I told them my people can sense insincerity and they can sense defeat. They can tell if you think they are dysfunctional or hopeless or alcoholic or whatever other labels you can put on them
They can also tell when someone truly respects them and is willing to meet them on their own grounds.
In the Spirit of Medicine features the essays of Dr. Arne Vainio, an enrolled member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and a family practice doctor on the Fond Du Lac reservation in Cloquet. His essays on life, work, medicine, and spirit are published in News from Indian Country and you can find the link to this story here.