[acb-hsp] Envisioning A Healthy Future: Article

[J.Rayl]

I found this to be interesting, especially the part about boarding schools.
I have just completed a per on Native Americans and addiction.

Envisioning a Healthy Future: A Re-becoming of Native

 American Men.

by Paul Rock Krech

Native

 American men have historically been important to their communities, each having

a specific function in the perpetuation of cultural norms and practices. Oral tradition

and communal experiential activity were pathways of maintaining a connection with

others and in regenerating culture. In contrast, the modern dominant culture values

and emphasizes individuation as an indicator of psychosocial growth. This influence

seems to have hindered Indigenous people/men in maintaining a sense of connection

with the community. Survival for Indigenous men during the establishment of encroaching

nations has often occurred through relinquishment of a part of `self' psychically.

Aboriginal men report experiencing hopelessness living in a self-imposed isolation,

without a sense of tradition or direction. Healing may focus on use of normative

and narrative efforts that rebuild the `self' as a part of others and the community,

which fosters a sense of interconnectedness. Ceremony is an adjunct to developing

linkages between heritage, roles, and a community connection.

It can be said that whatever befalls the least empowered people of a nation, will

eventually come to pass for the entire nation. Native

 American men have historically been stewards of a culture and tradition sustaining

a larger community connection (Johnston, 1976; Densmore, 1979; Gill, 1985; Bear Heart

& Larkin, 1996). During five centuries of mainstream oppression, the

Native

 male faced disenfranchisement from society, and self; being cut off from the traditional

community focus of life. While today's mainstream society enjoys modernity with all

of its gadgetry, not all members have been so blessed as to be participants. The

pressure imposed by majority institutions on the

Native

 man to individuate has largely resulted in a lonely retreat into depressive hopelessness.

For Native

 people, this change has been twofold. Primarily, the cost has been unfavorable to

the Indigenous psyche, in that being a minority in a larger European-valued population,

there a sense of either being ignored or romanticized. Second, there is a growing

feeling of disillusionment with life in modern society; neither being fully allowed

to participate in it, nor fully wanting to do so. Many

Native

 men lack a positive self-esteem, which was historically derived from a role abundant

with personal life-meaning, and functioning as part of a nurturing community.

Many indigenous people have learned to survive for decades by denying their `Indian-ness'

and even rejecting that part of self in an attempt to gain a limited foothold in

the modern world (Moore & Gillette, 1992; Voss, Douville, Little Soldier & Twiss,

1999). This denial of the self greatly diminishes the reward and opportunity once

offered to sustain a time-honored way of life and personal meaning-making. Without

this rudimentary sense of usefulness and purpose, many

Native

 men have turned to harmful chemical and behavioral addictions of as a means of either

escaping hopelessness or maintaining the illusion of control. The progression of

an addiction eventually robs the individual of a sense of self, perpetuates psychic

despair, and promotes further addictive behavior (Schaler, 2000). As one student

stated, "at least [with alcohol] we have something to look forward to in life" (D.

L. Johnson, personal communication, August 21, 1999).

Recently, men began to realize they were neglecting the everyday nurturing responsibilities

traditionally considered as theirs. For Indigenous men to achieve their own center

and balance, it is important that they embrace a healthy respect for the women, children,

and elders of their nations (Small, 2001). A respect for the self is grounded in

a healthy respect for others, emphasizing the importance of being connected with

a community.

It is the goal of this paper to heighten awareness of the diminishing importance

of men's contextual role and function in modern Native

 America, how this has contributed to dysfunctional behaviors and addictions, and

how some helpers and organizations are successfully reversing this trend. Discussion

will focus on how community-based healing solutions can decrease the feeling of isolation

for the individual. These solutions may be as simple as talking, singing, or physical

movement. A rekindled sense of mutual trust, love, and respect can re-connect

Native

 men with their communities developing a renewed sense of purpose (Real, 1996; Cochran

& Rabinowitz, 2000). Change is happening through the diverse efforts of community

members, educators and mentors. However, for the process to flourish, there is a

need to motivate others to help with this type of work.

Traditional Transformation: Role Upheaval

Native Americans

 make up less than one percent of the total U.S. population but represent half the

languages and cultures in the nation. There are hundreds of different bands of

Native

 American people in North America with numerous languages, customs, and beliefs.

