The National Wellbriety Drum
White Bison was founded in 1988 with a mission to bring 100 communities into healing by 2010. Originally, White Bison set out to help young people, but as it progressed, we discovered that we had to focus on individual healing first. We began to develop culturally-based programs for recovery and treatment of alcohol and substance use, and began working in Indigenous communities all over Turtle Island. As the need for these programs grew, a movement was born, and it became The Wellbriety Movement. Wellbriety means to live a sober life that is balanced emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. White Bison’s Mission today is creating and sustaining a grassroots Wellbriety Movement that provides culturally based healing to the next seven generations of Indigenous People.
The Wellbriety Movement has always been guided by a Council of Elders. As The Wellbriety Movement began to take hold, the Elders instructed us that the Movement must have a heartbeat to give it life.
In 2006, we designated the very first official National Wellbriety Drum, which was the Eagle Spirit Drum from Minnesota. The National Wellbriety Drum was to be present at all of our national gatherings in order to be the heartbeat of the Wellbriety Movement and provide the medicine of songs to our people to help them heal. The Eagle Spirit Drum fulfilled their 4-year commitment and helped provide some much needed healing to those that joined us at our gatherings.
In 2012, White Bison and The Wellbriety Movement was able to designate a new Wellbriety Drum. The National Wellbriety Drum is now comprised of a group of stellar guys that are located all over the country. They came from different drums with a wealth of experience in singing to form The Wellbriety Drum. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our Wellbriety Singers.
The National Wellbriety Drum will continue to be present at our national gatherings. We wanted to thank each and every one of these guys for the service they are providing to the People and to The Wellbriety Movement. White Bison is grateful for you all! Here is what each one had to say about themselves.
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