american indians and alaskan natives
TRANSCRIPT
AND ALASKA NATIVES
AMERICAN INDIANS
WHAT IS “AMERICAN INDIAN” OR “ALASKAN NATIVE”?
• 565 distinct tribes, some consisting of only 4 or 5 members• 2.9 million according to 2010 U.S. Census• About .9% of total U.S. population• 1.81 million Americans have Indian roots• Legally, to be Indian requires a blood quantum of at least
25%• Tribes developed own criteria • Typically allow inclusion of 60% of American Indians
w/mixed heritage Sue & Sue (2013)
MILWAUKEE DEMOGRAPHICS• 2000 Census counted 225 people in
Wisconsin (.01%) as Alaska Native
• In 2008, the WI state American Indian population totaled 53,358 (.09% of state population)
• About 45% of Wisconsin’s American Indian population reside in metropolitan areas
• 13.7% or 7,313 American Indians reside in Milwaukee County
www.dhs.Wisconsin.gov/minority-health/population/amind-pop.htm
Natow.org/about-us-2/natow-history/
ALASKA NATIVES
http://www.alaskanative.net/en/main-nav/education-and-programs/cultures-of-alaska/
• 5 cultural groupings
• 11 different districts
• 11 languages• 22 dialects
INUPIAQ AND ST. LAWRENCE ISLAND YUPIK PEOPLE
• Hunting and gathering societies• Live in small groups of related
families 20-200 people• Family and bartering connections
are respectful and meaningful• Travel by kayak, basket sled,
snowshoes• Believe in reincarnation and
recycling of spirit forms
ATHABASCANS• Traditionally reside in interior
Alaska• Migrate seasonally to fish, hunt,
trap• Most important aspect of
Athabascan community is sharing• Tools made of stone, antlers,
wood, and bone• Matrilineal system• Clan elders make decisions about
marriage, leadership, and trading• Activities marked by passing moon
YUP’IK AND CUP’IK PEOPLE• Named after two main dialects• Very mobile, traveling with migration of
game, fish, and plants• Housing units consists of extended
families or small groups of families• Men and women use to live separately• Culture and behavior oriented towards
survival and compatibility• Belief in good and evil shamans
UNANGAX AND ALUTIIQ (SUGPIAQ)• Heavily influenced by Russians• Orthodox Church in every village• Russian language part of vocabulary• Semi-subterranean housing, entered
by pole ladder through the ceiling• Kinship and family relationships
influence decision-making• Clothing made of animal skin and
gut which protects against water and weather
EYAK, TLINGIT, HAIDA, TSIMSHIAN• Separate clans with different languages• Migration from British Columbia to
northern Oregon• One permanent winter village
w/seasonal camps close to food resources
• Tlingit houses had totem poles• Southeast Alaska = temperate rain
forest• No central government• Matrilineal clan system
TRIBAL STRUCTURE• Provide sense of belonging and security
• View self as extension of the tribe• Status and rewards obtained by adherence to tribal structure
• Place to maintain cultural identity• Behaviors judged to be of benefitto tribe
Sue & Sue (2013) p.381
FAMILY STRUCTURE • Not ‘typical’• Certain tribes more matriarchal• High fertility rates, out-of-wedlockbirths, strong familial roles for women• Extended family still consideredbasic unit• Emphasis on collectivism• Children raised in several different households
Sue & Sue (2013) p.381
COMMON THEMES/CULTURAL VALUES• Sharing• Cooperation• Noninterference• Time orientation• Spirituality• Nonverbal Communication• Interconnection between
humans and environment
• Allegiance to family, community, tribe• Extended family networks• Listening and observing• Respect for elders• Spiritual/traditional practices
for protectionSue & Sue (2013) p.382
MAJOR EVENTS IN AMERICAN INDIAN HISTORY
INTRODUCTION OF SMALL POX AND MEASLES
http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/variables/smallpox.html
INDIAN REMOVAL ACT
TRAIL OF TEARS
WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE
DAWES ACT
AMERICAN INDIAN LAND BEFORE EUROPEAN CONTACT
Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
AMERICAN INDIAN LAND TODAY
Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
“I do not believe that Indians… people who for the most part speak no English, live in squalor and degradation, make little progress from year to year, who are a perpetual source of expense to the government and a constant menace to thousands of their white neighbors, a hindrance to civilization and a clog on our progress have any right to forcibly keep their children out of school to grow up like themselves, a race of barbarians and semi-savages.”