There are many culturally distinguishing features between different tribes and individuals,

degrees of acculturation, and levels of mainstream integration. There are also many

striking similarities among the various tribal peoples. It must be noted that both

matrilineal, and patriarchal societies existed, and still exist today, within different

indigenous bands and tribes. Each of these groups of

Native

 people had different expectations, responsibilities, and gender-based roles according

to a traditional way of being. Broad, sweeping statements cannot adequately illustrate

the norms, values, and practices of the Indigenous population as a whole (Champagne,

1994). For this reason, the multitude of different tribes in this paper will be referred

to utilizing intertribal or pan-Indian terms, for the both the sake of brevity and

clarity.

Aboriginal communities have been greatly influenced and transformed by the forces

of the modern mainstream of society. The attitudes, values, and social norms of the

dominant culture have been integrated into modern

Native

 cultures both on and off reservation. Indigenous city dwellers, by proximity, have

been influenced not only by Anglo customs, but by those of the African-American,

Latino, and others. It is not uncommon in the Southwest United States to see young

Native

 people thrive on rap, reggae, and hip-hop music. Often, these young people reject

their tribal heritage, adopting the trendier dress and the underworld mannerisms

of other marginalized urban denizens (Lonewolf, 1996).

During the second half of the twentieth century, American men overall have seen a

dramatic change in their sense of importance, worth, and role in the family and the

community. Men continued to exert a great deal of influence in these settings. This

was due not only to their larger median physical stature, but also to the investment

in the value of male dominance, a value still operative today. Over time however,

a vast portion of male influence eroded due to numerous forces (Faludi, 1999; Farrell,

1986). Some of these societal values shifted due to a dramatic economic transformation,

a change in women's roles in the workplace, and alterations in societal attitudes

(Friedan, 2000; Young, 1999).

Within the dominant culture, men's worth tends to be based in terms of individual

achievement and accumulation of wealth. This role has remained despite other value

shifts. The value of setting one's self apart from the crowd has never sat well in

Aboriginal communities, and has often led to a growing alienation from one's people.

The foremost of Indigenous values are related to group, family, and community welfare.

These are held in esteem far above any self-need or desire (Bearheart & Larkin, 1995;

Coyhis, 2001). Today, the

Native

 man who tends to be an achievement-oriented individual, is often identified as the

oppressor and suffers rejection by others in the community, his own family, or by

both (P. Stewart, personal interview, June 9, 2001).

The Native

 man has become both the object of prejudice and the one who is prejudiced. Institutional

principles of the dominant culture have taught the Aboriginal man to devalue his

heritage, language, and traditional roles because they are incompatible with modern

life. He has developed a split-self, where he both sees and despises himself, and

other

Native

 men, through the eyes of the oppressor (Freire, 1998). This dynamic is one that

serves to breed poisonous contempt, shame, anger, self-hatred, and violence. What

appears to be a shield of apathy and inertia is really a state of demoralization.

The constant drive toward self-sufficiency and separation from community, and each

other, has had tragic results. This severance has resulted in despair, hopelessness,

and a collective sense of grief and loss; subjects only now being therapeutically

broached (Simonelli, 2000). Very recent experiences of ongoing prejudice, maltreatment,

trauma, and memories of attempted genocide occurring only a century ago, remain as

open wounds and fodder for resentment in the

Native consciousness today (Duran & Duran, 1995).

Loss of Native male identity

In Aboriginal society, men, women, and children maintained balance by a steady cooperation

between them in the performance of industrial tasks (Densmore, 1979). In many patriarchal

Indigenous societies, it was the male's responsibility to mentor the skills of farming,

hunting, fishing, narrative and hands-on education. It was also the elder male's

responsibility to train young men to become warriors, or guardians of the people

(p. 6). This manner of making role-specific tasks was important for community survival.

Although some contemporary Westerners have been known to wax romantic on the ideal

of the `noble red-man', it was indeed a very difficult way of life, involving a constant

search for sustenance. While it may seem romantic to daydream of a First Nations'

Utopia, the reality of their life is hardly preferential compared to the conveniences

of the twenty-first century (Preece, 1999).

Boarding schools

As the American Republic developed, so did many other methods of reforming and modernizing

the Aboriginal people. The boarding school experience was purported to have striven

to instill teamwork values in an individualist framework from the outset (Szasz,

1999). Boarding schools were largely justified by philanthropic endeavors as measures

to protect natives from extinction (Adams, 1995). They were also designed to increase

economic well being of both the Indian and the developing America, as well as to

aid the

Native

 children in developing skills for survival in the mainstream. Of course, the European

ideas about gender roles were reinforced by this experience. The boys were generally

trained in farming and industrial arts--the girls were usually trained in domestic

skills. Most notable, it was found that education of

Native

 children was seen as necessary for the advancing Republic because it was less expensive

than outright extermination (p. 20).

