David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace International Conference for Building a Healthy, Sustainable American Indian Community International Conference for Building a Healthy, Sustainable American Indian Community
Hocak Tribe Watch the Video Spiritual leaders and a medical researcher from the Hocak tribe in Nebraska talk about how their Transcendental Meditation practice is in harmony with their ancient cultural traditions —and the importance of a proposed new medical study on TM and diabetes.

The David Lynch Foundation has been teaching the Transcendental Meditation program to American Indian students in the middle school and high school on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska since 2006. The positive impact of the TM program in the lives of these children inspired the Winnebago Elders to learn to meditate as well. Among the many documented benefits of the TM technique, the Elders noticed an immediate and surprising effect: a dramatic reduction in the symptoms of diabetes, a health problem that plagues 80% of the Native American Indian population. Consequently, the tribe has now launched a major research study to evaluate the effects of TM on diabetes.

“I had diabetes for 20 years, and within two weeks of learning TM, I cut my insulin medication in half. I was also on two types of blood pressure medication, and now I’m only on one.” —Donald Bucky Pilcher, former tribal chair of the Sac and Fox Nation

“Diabetes is a devastating disease for the Native population. I do believe that stress is a precipitating factor for losing our battle with diabetes. Patients whom we see in our clinic who went through the Transcendental Meditation program have much lower blood pressure than other patients, and that stems from the low level of stress they have through the TM technique.” —Dr. Ahmed Mohammed, Medical Director of Winnebago Indian Hospital
“Patients whom we see in our clinic who went through the Transcendental Meditation program have much lower blood pressure than other patients, and that stems from the low level of stress they have through the TM technique.”—Dr. Ahmed Mohammed, Medical Director of Winnebago Indian Hospital Spiritual leaders and a medical researcher from the Hocak tribe in Nebraska talk about how their Transcendental Meditation practice is in harmony with their ancient cultural traditions —and the importance of a proposed new medical study on TM and diabetes.

In addition, as part of their efforts to create a healthier lifestyle for their community, the Hocak Elders of the Winnebago tribe have become interested in organic agriculture, renewable energy, and a variety of health and cultural programs. The Hocak Elders Council, Inc., is now working closely with the David Lynch Foundation to develop these initiatives on the Winnebago Reservation.

Today the vision of the Winnebago tribe is to be a model community, promoting healthy and sustainable living for economic self-sufficiency and stress-free life. The Winnebago elders are eager to share this vision and these effective, life-nourishing initiatives with all Native American tribes and reservations.

Prosper Waukon, a member of the Winnebago tribe and Director of the David Lynch Foundation’s Office of American Indian Initiatives, describes his vision to bring these programs to the more than 500 tribes in Indian Country:

“The long-range vision has always been for the Winnebago Reservation to serve as a pilot project, a model program in Indian Country. The organic greenhouses are in support of the fight against diabetes. One of the biggest obstacles to good health is our diet, and it costs to be healthy. Our people can’t afford healthy food, and we will give that out free to elders and diabetics.

“Wind energy is an economic development that can be very profitable on the reservation, now that President Obama has passed legislation for Indian Country to receive 100% tax credit for sustainable energy programs. We are hoping to give free electricity to all tribal members.”
Betty Earth“TM comes from somewhere else, but it wakes us up to what we are.” —Betty Earth, Council Elder Make a donation

In addition to the meditation and sustainable living programs, the Hocak Elders are creating language and culture camps to preserve the Native languages and Native American tradition. These initiatives will also be presented at the conference.

Prosper further described the role of
the Elders in promoting these programs:

“The Elders are the source for cultural integrity and they preserve the language. They keep the traditions alive and teach the young people. They teach respect for all things living and not living, respecting that nature has just as many rights as a person. They teach walking in the sacred way where the sacred world is the real world; the profane is the other world. They keep the traditions and ceremonies and they are the ones we go to for rites of passages.”

More funding is needed to implement all these initiatives and to provide scientific documentation of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on reducing the symptoms of diabetes. Anyone who would like to contribute is welcome to participate by clicking on the link below. Once the model community is established in Winnebago, coordinating efforts will bring similar programs throughout Indian Country.

“We hope that the diabetes study will benefit our local Native population and will be a starting point for us to move from the local Winnebago area to involve the whole Indian population in the country. I am sure that the studies will help us to control diabetes and decrease the incidents of development of diabetes in this country.”
—Dr. Ahmed Mohammed, Medical Director of Winnebago Indian Hospital

© 2009 DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.