Frazer Schools Hosts Healing Camp

When social worker Clover Anaquod with the National Native Children's Trauma Center first arrived in Frazer in the spring of 2018, she immediately offered her assistance to the school, which at the time the students had been feeling the blunt of many tragic issues.

Throughout the school year, Anaquod acted as both a social worker and, at times, the counselor for a school that had no full-time therapist. She even began working with some students on trauma-related issues and over time she began to notice a need among some of the students.

According to Frazer High School Principal Sonya Smoker-St. Marks, the school year was winding to an end and the two were concerned about what many of the students would have to do after summer school ended, leaving to fill the rest of the break on their own. At that time, Smoker and Anaquod began pursuing a culture camp that would focus on the students' cultural and traditional history and resiliency. As time went on though that camp morphed more and more into a "healing camp."

At the beginning, the camp would focus on the life of the students' ancestors and the ceremonies, it would focus on preserving and passing on culture and would help in healing through those traditional beliefs.

"We had a lot of tragedy in the school last year," said Smoker. "This would give the students an opportunity to heal and move past that grief." Smoker stated that some of the students had suffered primary traumas from normal life that were also causing secondary traumas in their lives. These traumas made learning almost impossible until the students could work through and process those experiences.

Smoker and Anaquod developed the groundwork and established that the camp would work on healing, bullying and social media/cyber safety, equine therapy and traditional culture. The camp was even rounded out by traditional foods such as juneberry soup, dry beef soup, tripe and fry bread.

The camp ran for five days Monday and Tuesday, the students were introduced to internet and cyber safety. Specialists were brought in to discuss cyber bullying and social media use. The group specifically addressed the permanency of the content students post on the internet and how that can negatively affect their lives down the road. Also as part of internet safety, the students received information on cyber predators, internet exploitation and human trafficking an issue that has especially affected Native women and girls in recent years.

Wednesday and Thursday focused on Equine therapy and traditional values. For that presentation the camp brought in John Eagle of South Dakota to teach traditional equine skills, discuss the therapy behind the practice and help build relationships between young people and adults in the school and their families.

"He has been teaching the kids traditional horsemanship and that animals have a way to help heal," said Smoker. She added that the idea is to break down barriers and open kids up to approach their life and discuss hardship and even trauma. She stated that horses – and animals in general – help bring down those walls because, "horses don't judge you like a human does."

Smoker said she was so impressed with Eagle's training and skills that she hopes to bring him back during the school year to teach the same skills to the entire student body.

According to organizers, anywhere from 15 to 30 students attended the camp and a number of family members joined them throughout the week. They also had four high school summer youth workers assisting with the camp's execution. Students that showed up for the whole week received a free carnival day pass to the Northeast Montana Fair as a way to boost daily participation.