Residual effects of the boarding school movement continue to be felt throughout the

native

 community. Traditional rites of passage into adolescence and adulthood have been

radically transformed or eliminated entirely. During the early days of the boarding

schools, many Indigenous children were herded towards these institutions under the

threat of harm or death, and in the process had elements of their identities and

heritage systematically and permanently stripped away. Having been removed from familiar

nurturance and mentoring by the parents, these children eventually matured physically

and bore offspring. These new parents had little idea how to `parent', and as a result,

there were poor patterns of bonding between parent, child, and community. The effect

of inadequate bonding brought about by this forced exodus from the family manifests

itself today in a lack of connection with others, including a lack of connection

with the self.

Loss of balance

The value of balance was a priority in earlier Native

 American societies. Each tribe and band of Aboriginal people had their own ritual

and ceremony for maintaining or restoring a natural balance to the people, Earth,

sky and plant/animal cycle. Many

Native

 American beliefs also center around the concept of cardinal directions symbolizing

the biological, mental, social, and spiritual aspects. Each direction may represent

a color, a season, an element of life, a holistic facet, or a blessing. A balancing

of these aspects, through deliberate care and activity, indicates homeostasis. When

any of these elements are neglected, the other aspects of physical, psychological

and relational become out of balance as well (Petty, 1994). Therefore, a primary

goal of intervention is helping the individual find a sense of biopsychosocial and

spiritual balance, thorough whatever means possible.

A person truly `becomes' by marking life milestones with certain rites of passage

(Kipnis, 1991). In contemporary Indigenous life, initiation ritual and ceremony,

once marking important rites of passage, have either been eliminated entirely, or

seriously diluted. According to Zoja (2000), modern people often unconsciously substitute

drug and alcohol addiction for the initiatory rites passage, as a collective psychological

need (p. 33). Unfortunately, there is no longer the opportunity to undergo the important

transformation initiation once facilitated, e.g. marking the "death" of childhood

and their subsequent "re-birth" as an adult community member (p. 57). Adaptations

of some older rituals continue to exist, but do not carry the same weight as they

once did. The need for rites of passage still exists in the Indigenous psyche, but

is often substituted for by the effects of chemical intoxication in a form of negative

"self-initiation" (p. 59).

A high percentage of Indigenous men and women have turned to body and soul-robbing

drugs, alcohol, and violence (Beauvais & LaBoueff, 1985). Alcohol and chemical abuse

and dependency may serve to numb the dullness or pain of modern city or reservation

life, but it has also become accepted as a cultural norm for many

Native

 people (Williamson, 2000). It is in interviewing many of these men in aboriginal

communities that we witness a sense of both fatalism and pessimism. Some men are

dissatisfied with life to such a point where there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness:

"... nobody [seems to care] if I drink and sleep in the alley, so why would anyone

care if I got sober?" (I. Borrego, personal communication, February 13, 2001).

Ultimately, these problems are not insurmountable nor are Native

 men merely victims, incapable of improving their lives. It is simple to find fault,

identify problems, project blame, and then do nothing. In reality, and with help,

thousands of

Native

 men have overcome crippling personal tribulations.

Contemporary Issues and Dynamics

Native

 American men tend to be portrayed by Hollywood as either wild savages or wise medicine

men; rarely as pilots, teachers, social workers, or responsible fathers. Most young

children are familiar with stereotypes of the

Native

 American. Many forms of popular media, including children's literature, propagate

negative and absurd stereotypes. These media often have, and still do, sustain the

idea that

Native Americans

 are a vanished people, uncivilized and nomadic, childishly ignorant, superstitious,

or bloodthirsty savages. Conversely, there are romantic myths that cast

Native men as spiritually wise icons of shamanism (Kilpatrick, 1999). In this way,

it is difficult for younger Native

 men to develop a healthy sense of self, when healthy role models either do not exist,

or are based on inaccurate Hollywood stereotypes. For positive male role models to

become more cogent, a great awakening to reality must first take place. Furthermore,

when dealing with wounded

Native

 men, there needs to be a renewal of core values, within the context of healing.

Half as many men as women seek assistance from helping professionals, yet men commit

suicide at least three, and up to eight times as often (Cochran & Rabinowitz, 2000).

The American Indian man has not only experienced immense change in the sustaining

roles once required in his culture; he has also had the European ideals of manhood

and gender-roles thrust upon him. Many of these standards are partially or even wholly

incompatible with ancient

Native

 wisdom and innate knowledge. Furthermore, these values promote denial of deep feelings,

discourage disclosure of personal problems, and persuade the man to bear these agonies

in silence. It is this element of silence which sublimates strong emotion, except

for intense anger, and allows the soul to wallow in self-pity.

In our rush for gender egalitarianism, we have cross-culturally ignored the wounded

male, and become neglectful of male needs as a society. Communities touched by these

men have been steeped for many generations in negative emotions such as fear and

shame. These negative elements have even become community norms that drive thoughts,

feelings, and actions. Many Aboriginal communities have developed detrimental patterns

of interpersonal communication and interaction that seem impossible to change. Yet,

positive change is happening. This change continues to overcome communities' negative

internal barriers and attitudes, subsequently affecting the community positively,

and encouraging sustainable healing (Polansky, Ammons, & Gaudin, 1985).

Mentorship: Men Making New Meaning

For millennia, young men have gathered their skill and life knowledge from their

male peers and elders. This is generally seen as a major pathway into the development

of a sense of `self' through mentorship (Faludi, 1999, p. 76). This phenomenon continues

in the majority of cultures today. There still exists a value to gender-specific

work of mentoring skill, and promulgating esoteric information.

Native

 men today have the opportunity to embrace the best of the ancient wisdom and values,

while working in the present. Guidelines for this work are based upon values such

as generosity and sharing, respect for elders and women, symbiosis with nature, individual

freedom, leadership, and courage (Coyhis, 1995; Sanchez, 1999).

Each of the numerous nations of American Indians had rites, rituals and folkways

that were intrinsic to harmony and survival. The mission of survival in Aboriginal

communities consisted of many responsibilities, which took a sense of courage and

resolve to carry out. It would be easy to postulate that a man was identified by

his actions, as many men today tend to identify themselves by their occupation (Farrell,

1986). However, the indigenous man generally anchored a greater portion of his identity

in his belonging to a community (Carsten-Wentz & Maldonado, 2000).

In many contemporary efforts, adult men take the lead in working with youth to restructure

core beliefs (Williamson, 2000). Historically, men have taught the younger generation

skills by way of experiential learning, creating a bond between apprentice and teacher.

Cooley (1922) realized the value of the elder mentoring the youth. In terms of role

specificity, "emulation" was possibly the greatest role model of all where "the greatest

growth of character takes place" (p. 314). Without this apprentice-teacher bond,

an important part of life and the learning process has been weakened. For Indigenous

men to continue the healing process, the bond between elder and younger male through

experiencing cognitive growth, needs to be strengthened. Furthermore, the well being

and functioning of

Native

 people by use of community members, publications, and traditional culture, is indispensable

(Cooley, Ostendorf and Bickerton, 1979; Polansky, et al. 1985). These elements serve

to reduce a sense of isolation and powerlessness.

Prescriptions for Helpers

Most young-adult Native American males come to helping and healing by way of tragedy:

Cops, Courts and Corrections. Innumerable Native

Americans

 have experienced devastating events in their lives, and have turned to addictive

behavior to cope with the destructive feelings. However, many of these youth, when

given enough opportunity and guidance, have found the way out of the mire of addiction.

In the process, recovering individuals can develop a bond or "camaraderie" with their

peers. This synergistic sense of inclusion globalizes recovery in the community,

greater than if a single person were to make the unaccompanied journey.

Traditional teachings

Embracing traditional ceremony is an adjunct to developing an appreciation of the

link between a unique heritage and a place in the contemporary world. Although each

tribe has its own esoteric stories, legends, history, songs, and dances, efforts

can be aimed at helping those individuals new to recovery develop a personal meaning

for each of them. Many contemporary helping professionals observe that a combination

of traditional teachings and core values dovetails with the twelve-

step

 philosophy in developing a suggested program of living (Small, 2001). Recovery doesn't

solely mean recovery from chemical, behavioral, and emotional stressors, it also

means recovery of positive aspects of life that have been lost while practicing addictive

behavior (Picucci, 2001). A community needs to be involved as a support-network,

a sounding board, and even a normalizing force. There is a range of literature supporting

contemporary and long-standing psychotherapies which complement

Native

 American community-based helping; resonating with

Native

 values and beliefs whether solely traditional, or mainstream-integrated (Coyhis,

1995; Gustafson, 1997). There have always been elements of cognitive and behavioral

therapies among Indigenous

Americans

 offered by mentoring, although it was never seen as therapy.

Community wellness activities

Although it is the individual who is wounded due to a tragic life history, it is

the community that can be an instrument of healing (Small, 2001). Due to the large

number of works in tribal communities aimed at attracting people to healing, only

a few

programs

 will be discussed here. There have been many successful efforts on the part of Indigenous

helping professionals. At the interface of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries

we have witnessed efforts to bring Indigenous communities together in healing. Community

efforts such as White Bison's Firestarter

Programs

 and Sacred Hoop walk, G.O.N.A., (Gathering Of

Native Americans), U.N.I.T.Y. (United Intertribal Youth), and N.A.N.A.C.O.A. (National

Association of Native

 American Children of Alcoholics) conferences have attracted thousands. These programs

offer Native

 people the venues and opportunities to share thoughts and feelings openly, honestly,

and without shame. Health promotion and education

programs

, such as Women and Men In Wellness conferences, also disseminate valuable materials

to Indigenous communities and helpers. Each of these efforts have helped participants

to focus on positive happenings, the value of a caring community, and possibilities

to begin the healing process themselves. As these efforts proceed, individuals of

all ages have the opportunity to be called upon to become mentors. This mentorship

serves to boost self-worth of the mentor and models the practice of intergenerational

helping in the larger intertribal community.

Drum-singing

Some healing processes begin with an event as simple as a song. There are as many

localized practices relating to indigenous music as there are groups of

Native

 people. Nonetheless, it appears that the drum is central to the majority of tribes

found in North America (Roberts, 1999). There are literally hundreds of drum-singing

groups, or collections of singers that travel from event to event, e.g. the powwow

trail, singing for the people. Learning to sing at the drum is a more involved undertaking

than it appears to the uninitiated observer. It takes time, a natural musical ability,

dedication, and a honest desire to improve ones singing ability, to `become' a drum-singer.

Singing at the drum has generally been a male endeavor originally of the Plains Indians,

although there are a growing number of females sitting and singing with these traveling

drums. The drum supports a time-honored way of being an Indigenous man: knowledgeable,

respectful, sober, and an entire way of comportment that is becoming of a drum-singer.

It may take two to three decades, or longer, to learn, memorize, and `carry' these

songs. It is a great honor to be named as a `lead' or `head' singer, or as a song

keeper, in many Indigenous cultures.

There are many drum groups being founded in sobriety, even naming themselves as "sober

drums." For many young Native

 American men, a center is found around the circular drum that provides an anchor

in life. Even the act of singing--inhaling and exhaling heartily--is as healing as

`breath-work' being practiced by many New Age or contemporary helping professionals

(Weil, 1996). Starting and finishing a song for dancers, who consist of community

members and relatives, gives a singer a sense of a completed Gestalt, affecting the

whole drum-group in a healing and positive way.

A renaissance of celebration

Powwow, Potlatch, and other celebrations are old tribal customs of the United States

and Canada. They are gatherings, not necessarily ceremonial, but conducted with certain

protocol, where people can form new friendships and renew old ties, sing, dance,

give and receive gifts, and generally restore their energy in intangible ways. The

dances have enjoyed both a renaissance and transplantation over the previous several

decades, with many tribes participating that never had previously. Due to the advent

of technology, the automobile, and the ability to transmit or transport elements

of these celebrations worldwide, Powwows that are held throughout North America often

share a uniformity in their protocol. It is common to see Powwow procedure in Connecticut

like that of California--with very similar dances, sets of rules, `giveaway' ceremonies,

and even Powwow Emcees' jokes (Roberts, 1999). Much of this protocol originated in

both Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show of the late 1800s, as well as in the modern Rodeo,

and has greatly influenced the modern Powwow (Fees, 1989). Many of the well-known

Emcees announce for both Powwows and Rodeos throughout

Native

 America. It is also common to see men of tribes in the South and West today dancing

a contemporary version of the old Omaha Tribe grass dance.

Native

 men also dance the fancy war dance, Northern and Southern plains traditional dances,

and sing with plains-style dance drum groups at different celebratory events. Men

represent not only the fierceness of the warrior or the skill of the hunter, but

also the grace of a gentleman within these contemporary dances.

Nearly every tribe has some sort of gathering for dancers such as these. It is not

unusual to find that many people who participate in these events are themselves in

recovery from alcohol or drug dependence, cognizant of these ways having both positive

benefits and influences. These public events continue to blend a tradition of sharing

and healing with elements that are sacred in subtle ways. These celebrations greatly

aid in the healing process by helping the intertribal community come together and

rebuild itself, after five hundred years of being driven apart (A. Roberts, personal

interview, May 21, 2001).

Storytelling and narrative

While some Indigenous healing ways can generate unity and camaraderie in a public

setting, others are appropriate for more private venues. Earliest First Nation life

was enriched by stories; marking development, personal growth, and even one's coming

into being. Storytelling serves to organize diverse ideas into functional portrayals

and narratives, actively restructure the listener's views and provide problem solving

methodology. In this context, a successful story contains all of the essential elements

of a listener's concerns and then organizes these elements into a viable and replicable

process. Storytelling can generate abstract outlines and relational networks for

ideas that also serve as guides for action and understanding. This form of narrative

may begin a process that leads to a conclusion and growth far beyond the original

tale because the storyteller provides a vehicle for the listeners to comprehend in

their own way and derive their own solutions (Freire, 1998). According to Jolly (1996)

the five components of effective storytelling for growth or leadership are to:

   "... (1) identify the discordant, limited, or conflicted elements of the

   listeners' schema; (2) develop a story in which the conflicted elements are

   reorganized into one or more workable systems; (3) present the story as a

   propositional schema; (4) lead the listener in exploring the propositional

   schema by discussing elements of the story; and (5) through discussion,

   lead the listener back to her or his issues and guide the transfer of the

   client's schematic elements into the newly defined functional schema" (p.

   10).

Helping solutions may focus on the judicious use of pertinent normative and narrative

efforts that aid in rebuilding the `self' as a part of others. Oral tradition and

experiential activity were and still are touchstones of identity and history, functioning

as major pathways in regeneration of cultural mores. Story-telling, talking circle,

journaling, and a safe grounding in private and community-based spiritual ceremony

are ways this effort has been moving forward. These approaches in the therapeutic

context have begun to find inroads into the process of `re-storying' one's life,

thereby bringing about a reframed sense of `self' as a part of the environment. Integrating

the Twelve-

Step story

The twelve-step

 program is a way of storytelling that has roots in a kind of normative-narrative

therapy (Davis & Jansen, 1998). While a story is a construct of the individual, it

is also told among others with similar problems in a group setting. This way of twelve-

step

 verbal sharing brings people together with similar problems, and shares viable examples

of workable solutions. This shared solution-making tends to further foster an ironclad

sense of connectedness in struggle. Twelve-

step programs

 in Indian Country are reported to be successfully attracting members of all ages

to enter into recovery (Iron Moccasin, 2000). An existing and successful framework

for positive change today has its roots in the Oxford Group-based twelve

step programs of Alcoholics Anonymous and others (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services,

1976). In the language of twelve step programs

, the term "recovery" not only describes teaching based in chemical abstinence, but

also describes a positive future outlook for those who "work" the program (p. 58).

This twelve-step approach, especially when integrated with elements of Native

 spirituality, tends to be a powerful tool for helping to create meaning and in offering

the support of others who have successfully navigated a similar journey. Furthermore,

twelve-

step programs

 can be modified to fit the language and philosophy of the Indigenous group utilizing

the program (Coyhis, 1995).

Talking circle

The healing or `talking circle' has become a mainstay of urban and reservation professional

and lay-based healing work. The circle is composed of usually a dozen or more individuals

and a facilitator. After a period of initial protocol, an eagle's feather, or other

meaningful item, is passed around the circle from person to person, and each is invited

to speak in turn. Individuals often speak from the heart, sing a song, tell a story,

or verbally share whatever they are moved to. This oral tradition gives an individual

the chance to be heard in a group context without peer or facilitator interruption.

While Johnson and Johnson (1997) stress the importance of feedback in correcting

misperceptions and redirection in growth, the talking circle is forgiving and accepting

(p. 57). It is this forgiveness and acceptance that

Native

 nations so need to practice and develop to continue this healing journey.

Implications for Helpers and Professionals: Connectedness

While mainstream developmental and rehabilitative psychology is generally aimed at

helping the individual, solutions for Native

 peoples may be more effective if developed in terms of the family, group or community-wide

endeavors. Both Krech (1999) and Preece (1999) exhort academics and helpers to respect

other cultures and religions, but not to patronize them. This requires an assessment

of cultures that sometimes includes their contradictions. Even if there are beliefs

within both aboriginal and Western religion and philosophy that urge us to live in

harmony with nature and each other, there is a giant gap between teaching respect

for ourselves and practicing it. Unlearning internalized negative stereotypes will

be a long-term struggle. There is a great deal of personal healing and de-programming

that must go on for this to take place. The call for practitioners from diverse nations

is ever growing. These helpers can best serve the people by being adequately grounded

in a knowledge and practice of cross-cultural competence and historical awareness.

According to Pewewardy (1993), competent helpers can assist their charges by guiding

them to examine their qualms, reframing them into ideas that can shape future actions.

This being done, one will not always be compelled to try to force negative experiences

from the memory, but the utilize this self-knowledge for growth. Respected male elder

Iron Moccasin (2001) encourages

Native

 men to "Habilitate", or learn to live as was intended by the Creator (p. 13). This

calls for a blend of old and new methods; a combination of processes that have worked

in the past connected with those that are working now.

While society continues to depend upon men to sustain life and put bread on the table,

society needs to develop ways to help men embrace their need for nurturance. For

Indigenous men, fostering connectedness is a template for healing. We need to develop

a new way of thinking about men's roles, and engender acceptance for men to experience

feelings. For

Native

 American communities, the tie to the mainstream is a symbiotic one. Indigenous attitudes

and values have been greatly influenced by European proximity and public policies.

Healing strategies that have been most beneficial to Aboriginal people have involved

a reintroduction of

Native American values, laws, and practices into the lives of the people.

Conclusion

The dominant culture's concept of individualism is still at odds with Indigenous

thinking, beliefs, and values, and has indeed been destructive. What is in line with

Native values and beliefs is an identity grounded in tribal membership and community.

This is an identity and value system in which

Native

 men have thrived and contributed in a meaningful way historically. There are modern

ways to establish one's identity in community, such as singing, traditional dancing,

storytelling, and participation in twelve-

step

 activities. The common theme among these items is a sharing of oneself for a greater

good. Promotion of these events is a pathway to healing for

Native men, and thus, for all Native communities.

There is a healing that is awakening in Native American communities today. Native

 men are lighting the way by connecting with others, after being in the darkness

of separation for far too long. Healing involves an acceptance of the true self as

a nurturer, desiring connection and intimacy. This is what many have found in the

twelve-

step

 groups--mentoring, modeling, sharing, and helping others. When people begin to share

thoughts and feelings with specific plans and goals in mind, the end results will

bear a sweeter fruit. When a man can see another man risk sharing from the soul and

not be repulsed or afraid of this act, then true healing can begin. When others see

the man, once pitiful and ill, now healthy and whole again, it will attract them

toward a similar journey of healing and hope. Connectedness teaches all people about

what it is to be human--the need to both love and be loved; to share the deepest

self with another, and have that sharing returned. This sharing helps us to make

a powerful personal meaning of the events of our lives. It is the understanding of

a inclusive cultural identity that will foster a sense of reintegration of the self,

as our First Nations men move into the new millennium, enjoying growth and survival,

and ensuring an enduring progeny.

References

Adams, D. (1995). Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding school

Experience. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.

Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (1976). Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story

of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered From Alcoholism (3rd ed.).

New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Bear Heart & Larkin, M. (1996). The Wind is My Mother. New York: Berkley Books.

Beauvais, F. & LaBoueff, S. (1985). Drug and Alcohol Abuse Intervention in American

Indian Communities, International Journal of the Addictions, 20 (1), 139-171.

Carsten-Wentz, C. & Maldonado, S. (2000). American Indians in the Urban Environment:

A Question of Identity. Unpublished manuscript, Arizona State University at Tempe.

Champagne, D. (1994). Native Americans: Portrait Of The Peoples. Detroit: Visible

Ink Press.

Cochran, S. & Rabinowitz, F. (2000). Men and Depression: Clinical and Empirical Perspectives.

Washington: A.P.A. Press.

Cooley, C. (1922). Human Nature and the Social Order (Revised Edition). New York:

Charles Scribner's Sons.

Cooley, R., Ostendorf, D., & Bickerton, D. (1979). Outreach services for Native Americans,

Social Work, 24 (1), 151-153.

Coyhis, D. (1995). The Medicine Wheel and the Twelve Steps. Colorado Springs, CO:

White Bison, Inc.

Coyhis, D. (2001). Wellbriety and economic development, Well Nations, 1 (1), 10-20.

Davis, D. & Jansen, G. (1998). Making meaning of Alcoholics Anonymous for social

workers: Myths, metaphors, and realities, Social Work, 43 (2), 169-182.

Densmore, E (1979). Chippewa Customs. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Duran, E. & Duran, B. (1995). Native American Postcolonial Psychology. Albany, NY:

State University Of New York Press.

