In my heart over the years, I have grown more to accept the wisdom that it does seem foolish to say I am part this and part that. It is a mindset that we have become accustomed to though....to compartmentalize all our pieces and parts....ignoring the whole of who we are. In my previous way of thinking, I would have most likely introduced myself as that 1/4 Indian and 3/4 Caucasion man. Nowadays, I see myself as a man with Indian and Caucasion heritage OR simply a Caucasian and Indian man...a whole person....who in his heart and mind, tends to walk in both worlds.
So, in saying this, the roll call here acknowledges anyone with American Indian descent.
I can't believe this thread is two years old and people are still
doing this! I am not an NAI. But as a nursing student, I learned
the most abusive and discriminating treatment done to NAIs.
And I want to work for NAIs in the future in some capacity.
Right now, I don't know how to. You guys let me know if you
know how a uninformed non-NAI nurse can help NAI community
to raise their health standard and prevent DM, HTN, injury, accident,
addiction, suicide etc. I can tell you this. Greenlanders, Alaskans, NAIs,
central American Indians, and even myself, Korean, have all in
common. We are all from the same kind, ural altai mogolian from
thousand years ago. Anyway, I know at least why this blood is
important for NAIs because Indian Health Service covers health care
by their percentages of pure NAI heritage, right? Are you going to
talk about how to improve health care for NAIs or is there another
thread?
Amitai.
Hi,
I thought your post had the best of intentions but I have to say this to you before you contact some tribe to go work for them and they just tear you to bits. Many Native Americans tribes do not feel or accept the theory that "ndns" (rez slang there) and Asians such as Koreans, Mongolians, etc are of the same DNA. Now I might get flamed for this but I will tell you that many many ndns take offense to this line of thinking. Not because they would be ashamed to be of the same descent but because it tosses away thousands of years our own creation stories and implies that ndns native to the Americas are not a distinct set of cultures on their own and that we are just an offshoot of someone else.
That being said far as blood quantams IHS does not set this criteria, individual tribes, bands, nations set it. The general guideline is 1/4 and traceable through certain "roll books." That being said it can also get political and some tribes have dropped their quantam criteria lower then 1/4 to raise their enrollment rates and then go back to 1/4 when they have the numbers they want. I'll probably get flamed myself for this post but this has been my experience and the experience of many who are actively involved with NDN country. The word tribe is now doubled edged. There is "the tribe" meaning the regular people and then there is "the tribe" the poltically entity or government which is every bit as crafty and savy as the feds who set all these wierd and divisive lines to begin with.
I should have said 'millions of years ago' when there was just one
continent on the planet Earth... My point was and is that even to a person
like me, new to the abused history of a community, it seems odd
there are so many tribes and nations that it is difficult to see a unity
within NAIs as a whole. So nobody can suggest how an outsider
can help in an NAI nation without being torn apart? Do you as nurses
do anything about it? I mean, the almost highest rate of DM, CVD, addiction...
Amitai.
I'm sorry I think my post came off like I was picking on you and what you intend to do with Ndn country. I didn't mean it like that I just didn't want you torn apart in person. There is no "magic bullet" to address these high addiction rates, high diabetes rates, etc. I do think you will do very good because you care and rez raised ndns will respect you for that. Some or many may not do as you suggest and they know that it's at their own peril but understand that they understand what they are doing in the cases of diabetes, etc. Many have willed themselves to die so they don't have to see anymore suicides, or drug overdoses, etc. Until us ndns ourselves resolve our own past (brokeness) not much will change. Should you who is new to this give up? No way. You are called to this.....and I would urge you to go for this. I think what I sense you offer is respect, and an understanding of people who do not fit into society's norms. Just bring your knowledge and your love and those that want to hear it will listen. Understand that one person can help but cannot fix what is broken. This isn't hocus pocus but the prophecies spoke of this and the people understand that it will fix itself yet but the time is not here just yet. Come to ndn country and bring your message and your knowledge. Messengers and healers are always respected when they come in the right way.
Just suggest it and it will be heard louder then "do this now." You may also find that your draw to fix this craziness is not so much to help the people but perhaps the people can also help you in ways that you have not imagined.
Oh and non natives are hired by IHS all the time. What part of the country were you considering working in? Navajo country or something like that maybe?
