THE GATHERINGS
Background
The Healing Our Spirit Worldwide movement began as one person’s vision to create an international forum and movement focused on the alcohol and drug abuse issues and programs in Indigenous communities throughout the global community. Maggie Hodgson, a Carriere First Nation woman, began her lobbying efforts with the International Congress on Alcohol and Addictions (ICAA) and the World Health Organization in the late 1980’s.
By 1990, the ICAA included a special track on Indigenous addictions issues at their Berlin Conference. Attended by Indigenous peoples of Canada, New Zealand and Australia, this forum led to a discussion that became the foundation for a healing movement. Plans for this event began in 1991 with conference hosts Nechi Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Educations and the National Native Association of Treatment Directors inviting the National Association for Native American Children of Alcoholics as co-hosts. The event was named Healing Our Spirit Worldwide.
The first gathering in Edmonton in 1992 attracted 3,300 people from 17 countries of the world. And the celebration of our successes, programs and stories began. The second gathering was held in Sydney, Australia in 1994. The third conference was held in Rotorua, Aotearoa-New Zealand in 1998.
The Healing Our Spirit Worldwide events have been a cultural and spiritual movement celebrating the tenacity and resiliency of Indigenous peoples around the world in the struggle against alcohol and drug abuse. The fourth gathering of Healing Our Spirit Worldwide, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in September of 2002, expanded the vision with the inclusion of health and governance issues in relation to alcohol and drug abuse.
Mission
To gather in a cultural celebration inviting the world to share wholistic healing experiences of Indigenous Peoples in the movement toward healthy lifestyles.
Goals of the International Indigenous Council for HOSW:
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To enshrine and strengthen the spirit and intent of the HOSW movement. -
To share the knowledge, experience and outcomes generated through the HOSW movement.
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To support and strengthen links with Indigenous Peoples worldwide to network and share resources, research and information on health, healing, addictions and self-determination.
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Past Gatherings
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The Fourth Gathering - Albuquerque 2002
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The Third Gathering - Rotorua 1998
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The Second Gathering - Sydney 1994
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The First Gathering - Edmonton 1992
