Authors: Júlia Fortuny, Zsófia Rába and Francisca Seabra
For many marginalized communities, historical trauma is not just a distant memory, but an inherited pain passed down through generations. It’s more than a fact recorded in history books — it’s a personal, ongoing battle rooted in the violent legacies of colonization, slavery, and cultural erasure. These emotional and psychical wounds run deep, affecting individuals, communities, and even the environments they inhabit.
In this blog post, we will look at how Indigenous communities practice healing these wounds of colonization – intergenerational historical trauma or “Soul wound” as it is addressed in some groups. We will cover what healing looks like through cultural revitalization, reconnecting with the land and storytelling as an avenue to both healing and resistance. We will also explore the role that ‘allyship’ plays in a truth and reconciliation framework, and what community support from non-Indigenous peoples looks like on this path to justice through collective healing.
Unravelling the Soul Wound: Historical Trauma and Its Intersections
At the core of it all lies something going by the name of the “soul wound”, a term coined by the psychologist Eduardo Duran. It talks of an intense hurt deep down in the feelings that ripple through generations, born from collective suffering. To the Indigenous peoples, colonization meant more than just a loss of their land: it was a violent tearing apart of families, traditions, and identities. It left behind an open wound-one that is felt to this very day.
The concept of the soul wound is graphically reflected in the experiences of the Indigenous Peoples affected by the Indian Residential School system. In these schools, the destruction of Indigenous identity through the forced assimilation of children into the Euro-Canadian culture resulted in physical, emotional, and spiritual damage that rippled throughout generations. Survivors not only have to suffer the direct consequences of abuse and neglect but also harbour deep psychological wounds that shape their relationships, parenting style, and community life.
Today, this trauma persists in colonial narratives that continue to view Indigenous lands and peoples as expendable. For centuries, these narratives have justified violence against both the land and its people in the name of “progress.” They erase Indigenous relationships with their environments, portraying their lands as “unused” or “wasted” — when in reality, these lands are rich with meaning, history, and ecological wisdom. This structural disregard for their beliefs not only perpetuates harm against Indigenous peoples but also fuels ongoing environmental exploitation.
Healing Historical Trauma: Culture, Land, and Storytelling as Medicine
Healing from such deep, intergenerational pain is not easy, yet Indigenous communities around the world have found powerful ways to begin. This process is not just about addressing past traumas; it’s also about reclaiming culture, reconnecting with the land, and telling new stories that honour both the past and the future.
Cultural Revitalization: Reclaiming Identity
For many Indigenous peoples, cultural revitalization has been a lifeline. Through the restoration of traditional practices, languages, and belief systems they are reconnecting with their roots, peoples and communities.
The Anishinabek people have been at the forefront of such efforts. Through the revitalization of their language, Anishinaabemowin, and traditional practices such as ceremonies, storytelling, and land-based activities, they are reclaiming their heritage. This process of cultural restoration goes beyond simply remembering the past; it is a source of strength that helps communities move forward. By revitalizing indigenous traditions, communities actively resist continuous attempts of cultural assimilation and erasure.
For residential school survivor Solomon King, an Anishinaabe artist, cultural restoration has gone deep into the roots of healing. He created the work called Restoration of Identity – a public monument in Toronto in the shape of a Turtle – representing resilience and acknowledging survivors’ relation to Mother Earth. The Turtle is adorned with signs of Indigenous nations and moons, serving as a site for traditional gatherings and ceremonies; this fosters community healing and remembrance. Through this cultural reclamation, King’s art embodies a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, transforming trauma into shared strength and cultural pride.
Reconnection to Land: Healing Through Nature
For Indigenous peoples, land is more than a physical space — it is a source of identity, spirituality, and healing. Their cultural practices and ways of life are deeply connected to their land and its living elements. Through this connection, they learn to respect and honour the natural world—expressing gratitude for the food and water it provides and understanding the importance of sharing these gifts with all other forms of life. This love and respect for nature are reflected in the care they extend to family and community.
This deep bond with the land also provides powerful ways to heal. When communities reconnect with their ancestral lands, they can engage in land-based healing activities like subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering. These activities provide not only physical sustenance but also spiritual renewal.
As Alberta-Rose Bear shares, “From picking up litter, leaving enough berries for the animals, to advocating for our land and land return, organizing outdoor cultural activities (like fishing, hiking, tool-making etc.), eating traditional foods, or learning about our natural world, making a conscious effort to get reconnected with the land through cultural practices and traditional teachings can help heal us in ways that go beyond just tending to our physical being.”
Healing the land and healing the people are closely linked, especially as Indigenous communities work to restore the connections disrupted by colonization. This healing process includes passing down the knowledge of how to care for the land and live in harmony with it, building a sense of well-being that’s shared by the whole community, not just individuals.
Alberta-Rose Bear reflects on this: “Care and love is part of our larger network of health. From the smallest shoot you grow on your windowsill, to praying over cedar trees in the forest you use to make baskets, participating in caring for natural beings opens your heart to something beyond yourself. When we care about something, we have a stake in it. When we have a stake in something, it feels like a part of us. We all want to heal and be well together”.
Storytelling: A Pathway to Healing and Resistance
Stories hold immense power: they shape how we see the world and our place within it. For many Indigenous communities, storytelling is not just a means of preserving culture — it’s also a way to heal from trauma. By telling stories that bear witness to past pain while imagining a hopeful future, communities begin the process of healing.
By sharing new stories that honour the deep connections between communities and their land, they challenge colonial narratives that stripped the land, animals, and natural elements of their spirit. This erasure dehumanized Indigenous communities, justifying the violence committed against them. New stories have the power to revive the natural world, honouring Indigenous connections and restoring a sense of community.
Ceremonial storytelling holds a special place within healing. These stories connect individuals with their ancestors, communities, and also their land. Communities may work through trauma, loss, and resiliencies together in shared rituals and storytelling. It is through these shared stories that healing becomes a collective process.
Truth and Reconciliation: A Role for Non-Indigenous Allies
Non-Indigenous peoples also have a role in supporting this healing process. One clear example is Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreements. Between 2007 and 2015, the TRC toured around Canada gathering more than 6,5000 witness statements, while involving the public in a series of national events exposing the experiences of Indigenous communities at residential schools.
This resulted in different actions, take a look at the 94 “calls to action” of the TRC for an example.
Conclusion: A Collective Path to Healing
From cultures, to identities and relationships with the land, colonization has scarred Indigenous communities all around the world. Recovering from the trauma of these deep wounds is a journey that will take generations. While Indigenous communities work to rebuild their heritage through cultural revitalization, land reconnection, and storytelling; this legacy necessitates global accountability. Storytelling, specifically. It is an act of resistance and resilience, bringing forward the voices of those who have suffered and survived, sharing their experiences through testimonies.
The damage caused by colonization continues to affect Indigenous people, and real healing requires ongoing efforts to be honest, understanding, and responsible. At United Rising, we’re committed to supporting Indigenous communities as they work to overcome the pain of the past and restore their pride. By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire a world that values fairness and respect.