Healing through song: Culture as medicine

Yahoo

06-03-2025

Nika Bartoo-Smith ICT + Underscore Native News
This piece was originally reported as part of NPR's 'Next Generation Radio' project and OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting).
'Hundreds of people have come in this room under addiction and sat there and drummed or sat there and listened to songs and changed,' says Aldo Garcia, whose traditional name is Puxtunxt, gesturing around a room at Painted Horse Recovery where he leads Wellbriety meetings. Garcia is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, with Assiniboine Sioux, Siletz and Miwok descendancy. 'That's just what this represents today, it's just nurturing to this community.'
For Garcia, practicing the Native American Washut faith and learning traditional songs have been a key part of his commitment to sobriety. Now, he helps to share these songs and raise his kids in the Washut faith, through the drumming group he co-founded, PDX WALPTAIKSHA.
Every Friday, community members gather in a room at Painted Horse Recovery, adorned with hand drums that hang on the walls, to practice drumming and singing traditional Washut songs. They hold services every Sunday, creating a space of healing and connection.
'There's a heartbeat that comes with the song. There's a story that comes with that song,' Garcia says. 'There's a living portion of that song that's actually with you, that's supporting you.'
Garcia currently lives in Beaverton with his three youngest sons. But he grew up on the Warm Springs reservation, raised by his parents and grandparents.
At 13, Garcia started drinking alcohol.
'It really was a form of generational trauma,' Garcia says, reflecting on the stories from his grandmother and her experiences as a survivor of the Native American boarding school system.
For decades into his adulthood, Garcia lived with substance use disorder.
In 2015, that all changed.
'My sobriety journey didn't start until I was 38 years old,' Garcia continues, his tattooed hands holding an eagle feather he wears around his neck. 'That's when I had a choice of losing my kids forever, or actually doing sobriety.'
"There's a heartbeat that comes with the song. There's a story that comes with that song, There's a living portion of that song that's actually with you, that's supporting you."
— Aldo Garcia (Puxtunxt) Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
On New Year's Day in 2015, Garcia got into an accident while intoxicated. A week later, with the encouragement of his community and friends, he decided to become sober. Facing DUI and drug charges, the courts temporarily took away custody of his seven children from Garcia and his now ex-wife.
Garcia stayed sober through months of challenges — from court, to fighting for custody, to his house burning down in May 2015, leaving the family of nine living in their car.
'I remember walking out, and it's the same house that I sold drugs in, and it had this dark feeling about it. That darkness of addiction, that darkness of domestic violence, that darkness of being a bad parent, the darkness of how many people came in and out of our home while we sold drugs as we're trying to raise a family,' Garcia recalls, remembering the last time he left his house as he watched it go up in flames. 'I remember just standing at the door as I was leaving, and this feeling of like, man, it's over. Whatever that is, it's over. It no longer holds power over me. And it was this feeling of this, just, release.'
That same month, Garcia returned to court once more. He was faced with a decision: try to argue his way out of the DUI, which his lawyer advised, or admit guilt. In that moment, he knew that in order to move forward, he needed to take accountability for his actions. So Garcia pled guilty.
Though he faced felony charges, the judge acknowledged his vow of sobriety, and told him she had been following his story via Facebook.
She asked him if he had remained sober. He said he had.
'[The judge said] You know what? If you remain sober, and you never come back in my court, I'll take that felony away,' Garcia says. 'Just go to treatment if you do it for your family.'
On January 8, 2025, Garcia celebrated 10 years sober.
Along the way, Garcia turned to faith in a higher power. In 2017, Garcia left the Baptist Church and started reconnecting to the Native American Washut faith, which he remembers his grandmother participating in when he was younger.
"My sobriety journey didn't start until I was 38 years old. That's when I had a choice of losing my kids forever, or actually doing sobriety."
— Aldo Garcia (Puxtunxt) Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
'Washut is a religion, but Washut, spiritually, in recovery, is having the ability to use those songs in order to build a program around yourself,' Garcia says.
Garcia dove into learning — songs, drumming, ceremony — and found connection and healing through community and culture.
'There's a living portion of that song that's actually with you, that's supporting you, with your voice, with the way you present yourself,' Garcia says, describing the healing power of the drums and songs.
Garcia began to learn traditional Washut songs alongside his three youngest children. Together, they would sing the songs in bed at night until they got tired, lulled to sleep by the melodies that have been passed down for generations.
'Raising them in this Washut way of life teaches them discipline, teaches them the greater good of being of service,' Garcia says. 'From the beginning, my sons have learned songs with me.'
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Garcia stepped into a bigger role, becoming a bell ringer, leading ceremonies.
In 2022, Garcia brought his drumming to Portland, co-founding PDX WALPTAIKSHA, which translates to PDX Singers. PDX WALPTAIKSHA is a drumming and singing group Gracia co-founded with Tashina Stahi (wy kush), who is Nez Perce and Yakama, and Lydell Suppah (suuthlmai tmna), who is Warm Springs, Grand Ronde and Lakota Sioux. The group meets for weekly meetings, practices and services they call 'body, heart and spirit' at Painted Horse Recovery.
They come together in song, connecting to culture as medicine.
'Once I got into the Washut faith and my kids did, it was, 'I'm no longer my own person.' I'm property of the people,' Garcia says. 'I'm property of the people, meaning that if I'm ever asked, I have to say yes, I have to do the best I can in order to be of service to that person that's in need.'
'I'm property of the people, meaning that if I'm ever asked, I have to say yes, I have to do the best I can in order to be of service to that person that's in need.'
— Aldo Garcia (Puxtunxt) Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs