Understanding Native Americans: A Brief Talk
| Who am I? |
|
|
| Native American Images |
| Famous Native Americans |
|
"stuck in history" |
|
stereotypes (Western tribes) |
|
|
| Background |
|
500+ tribes |
|
200+ languages |
|
300+ reservations |
|
trends - more and more like me (non-reservation, cultural conflicts) |
|
Treaties ------- distrust of non-native authority |
|
Assimilation ------- protection of culture
|
| Seeing through Native eyes |
| ex. $20 bill |
|
|
| What should I be called? |
| Native American |
| American Indian (Indian) |
| Chippewa (Ojibwe, Ojibway) |
| Ottawa (Odawa) |
|
Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians (Little Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians) |
| Anishinabe (UH-NEESH-UH-NAH-BEE) |
|
|
| How do American Indians view the world? |
|
1. History (time) is spatial
|
|
centered around place
|
|
"this happened here, that happened there"
|
|
chronology isn't critical, importance of the event is |
|
(when and in what order is not important,
that it happened and where it happened is) |
|
|
|
2. Unity between the individual/community and the natural world
|
|
working in harmony with, not to control or conquer (a connectedness)
|
|
(can lead to the idea that we must accept things the way they are)
|
|
however, there are no accidents, everything happens for a purpose
|
|
the future is not seen as a motivating factor unless it has an affect on today
|
"seeing" the world differently English - 60% nouns (object oriented) Annishanaabemowin - 80% verbs (about process, relationships) a living language ex. a pipe or a drum is not an object but something animate a pipe carries smoke, a drum beats sound, they are "alive" tobacco as an offering from the land (plant) offered by people (relationship) to the spirits (relationship) in the sky (smoke) a "visual" way of knowing |
|
in terms of time, promptness isn't essential
|
|
that it happens is more important than when it happens
|
|
lazy? unreliable?
|
|
visual learners (learn by seeing things done repeatedly)
|
| 3. Consensus and community |
|
decision making emphasizes cooperation/conformity instead of competition
|
|
group needs > individual needs
|
|
Elders are important
|
| 4. Spirituality and health |
|
illness is often seen as serving a purpose (which can be generational/historical in nature)
|
|
holistic approach
|
|
what can I learn from being sick?
|
|
the treatment is not simply physical
|
|
spiritual purification will often be seen as more important than physical purification
|
|
smudging ceremonies (burning herbs, wood, sage, tobacco and praying for cleansing)
|
|
sweat lodges
|
|
these ceremonies are private
|
|
conducted by healers
|
|
medicine bundles - collection of objects believed to heal disease and ward off enemies (herbs, stones, bones, feathers)
|
|
|
|
Communication implications of these four ideas:
|
|
1. verbal or written explanations are usually not enough
|
|
2. time issues need clarification
|
|
3. focusing solely on the medical condition will not work
|
|
4. exploring the larger implications of illness is critical
|
|
5. individual guilt often fails to motivate (appeals to communal implications often better)
|
|
"if you harm yourself you are harming everyone you are connected to and disrupting communal unity"
|
|
6. communal decision making may lead to large groups of visitors
|
|
7. patients may need privacy for ceremony (is this possible?)
|
|
8. distrust and assimilation issues may arise as well
|
|
ex. cutting hair |
|
ex. sitting in silence |
| Mashkiki Waakaaigan Pharmacy |