GOOD MEDICINE
On view March 21, 2023 through Spring 2024
Art of the North Galleries, Third Floor, East Wing
Good Medicine brings together Indigenous healers and medicine people to collectively create, share knowledge, and practice in community. Unfolding over the course of a year with the work of different Alaska Native healers, this multi-disciplinary exhibition offers diverse opportunities for gathering and exchange.
Colonialism has attacked and suppressed medicine people and Indigenous knowledge systems for hundreds of years. This exhibition addresses harmful legacies and shows how the revitalization of healing practices and traditions provides ways of being in alignment with oneself, with community, and with our planet.
Curated by Tlingit traditional healer Meda DeWitt, Good Medicine emphasizes spiritual renewal, cultural renascence, and the importance of co-creating futures where nature can thrive.
Scroll down this page for related content, including upcoming programming and recorded talks.
In the Curator's Words
Traditional Healer Meda DeWit
Meda DeWitt’s Tlingit names are Tśa Tsée Naakw, Khaat kłaat, adopted Iñupiaq name is Tigigalook, and adopted Cree name is Boss Eagle Spirit Woman “Boss.” Her clan is Naanyaa.aayí, and she is a child of the Kaach.aadi. Her family comes from Shtuxéen kwaan (now referred to as Wrangell, Alaska). DeWitt’s lineage also comes from Oregon, Washington, and the BC/Yukon Territories. She lives on Dena’ina lands in Anchorage, Alaska with her family. Her credo is “Leave a world that can support life and a culture worth living for.”
Objects On View
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Inupiat Mukluks
Mary Sears
Tlingit Button Blanket
Natalee Wigen
Tlingit Octopus Bag
Ruby Soboleff
Related Content
Indigenous Traditions of Healing and Coming of Age with Meda DeWitt (Chatter Marks Podcast, Feb. 28, 2021)
Seclusion Hut: Traditional Plant Uses and Community Wellness (Crowdcast, Nov. 24, 2020)
Seclusion Rites: The Men's Roles in Building and Protecting the Women's House, A Conversation with Meda DeWitt (Crowdcast, Oct. 20, 2020)
Virtual Talk: Traditional Healing & Coming of Age:
A Conversation with Meda DeWitt (Crowdcast, Sept. 4, 2020)
Program Events
There are no upcoming Good Medicine events. Please visit the calendar to see all upcoming Anchorage Museum events.
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Walking Together, Working Together: Engaging Wisdom for Indigenous Well-Being
Regular price $ 35.00 USD
This collection takes a holistic view of well-being, seeking complementarities between Indigenous approaches to healing and Western biomedicine. Topics include traditional healers and approaches to treatment of disease and illness; traditional knowledge and intellectual property around medicinal plant knowledge; the role of diet and traditional foods in health promotion; culturally sensitive approaches to healing work with urban Indigenous populations; and integrating biomedicine, alternative therapies, and Indigenous healing in clinical practice. Throughout, the voices of Elders, healers, physicians, and scholars are in dialogue to promote Indigenous community well-being through collaboration. This book will be of interest to scholars in Indigenous Studies, medicine and public health, medical anthropology, and anyone promoting care delivery and public health in Indigenous communities.
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