Faludi, S. (1999). Stiffed: The Betrayal of The American Man. New York: Perennial.

Farrell, W. (1986). Why Men Are the Way They Are. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Fees, P. (1989). The Myth of the West. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.

Freire, P. (1998). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.

Friedan, B. (2000). Life So Far. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Gill, S. (1985). Beyond the Primitive: The Religions of Nonliterate Peoples. New

York: The Prentice-Hall Series in World Religions.

Gustafson, F. (1997). Dancing Between Two Worlds: Jung and the Native American Soul.

New York: Paulist Press.

Iron Moccasin, B. (2000). Our elders speak: A call for unity, Wellbriety, 1 (1):

13-14.

Johnson, D., & Johnson, F. (1997). Joining Together (6th ed). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Johnston, B. (1976). Ojibway Heritage. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

Jolly, E. (1996, February). Inferential Leadership: Lessons from Native

 American Storytelling. In The Olympics of Leadership: Overcoming Obstacles, Balancing

Skills, Taking Risks, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual International Conference of

the National Community College Chair Academy, Phoenix, AZ.

Kilpatrick, J. (1999). Celluloid Indians: Native Americans and Film. Lincoln: University

of Nebraska Press.

Kipnis, A. (1991). Knights Without Armor. New York: G. E Putnam's Sons.

Krech, S. (1999). The Ecological Indian: Myth and History. New York: Norton.

Lonewolf, W. (1996). From Bows and Arrows to Guns and Bullets. Unpublished Manuscript.

Moore, R. & Gillette, D. (1992). The Warrior Within: Accessing the Knight in the

Male Psyche. New York: Avon Books.

Petty, C. (1994). Waterdrum Science: Science Through American Indian Art and Culture.

Bemidji, MN: Larchmere, Ltd.

Pewewardy, C. (1993). The Red Road: Culture and Education of Native Americans. Milwaukee,

WI: Honor Inc.

Picucci, M. (2001). The new psychotherapy, Counselor, 2 (1), 36-40.

Polansky, N., Ammons, P., & Gaudin, J. (1985). Loneliness, and isolation in child

neglect, Social Casework, 66, 38-47.

Preece, R. (1999). Animals and Nature: Cultural Myths, Cultural Realities. Vancouver:

University of British Columbia Press.

Real, T. (1997). I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male

Depression. New York: Scribner.

Roberts, C. (1999). People of the Circle. Missoula, MT: Meadowlark Communications.

Sanchez, A. (1999). The Depiction of Native Americans in Recent (1991-1998) Secondary

American History Textbooks. Unpublished manuscript.

Schaler, J. (2000). Addiction is a Choice. Chicago: Open Court Publishing Company.

Simonelli, R. (2000). Teachings of Wellbriety: Putting a face on recovery, Wellbriety,

1 (1), 13-14.

Small, C. (2001). The healing of indigenous men, Well Nations, 1, 13-14.

Szasz, M. (1999). Education and the American Indian: The Road to Self-Determination

Since 1928. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

Voss, R., Douville, V., Little Soldier, A. & Twiss, G. (1999). Tribal and shamanic-based

social work practice: A Lakota perspective, Social Work, 44 (3), 228-241.

Weil, A. (1995). Natural Health, Natural Medicine. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Williamson, O. (2000). Our elders speak: A word of welcome, Wellbriety, 1 (1), 12.

Young, C. (1999). Ceasefire! Why Women and Men Must Join Forces to Achieve True Equality.

New York: Free Press.

Zoja, L. (2000). Drugs, Addiction and Initiation: The Modern Search for Ritual. Einsiedeln,

Switzerland: Daimon Verlag.

PAUL ROCK KRECH

Arizona State University-Tempe

Paul Rock Krech, CISW, CSAC 625 South Westwood Drive #112 Mesa, AZ 85210 paul.krech at asu.edu

-1-

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com

Publication Information:

Article Title: Envisioning a Healthy Future: A Re-becoming of Native American Men.

Contributors: Paul Rock Krech - author. Journal Title: Journal of Sociology & Social

Welfare. Volume: 29. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number: 77+. COPYRIGHT

2002 Western Michigan University, School of Social Work; COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

Next Page

I'm 
Jessie Rayl
thedogmom63 at frontier.com
www.facebook.com/Eaglewings10
www.pathtogrowth.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.acb.org/pipermail/acb-hsp/attachments/20120626/6d6703df/attachment-0001.html>