Intertribal Acupuncture

It was late summer, 2016. He appeared on my door, tall, soft spoken, gracious. A gentle soul. But the first thing helped me to understand he was also very passionate about his purpose.

That Dr. David Lee appeared on my door was a bit of a feat. We’re separated by a little over one hundred miles and two mountain ranges. He found me without directions after emailing me twice and not getting a response.

I didn’t respond because I didn’t know what to say. In the 24 years I’ve managed the non profit Redbird, I have heard many things, many promises, many ideas. But this was new.

Dr. Lee has developed an acupuncture technique using just five needles and five points on the hands and feet which he has found very powerful in facilitating healing. He wants to teach this technique to Native American healers working with other tribal people.

He had come over one hundred miles to meet with me in person at the suggestion of mutual friends. It worked. We scheduled our first event in October at Chilao School. Since then Dr. Lee has slowly but surely found acceptance and appreciation in the Native American community, and continues to develop his teaching technique.

Various forms of healing using needles, including tribal tattoos, are ancient practices which can be found the world over among indigenous cultures. In the Americas, much of the ancient healing wisdom was lost in the European conquest. In a very short time period, all native nations were forever and gravely affected, and all forms of cultural practice were made illegal. Genocide and disease reduced native populations to a fraction of their pre-occupation numbers. Whole tribal nations were removed from their land and in that single act, from their connection to the universe. No longer were they familiar with the plants, animals, even the soil and the water. In that single act, medicine ways were lost.

The right to practice traditional spirituality, including medicine ways, was not legally restored to Native Americans until the Religious Freedom Act of 1978.

David Lee, Ph.D. is a licensed acupuncturist and an Asian herbal medicine practitioner. He received his Doctorate of Philosophy in Oriental Medicine in 2006 from American Liberty University in Fullerton, California. He received his Master’s in Oriental Medicine in 1999 from Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine. He completed an externship at the Daniel Freeman Hospital, Marina del Rey, California, and at the University of California Los Angeles Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. He studied pre-medicine and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Lee has been practicing since 2000 and is currently based in California. His 3 published books are Bisoma Acupuncture,Tetrasoma Diet for Four Body Types and Tetrasoma Acupuncture.

“My initial experience of acupuncture was in my teens” Dr. Lee recalls.

“With only one treatment, it surprisingly shortened the recovery time by half for a sprained ankle. Sports injuries were a common occurrence, with skateboarding and playing basketball daily. In addition, my personality and upbringing allowed me to always be interested in the well-being of others. I am an INFP (Introvert, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving) according to Myers-Briggs personality type indicator. It means that my default state is empathy, creativity, and Utopian dreaming.”

For a human being hard-wired to seek the wellness of others, acupuncture allows Dr. Lee to practice his true passion, healing. And it allows him to explore and incorporate, when patients are willing, an understanding of healing at multiple, higher vibrations.

“Instilled with a high ethic and moral sense growing up in a parishioner family, I was always active in helping others. Lastly, growing up in the nature of South Korea had indicated to me much of the nature’s potential. Over time, I realized the molecular medicine dealt with the basics, whereas the nature was already operating at a higher level.”

It’s a choice he has never regretted.

“The decision to be an acupuncturist was when I was fresh out of an undergraduate university. I was looking for a life-long passion with a psychology degree and pre-medicine. A senior acupuncturist had told me the benefits of being an acupuncturist. That I can treat stubborn and chronic diseases was attractive. It turned out acupuncture fills the dire need in healthcare. Since then, I felt the calling and had never turned back. It led me to a path of new discoveries for my patients and the world.”

Dr. Lee will be joining us on Sunday, July 22 for the 18th Children of Many Colors Native American Powwow at Moorpark College. He will offer acupuncture and welcome the opportunity to discuss his technique, the benefits of acupuncture and the potential for incorporating it in Native American tribal medicine.

The 18th Children of Many Colors Native American Powwow will take place July 20 - 22 on the lower athletic field of Moorpark College. This family friendly cultural gathering welcomes everyone.

Native American singing, dancing, arts, crafts, foods, storytelling and traditional dwellings can be found at the powwow. A suggested donation of $2.00 per vehicle is asked. There is no entry fee.

Dancers representing tribes from throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America take part in the gathering. It is a rich mixture of song, dance, drumming, laughter, color and movement.

Visitors will find roughly thirty vendors selling everything from craft supplies to hand-hammered silver and turquoise jewelry from Arizona and New Mexico. Several well-known southwestern Indian artists will be joining the powwow this year.

Alan Salazar of the Chumash Nation will offer the opening invocation on Saturday, and tell stories near the dance arena from 2 PM to 4 PM Saturday afternoon. Bobby Whitebird of the Northern Cheyenne tribe will sponsor two dance contests - Warriors Wear Pink for Cancer Awareness on Saturday, and Warriors Wear Blue for Diabetes awareness on Sunday.

The powwow begins Saturday, but festivities start on Friday evening with an open flute circle, where all wind instruments and their players are invited to share. All experience levels are welcome.

The powwow is hosted by the non-profit association Redbird, and sponsored in part by Moorpark College, the California Arts Council, Ventura County Community Foundation, the Moon Family Trust and Lodge Circle Ministry.

Where: Moorpark College Athletic Field, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark 93021

When: Friday 6-10 PM Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM

For more information: redbirds_vision@hotmail.com or text (818) 279-4366