Cultural Overview American Indian and Alaskan Native  First Nations  Indigenous

1. Cultural Overview American Indian and Alaskan Native  First Nations  Indigenous University of Oklahoma School of Social Work Master’s Advanced Curriculum Project Sponsored by:

2. Culture A shared way of perceiving, believing, evaluating, and behaving1

3. Native Americans • Great value of group and membership • Decisions/actions made to support group • Emphasize teamwork/harmony • Collective speaks for individual • Individual accomplishments not emphasized personally • High context-words are not as important as actions over repeated interactions • Recognize importance of vertical relationships • American Society • Great value of individual accomplishments • Decisions/actions made with individual as the primary reference • Emphasize competition • Individualists speak for themselves • Low Context-words are emphasis • More comfortable with equal status relationships Collectivism vs. Individualism

4. Native Americans • Concept of self tied to group identity • Self esteem based on contributions to the whole • American Society • Concept of self tied to individual identity • Self esteem based primarily on individual achievement • Self concept and esteem • Sayings • “Be who you are” • “Stand out in a crowd” • “Make your mark” Self Concept

5. Childrearing • Native Americans • Family Bed • Feeding when child is hungry • Keeping them in close proximity even when can walk • Taking them everywhere • Extended family caregiving • Importance of grandparents • American Society • Sleep alone at earlier age or since birth • Feeding scheduled within defined setting • Separated from adult events or gatherings • More time in playpens

6. Native Americans • Humans to nature • Connectedness and use with respect • Goal of balance, harmony • Humans to humans • Cooperation • Goal of balance, harmony • Importance of Ancestors • Defines self today • Goal of connecting generations • American Society • Humans to nature • Conquer and use • Goal of control • Humans to humans • Competitiveness • Goal of winning • Importance of Ancestors • Important but separate from the individual today Relationships

7. American Society • Small family with one or two responsible for activities and decisions • Less support in daily living activities Family Constellation 3Generations Cherokee Women Click here to listen to Rose High Bear’s story of her tribe, customs, and respect for her late grandmother, Sophie VanderPoole, an Alaskan Athabascan from McGrath, Alaska. From Wisdom of the Elders Radio http://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/prog2/transcript02_tis.htm • Native Americans • Emphasis on extended family • Extended kinship networks involved in almost all aspects of daily life Make text in box below a direct link to website listed (erase this text and site listed)

8. Ownership • Native Americans • Communal ownership • Open • Definition: • Used by anyone within community as they need • No priority given to person who originally offered gift (resource) for all to use • Without constraints on use as to how and when it can be used • Example: • Traditionally land was held communally without any individual ownership • American Society • Individual • Specific • Definition: • Individual ownership over land grants that person rights and power over the land and any resources produced, and establishes boundaries that can not be physically crossed • Punishment warranted when rights are ignored • Example • Western Europeans brought the concept of individual land ownership to tribal people when they divided up communally owned tribal lands and allotted them to individual male heads of households, a foreign concept to tribal people

9. Native Americans • Status determined by personal qualities, tribal, and clan affiliations • Introductions include • Tribal affiliations • Clan affiliations • Standard First? • Who are your people? • Not impressed by professional degrees • Material wealth • Does not impress, but giving to group • American Society • Status determined by income, job prestige, level of education • Standard First? • What do you do for a living? • Where do you work? • Material Wealth • Source of pride • Assumed to be the result of hard work Concepts of Class and Status

10. Native Americans • Clock and schedules are not emphasized • Emphasize completion of an event/task no matter how long it takes • American Society • Organize day around clock • Emphasize punctuality • Sayings reflect importance of measuring, portioning time, and being early • Time is money • Wasting time • Early bird catches the worm Event Oriented vs. Clock Time

