Pulse March 2020 | Page 47

Mii amo works with local indigenous groups to tell authentic stories and embrace their culture, as they do with medicine bags (opposite page). “The key for wherever I’ve been, and especially here, is to understand sense of place and spirit of place. It’s easy to go look at all these nice things, but do they actually fit?” — Jim Root, General Manager, Mii amo In Sedona, a strong Native American community, Jim Root recognized the importance of a medicine bag, but he didn’t fully grasp how that should apply to Mii amo, where he is the general manager and Enchantment Group director of wellbeing. Mii amo sold medicine bags, but they weren’t local products. “There was nothing wrong about it, but there was definitely nothing right about it,” Root says. “We used it as an opportunity to start a conversation about a medicine bag and undestand- ing its importance in our community.” Shortly after beginning this dialogue, Mii amo began purchasing medicine bags from a local Native MARCH 2020 ■ PULSE 35