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