11. Native Americans • Matrilineal Tribes • Many tribes are matrilineal, children belonged to mother’s clan • Government • Men and women figured prominently in decision making • Spirituality • Men and women are central spiritual figures • Men and women function as spiritual healers • Work • Female and male defined work with equal status given to both • American Society • Patrilineal • Marriage between man and woman, wife and children took the last name of the husband/father • Government • Male dominated • Religion • Leaders of churches are predominantly male • Work • Historically paid work outside the home was male dominated with women responsible for caregiving • Paid labor accorded higher value Role of Men and Women

12. Native Americans • Births, Naming ceremonies • Adolescent Transition to Adulthood • Marriage • Illness • Death • Historical events • Spiritual ceremonies can correspond to seasons, significant events or changes in physical environment • American Society • Births • Weddings • Death Ceremonies and Rituals

13. Ceremonies and Rituals Green Corn Ceremony, Oklahoma Seminole and Creek “The principal event of the ceremonial year, traditionally held over four days in late June or early July, when the first corn ripened. Now the ceremony begins Thursday afternoon and ends Sunday morning to accommodate the non-Indian work week. The ceremony is held on the “square round” or ceremonial center. Elements of the ritual include Stomp, Long, Ribbon, Feather and Buffalo dances, fasts, feasts, single pole and match ball games, building of the sacred fire, corn sacrifice, medicine taking and the scratching ceremony of women, children, and men, naming ceremonies, rinsing in water and prayer. The ceremony ends with a single pole ball game and breakfast. In the Seminole and Creek ceremonial cycle, the green corn ceremony is preceded by the Stomp Dance and followed by the stickball game and the soup dance.” Hirschfeld, A. & Molin, P. (1992), p. 107

14. Ceremonies and Rituals Make Audio headings direct links (delete this text but keep address listed) Corn Mother http://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/prog204/transcript_sl.htm Judy Bluehorse Skelton offers insights into Corn Mother, the significance of this sacred plant, and its cultivation by native peoples along the Missouri riverbanks. Pine Nuts and Pine Nut Songs http://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/prog6/transcript06_jt.htm The late Judy Trejo tells of the harvest of the pine nut, the staple food of the great basin peoples. The Harvest http://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/prog6/transcript06_tr.htm Nico Wind spreads a feast of songs and dances celebrating the harvest. Audio Clips from Wisdom of the Elders, 2004

15. Each tribe has it’s own language • There has been a significant loss of fluency • Speaking tribal languages was forbidden at boarding schools • Elders are critical in sustaining tribal languages • Language preference varies by tribe, family, and generations within families • Language revitalization comes from within tribes • 75% of American Indians and Alaskan Native aged 5 and older spoke only English at home • Compares to 94% of non-Hispanic Whites aged 5 and older • 18% of American Indian and Alaskan Natives spoke a language other than English at home and spoke English very well Languages Across Tribal Nations

16. Tradition vs. Technology • Native Americans • Emphasis on tradition • Value of elders • Value of elders as knowledge holders • American Society • Emphasis on new • Value of youth • Value of innovation as source of knowledge

17. Beliefs About Health Native Americans • Illness is the result of imbalance • Within the self systems • Within the family • Within the world (physical and spiritual) Symptoms • A physical symptom can result from emotional or spiritual causes Treatment • Holistic • Medical doctor • Traditional Healer American Society • Illness is the result of biology Symptoms • Indicate source of biological illness Treatment • Separated Care • Medication • Therapy

18. Hirschfeld, A. & Molin, P. (1992). The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: A Comprehensive Guide to the Spiritual Traditions and Practices of North American Indians. New York, NY: MJF Books. Joe, J.R., & Malach, R.S. (1998). Families with Native American roots. In E.W. Lynch & M.J. Hanson (Eds.), Developing cross-cultural competence (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Tomoeda, C.K. & Bayles, K.A. (2002). Cultivating cultural competence in the workplace, classroom, and clinic. ASHA Leader , 7 (6). 4-7. Wisdom of the Elders. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from http://www.wisdomoftheelders.org/index.html References