people who were asked about problems in the contemporary Native community explained that present problems had their etiology in the traumatic events known as the “soul wound” Knowledge of the soul wound has been present in Indian country for many generations. Current synonymous terms include historical trauma (Brave Heart, in press a), historical legacy, American Indian holocaust, and intergenerational posttraumatic stress disorder (Brave Heart & De Brun, in press). In addition, there has been academic literature documenting the American Indian holocaust, thus bringing some validation to the feelings of a community that has not had the world acknowledge the systematic genocide perpetrated on it (Brave Heart-Jordan & DeBruyn, 1995; Brown, 1971; Legters, 1988; Stannard, 1992; Thornton, 1987).