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http://bit.ly/NativeYouthIncarceration
"Native Americans and Juvenile Justice: A Hidden Tragedy,"by Terry L. Cross November/December 2008 issue of Poverty & RaceIn the United States in 2008, there are more than 560 federally-recognized American Indian tribes comprising an American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population of approximately 4 million individuals. About half this population lives on reservations, and the others live off-reservation, primarily in urban communities. The AI/AN population is young: 42%—almost 2 million—are under 19 years of age. Twenty percent (800,000) are at risk—60,000 suffer abuse or neglect each year. According to the Youth Violence Research Bulletin, the suicide rate for American Indian juveniles (57 per 1 million) was almost twice the rate for white juveniles and the highest for any race. In addition, 200,000 are believed to suffer from serious emotional disturbances. American Indian youth are grossly over-represented in state and federal juvenile justice systems and secure confinement. Incarcerated Indian youth are much more likely to be subjected to the harshest treatment in the most restrictive environments and less likely to have received the help they need from other systems. AI/AN youth are 50% more likely than whites to receive the most punitive measures. Pepper spray, restraint and isolation appear to be grossly and disproportionately applied to Indian youth, who have no recourse, no alternatives and few advocates. In 2003, litigation over conditions in a South Dakota state training school revealed horrible abuses in the use of restraints and isolation, yet little in the way of education or mental health services. Findings also showed that Native youth were significantly over-represented in the lockdown unit and thus subject to the worst abuses. For example, one young girl from the Pine Ridge Reservation had been held in a secure unit within the facility for almost two years, during which time she was placed in four-point restraints while spread-eagled on a cement slab for hours at a time, kept in isolation for days and even weeks, and pepper-sprayed numerous times. This young girl, like many of the females confined at the facility, suffered from significant mental health and substance abuse issues. Due to the lack of appropriate mental health treatment and the harsh conditions in the facility, she resorted to self-harming behavior as a way to draw attention to herself, and like many of the other girls now has scars up and down her arms from cutting herself. Finally, the facility also instituted a rule that penalized Native youth for speaking in their Native language, and several were placed on lockdown status for speaking Lakota to each other. There is a growing awareness that many tribes’ children and youth are being taken outside the care, custody and control of their families, communities and tribal government, and that many are suffering from extreme physical, mental and emotional abuse in the process. |
Full Information At: http://bit.ly/NativeYouthIncarceration
Tribes fight suicide, a leading killer of native youth
Native youth die from suicide at a higher rate than any other population in Washington, and tribes in the state are fighting back.
By Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times staff reporter
ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Students in a suicide prevention session at the Lummi Youth Academy near Bellingham engage in an exercise that brings them closer together, builds trust and is simply fun to do. They gather in a circle, tighten the circle and drop down.
Suicide stalks Indian Country, claiming more lives of native youth than those in any other population, not only in Washington, but nationally.
State Department of Health statistics released this month show that in Washington, the rate of suicide among native youth from 10 to 24 years old was more than double the rate of any other ethnic population.
Tribes are fighting back. At the Lummi Nation, tribal leaders last year enhanced a long-standing social-services program with a youth suicide-prevention component. The Colville, Spokane and Yakama tribes also are utilizing prevention grants and training through the Native Aspirations Program. The Spokane-based program for the past five years has helped 65 tribes across the country combat suicide, the second-biggest killer of native youth, after accidents.
That might even be an undercount, experts say.
“The car accident, the gun death, the overdose, there are a lot of suicides that are not reported as such,” said Victoria Wagner, executive director of the Youth Suicide Prevention Program, a nonprofit based in Seattle with outreach workers across the state working with schools and parent groups to teach the warning signs of suicide and prevention strategies.
In Indian Country, poverty, isolation, lack of adequate resources to treat mental-health issues, substance abuse and family problems compound the risks of youth suicide, Wagner said.
“There is this feeling of being trapped, and having nowhere to go.”
At a recent prevention training session at the Lummi Youth Academy outside Bellingham, the emphasis was on the positive.
“How do we make life less to do with pain, and more to do with beauty?” asked executive director Shasta Cano-Martin, as two youth coaches led the kids in writing lists of things that built their self-esteem — and root causes that could lead to risky behavior.
