TAHLEQUAH – While on his journey of sobriety, Cherokee Nation citizen Abraham Bearpaw created a program rooted in traditional Cherokee teachings and lifeways.
“Like many fellow Americans and Native Americans, I often drank to cope with whatever stress, anxiety – everything I was dealing with. Unfortunately for me, that became a problem,” Bearpaw said. “I lived in southern California at the time, and so I joined a recovery program there.”
Cherokee Nation citizen Abraham Bearpaw won the 2025 Cherokee Phoenix Seven Feathers Health award.
After Bearpaw noticed Native participants would join the recovery program – but wouldn’t stay long – he leaned into his traditional upbringing and believed there was something more to his path.
“It really just hit me that that was how we were able to live in balance a long time ago was our culture. So, I returned to practicing our traditional ways, and I created the program initially for myself,” he said. “I just felt like the ‘Walking in Balance’ curriculum, once it started working for me, would be another tool that our community members could utilize.”
Bearpaw was named the 2025 Cherokee Phoenix Seven Feathers Health Award recipient for his efforts.
“Our community members work very, very hard to make these events possible for our community. My family and my community, I’m just really grateful for them because it’s not just me. It really takes everyone to make things happen,” Bearpaw said.
Bearpaw recently celebrated 13 years of sobriety. He shares the tools that saved him with others throughout the Cherokee Nation Reservation, state and country with his “Walking in Balance” curriculum.
“I brought on Dr. Jennie Alexa Barnes, who is a former psychologist for Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health, and she was able to back up and support all of our cultural teachings with science,” he said. “It’s really kind of a bicultural program. We want you to be able to live in a traditional way, but at the same time we do understand the demands of modern society are a little different than what our ancestors were used to.”
The curriculum – which is certified through The Association for Addiction Professionals – focuses on mental health and wellness while looking at subjects like gratitude, mindfulness, self-compassion, sobriety, communication, perseverance and more.
Bearpaw goes over the topics during community classes where participants also have a meal, an open forum to talk and are able to immerse themselves in Cherokee culture.
“Cherokees have always believed in talk therapy,” he said. “In our ceremonial ways, when we go to the stomp ground – I’m a member of Flint Rock Ceremonial Grounds – we’re taught to forgive on a regular basis. Forgive others, forgive ourselves. This helps us be able to continue to connect with our community members, connect with the Creator. So, through those classes, we just laugh. People laugh and they connect. Having that support system, having that community is very important.”
Through the community classes, Bearpaw hopes to bring back a form of connectedness Cherokees once practiced.
“A long time ago, it was a big deal where you came from. We did not have a centralized government. Each tribal town – that was your community. That’s who took care of you, that’s who supported you,” he said. “I talk a lot about that social anxiety did not exist in Cherokee culture. We knew everywhere we went we were loved there, we were supported there, we were accepted there. We don’t have those spaces anymore, but that’s what we’re trying to create, and that’s what we’re trying to bring back.”
To offer the “Walking in Balance” curriculum and classes regardless of one’s financial standing, Bearpaw said the nonprofit Restored Access was created to help provide the classes at no cost.
“With a budget of just under $14,000, last year we were able to provide programming and free meals for 7,000 Cherokee citizens. We’re really proud of our ability to make things happen,” he said. “We recently just released the full curriculum and the videos online for absolutely free.”
Bearpaw said he has seen success with “Walking in Balance.” He added Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health also did a study on the class’s effect on participants.
“It found that 97% of our participants dramatically increase their scores related to stress management, coping skills and recovery,” he said. “We’re really proud of those results. It’s definitely working and we’re really excited that we can share this curriculum.”
Events and classes are for anyone regardless if they are Cherokee or what community they are from.
The “Walking in Balance” curriculum and videos can be found at wibwellness.com and youtube.com/@WalkinginBalance.
For information on classes or events, find Restored Access on Facebook.
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