O'siyo nigada! I thought I'd already posted on this thread, but I guess not. Anyhoo! I am what I jokingly call "Southeastern ghoulash." Originally from Alabama, I'm Cherokee, Choctaw and a bit of Creek, and Scotch-Irish. My husband is Tohono O'odham and Kiowa. Nice to meet you all! :)
As a pakeha (European descent) in New Zealand I"m not sure what "carded" means, I"m guessing it means to be registered as a Native American. Why is this?? This thread has been extremely interesting, I think the Maori in Aotearoa ( New Zealand) have alot in common with Native Americans especially with health issues as do the Aboriginals of Australia. As a pakeha I feel no shame for what was done before I was born ( alot of sorrow tho!) but I do feel that as a member of the dominant culture in this generation we have an obligation to try and correct the past and improve native populations health and happiness
As a pakeha (European descent) in New Zealand I"m not sure what "carded" means, I"m guessing it means to be registered as a Native American. Why is this?? This thread has been extremely interesting, I think the Maori in Aotearoa ( New Zealand) have alot in common with Native Americans especially with health issues as do the Aboriginals of Australia. As a pakeha I feel no shame for what was done before I was born ( alot of sorrow tho!) but I do feel that as a member of the dominant culture in this generation we have an obligation to try and correct the past and improve native populations health and happiness
Yes carded means to be "registered" as a Native American or Native Alaskan. Canada also does it as well. There is a CDIB card which is A Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood certified that an individual possesses a specific degree of Indian blood of a federally recognized Indian Tribe. However that doesn't mean the individual is enrolled in a tribe yet. There is critera that indivdiual tribes themselves set as well.
The bad part is that some people who really are of a certain tribe can't prove it because either their relatives didn't "look" the part back then or the paperwork got lost. It's a real mess for some families.
Although carding can protect certain tribes from misrepresentation it has also caused a lot of infighting both within tribes and between tribes. It is also wierd for some tribes like say the Crees of Montana in the US and Crees who live in Canada. They don't get the same kinds of benefits at all and you have feds from two different countries involved in their tribal business so to speak.
This card business started because of racial miscegnation laws that were in place "back in the day" so to speak. The Native Alaska tribes actually were forced to wear dog tags in the past that had their blood degree listed on it. So that is where the sarcastic line in some parts of the USA came from about being "papered and tagged just like pedigreed dog."
Does New Zealand do something like this as well for Maoris?
I agree that we "ndns" over here have a lot in common with Maoris and Aborigines when it comes to health and social issues. I have met a few Maoris over the years during cultural diversity type exchanges (I never asked them about if they were carded back home too though)
Anyways thanks for posting. I didn't mean to ramble on about "carded" but I didn't want your questions to be unanswered either.
Thanks so much for that, didn"t notice any rambling!!! As far as I'm aware there is no system like that here. In many bureaucratic forms you are asked to nominate an ethnic group you identify with. Maori can also choose whether to be on the Maori Electoral roll or the General roll for General elections. I am not sure whether you need to provide proof of Maori ancestry if you opt for the Maori Roll. There are about seven Maori seats in Parliament.
Alot of urban maori don't know which iwi (tribe) they come from but I think more and more are tracing their roots.
I think the difference here is that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1860 ish and is still recognised, over the last decade or so iwi have been making treaty claims and are negotiating compensation with the government. This is not to say everything is great here for maori because it very definately is not!! Maori will never get close to being compensated properly for all that was taken from them not just land but culture and language.
Maori are suffering the same things as many other colonised people, racism, high rates of diabetes cardiac illness, smoking related ilnesses etc, etc, they are over represented in the lower socio-economic groups with all the problems that go along with that - high unemployment, gangs, violence, alcohol and drugs.
In the 1970's a report came out saying that the maori language was dying and predicting it would be gone in 20 years, this is when Maori started Preschools that taught the children Maori, and then later full immersion schools started, this is where all the teaching is in Maori, This has lead to more and more fluent Maori speakers, and along with the language comes the culture or a much deper understanding of it. On the state television we now have a Maori channel, most of the broadcast is in Maori, sometimes with subtitles. I watch this channel alot as I have learnt so much from it, for example why Maori are so aggreived about the Treaty of Waitangi and it not being honoured, their very deep connection with the land and how it has caused untold misery to the Maori having their land taken from them.
As a Pakeha looking in I can only understand to a certain degree, but I feel especially in the health profession really understanding this will inevitably help us care for our maori patients with more empathy and hopefully more effectively. Cultural Safety is part of our Nursing course but it is very different from the classroom to the real world and unfortunately there are many in the health profession that are overtly or passively rascist.
Anyway hope you didn't get bored with my brief introduction to New Zealand history. As a Pakeha I have only somuch knowledge and understanding, to properly know you would have to speak to Maori themselves.
AmericanRN
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