T.J. Morgan, Commissioner of Indian Affairs1889-1893
American Indian Boarding Schools
WISCONSIN INDIAN SCHOOLS
“KILL THE INDIAN, AND
SAVE THE MAN”
Tomah Indian Industrial School in 1891
https://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-41.html
ONEIDA NATIONRESERVATION BOARDING SCHOOL
LAC DU FLAMBEAU OJIBWE RESERVATION BOARDING SCHOOL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCK_3NDEodg
PRESENT DAY COUNSELING CHALLENGES - EDUCATION
• Barriers of mobility• Jobs in casinos or reservations
make “white man’s education” seem obsolete
• Lack of curricula that reflects students’ cultural background
• Teachers often represent same white community of oppression
• Education gaps perpetuate cycle of poverty and limited opportunities
COUNSELING CHALLENGES - ASSIMILATION
• Conflict over exposure to differing cultures
• Failure to develop strong self-image or ethnic identity
• Expectations to maintain traditional values and necessity to adapt to majority culture
• Boys cite Indian-ness/being Indian as a problem
• 1/3 of girls surveyed did not want to live
CHALLENGES – ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE ABUSE
• Highest weekly rate of alcohol consumption• Alcohol/drug use highest with A.I. youth• 32% of Alaska Natives/American Indians in Alaska reported heavy
drinking• Disproportionately high % of cases of fetal alcohol syndrome• Heavy alcohol use associated w/low self-efficacy and feelings of
powerlessness• Substance abuse related to low self-esteem, cultural identity conflict, lack
of positive role models, childhood maltreatment, social pressures, hopelessness, breakdown in the family
SUICIDE• A.I and A.N. youth have 2x the rate of attempted and completed suicide
as other youth• Suicide is second leading cause of death for youth• In 2007, 144 of 13,000 on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation attempted
suicide• Health services severely underfinanced on reservations• In 2014, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation saw 103 attempts by people 12 to
24 over the course of 4 months• Among teenagers at reservation schools, suicide is “a common thing”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdt9ZBQy7WM
SPECIFIC CHALLENGES FOR WOMEN: DOMESTIC ABUSE
• American Indian women suffer 3.5x higher rate of violence• 1 in 3 have been raped or experienced an attempted rape• Tribal police often discourage women not to report assaults• Often, perpetrators don’t belong to the tribe• Alaska’s isolated villages especially dangerous • Some rural villages in Alaska experience 12x the national rate of sexual
violence• Lack of access to birth control, STD testing, and trained staff to perform
rape examinations• Convicted sexual offenders still reside on tribal lands
“We should never have a woman coming into the office saying, ‘I need to learn more about Plan B for when my daughter gets raped.’ That’s what’s so frightening – that it’s more expected than unexpected. It has become a norm for young women.”
- Charon Asetoyer, women’s health advocate on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TzguMqHkFU
COUNSELING IMPLICATIONS• Consider historical relationship between Alaska Natives/American Indians
and the dominant culture• Be knowledgeable not only of the general history of indigenous natives
but the history/beliefs of client’s particular tribal affiliation• Interventions might need to include extended family’s input• Address spirit, mind, and body in treatment• Consult with tribal court when intervening• Discuss client’s self-identity, tribal affiliation (if any), relationship to
origins• Assist traditional clients in understanding expectations of dominant
culture• Be culturally consistent and use client-generated solutions
COUNSELING APPLICATIONS• Goals and treatment options differ based on client’s degree of
acculturation, traditional beliefs• Acculturated A.I. appreciate components of CBT (building self-esteem,
identifying emotions, reducing feelings of hopelessness, learning prevention skills)
• Person-Centered therapy supports the belief of caring for an individual holistically
• Successful drug and alcohol treatment incorporates cultural elements• Community-oriented and direct involvement of community leaders
Sue & Sue (2013) p.385, 387, 390
COMMUNITY RESOURCES• University of Milwaukee American Indian Student Services
Bolton Hall, Rm. 95 3120 N. Maryland Ave, Milwaukee WI (http://www4.uwm.edu/aiss/)• American Indian Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin
10809 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis, WI www.aiccw.org/• Indian Council of the Elderly, Inc.
3126 W. Kilbourn Ave., Milwaukee WI• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation – Native American
2101 S. Chase Ave, Suite C (Milwaukee Job Center), Milwaukee WI www.dwd.state.wi.us • Spotted Eagle Indian & Native American Employment & Training Program
3209 W. Highland Blvd, Suite 200, Milwaukee WI www.spottedeagle.us
REFERENCES• Alaska Native Heritage Center (2015). Education and Programs: Cultures of Alaska. [Data
file]. Retrieved from http://www.alaskanative.net/en/main-nav/education-and-programs/cultures-of-alaska/
• Indian Country Today Media Network (2015). Animated Map Shows Loss of Western Tribal Lands from 1784. [Data file]. Retrieved from http://
indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/07/21/animated-map-shows-loss-western-tribal-lands-1784-124688
• Library of Congress (2015). Primary Documents in American History: Indian Removal Act. [Data file]. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html
• Milwaukee Public Museum (2015). Boarding Schools. [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-41.html
• Native American Tourism of Wisconsin (2015). The History of NATOW. [Data file]. Retrieved from www.natow.org/about-us-2/natow-history/
REFERENCES
• Public Broadcasting System (2015). Guns, Germs, Steel: The story of smallpox – and other deadly Eurasian germs. [Data file]. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/variables/smallpox.html• Sue, D.W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the Culturally Diverse (6th ed.). Hoboken, New
Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. • Williams, T. (2012, May 22). For native women, scourge of rape, rare justice. New York
Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/us/native-americans-struggle-with-high-rate-of-rape.html?_r=0
• Wisconsin Department of Health Services (2015). American Indians in Wisconsin – Overview [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/minority-health/population/amind-pop.htm