Dealing with meth in Indian Country

Intertribal Native American leaders met Wednesday to discuss ways of curbing methamphetamine use on Indian reservations and agreed that the cure consisted of a large dose of going back to the basics.

A picture of a lush mountain on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation stood in front of the spacious hall of the HRDC Building on 5th Avenue as 54 people lined in to attend the Intertribal Methamphetamine Symposium. Most of those seated at the rectangular foldout tables were leaders of various local Native tribes. Moderator Jay Eagleman, a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, made the introduction and said of the anti-methamphetamine agenda: "We have been promoting wellness. Fight the good fight - we are looking forward to tomorrow."

The fight Eagleman referred to is against rampant meth use in local Native American reservations. According to statistics from the White Sky Hope Center, the Rocky Boy addiction treatment center, meth use has increased from 18 to 31 percent from October 2012 to September 2015.

To help illustrate the problem, Mike Geboe, one of the speakers and a substance abuse counselor from Rocky Boy, showed a short home-shot video of a confused, emaciated woman who was high on meth. As the video went on and the woman waved her arms like octopus tentacles, a large, round red splotch that stretched from her upper back to her neck became apparent, shocking many in attendance.

Geboe said meth users experience formication, which is the sensation of crawling bugs on the skin. So they scratch ... and scratch. Thus the grotesque rash. When those in attendance were asked to raise their hands if they'd seen such behavior in their community, 17 people raised their hands.

There has been talk of banishing meth users from reservations. Geboe clarified that at this point it is just that, discussion. The problem of meth use will be addressed in other ways for now. There are programs whose aim will be to get to the soul of the problem.

The first person Eagleman introduced was his nephew, Merle Gardipee, a tall man in black sweats sporting a goatee stubble. Gardipee opened with the ceremonial lighting of sweetgrass. A former meth user who has been sober for more than two years, Gardipee wanted those in attendance to know that there is hope.

"You can break the cycle ... you can go places. You can work the program, and it does help," he said.

As Eagleman introduced various speakers throughout the day, the recurring solution to the problem of meth use usually hinged on the spiritual.

"If you have good spiritual health, everything falls into place," Geboe said.

He mentioned that sage, cedar, tobacco, and sweetgrass are considered spiritual weapons.

"We have lost those traditions," said Durand Bear Medicine, another addiction expert.

He went on to talk about a Native culture that used to be ingrained in prayer and respect for elders. Bear Medicine ultimately emphasized that knowing their culture is the vehicle to wellness.

The last speaker before lunch was Pete Sutherland.

"I used to do meth. I was in prison. I'm going to share what works for me," he said.

Sutherland has a master's degree in addiction counseling, another in human services administration, and six years of addiction counseling experience. His in-depth presentation was titled "Grace and Methamphetamine." The solution, Sutherland emphasized, was based on relying on a higher power and a good support system.

Before breaking for lunch - roast beef and Italian sandwiches awaited everyone in the room - Eagleman had one more point to make.

"There's a different thing happening. We're going back to the basics," he said