“No support,” offered one teenager. “Feeling like you don’t belong,” said another. “Abuse,” said another. “Failure,” came a tiny voice from a child who seemed too young to know the feeling, but clearly did.
But the kids were quick, too, with long lists of things that lead to feelings of self-worth and confidence: Succeeding on tests. Nailing a basket on the court. Hugs. Doing something nice for someone else. Sobriety. Having the urge to try, and succeeding beyond expectations.
Kyla Frajman, 21, said suicide was no stranger to her. “I thought about it a lot, but always fought my way through it,” said Frajman, a member of the Cowichan First Nation in British Columbia. “I don’t do it myself,” she said of suicide, “because I don’t want the younger kids to think it’s allowed.”
But she has a friend she knows is going through a rough patch. “When I don’t hear from him, I worry about it.”
Experts who track the problem of native youth suicide fear it will get worse, as sequestration reduces funding already scarce for mental-health services for Indian people.
Indian Health Services, the major federal program that provides funding for health-care services for tribes, today covers only about 52 percent of the needed care, and mental-health needs account for more than a third of the underfunding, said Erin Bailey, director of the Center for Native American Youth, a nonprofit based at the Aspen Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C.
As in Washington, the suicide rate among native youth nationally is 2½ times that of any other youth population, Bailey said. “It is definitely a national problem, a national emergency,” Bailey said. “This is weighing especially hard on our hearts at this time, with native communities facing cuts for native health care.”
Patricia Whitefoot, director of Indian Education for the Toppenish School District, said suicide prevention is a top priority identified by parents of students at Toppenish High School in Yakima County. Native students embarked on a wellness walk Friday to emphasize the positive role that culture can play in wellness, she said.
It’s just one step in what will have to be a longer journey, she said. “Teachers are so busy paying attention to test scores, how much time is there for addressing these major health issues in our community? And, as teachers, that has not been their training.”
At the Yakama Nation, Vanessa Smartlowit, administrative assistant in the tribe’s behavioral-health department, said the tribe is seeking to bolster its youth with everything from motivational speakers to dealing with bullying in schools. Even simple things — talking circles, bead-working classes and cultural activities — “just something for them to learn and keep busy,” can help, she said.
Taboo no longer, suicide is a danger that has to be talked about, Wagner said.
“You are not planting the idea,” Wagner said. “It is already there.”
Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com
Advancing Native Education Legislation in the 113th Congress
The 113th Congress provides a key opportunity to strengthen Native education through the legislative proposals tribes have been working on for years. In preparation for advocacy on this critical priority, NCAI issued a call for feedback in February 2013 on a draft Indian education bill. Together with the National Indian Education Association, NCAI has revised the proposal to incorporate input received from tribal leaders and Native educators. Please see below for the revised bill and a matrix of the comments received by both NCAI and NIEA.
· Click here for a summary of the revised legislative proposal.
· Click here to read the full text of the revised legislative proposal.
· Click here to view a matrix of comments received by NCAI and NIEA.
Background: The draft language comes from NCAI's initial proposal for the Native Culture, Language, and Access for Success in Schools (CLASS) Act, which addresses the joint NCAI/NIEA education priorities outlined in NCAI Resolution #ABQ-10-054 and NIEA Resolution 11-002. Although the Native CLASS Act (S. 1262) passed out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in October 2012, it did not clear the entire Congress. The proposed law would address many of the systemic problems in Native education, including strengthening tribal participation in education, supporting the revitalization of Native languages, and encouraging collaboration between tribes, states, and school districts.
Next Steps: In partnership with NIEA, the Tribal Education Departments National Assembly, and the United South and Eastern Tribes, NCAI is working with Congress to introduce a comprehensive Indian education measure that is similar to the Native CLASS Act. Our organizations will use the revised draft proposal in our advocacy on this issue as we move forward. Please feel free to utilize this information when you advocate to your congressional representatives.
For more information, please contact Terra Branson, Legislative Associate, at tbranson@ncai.org.
Creating Sustainable Programs is the fourth webinar in the “First Nations Knowledge” webinar series and is now open for registration. “First Nations Knowledge” aims to educate Native community members and Native nonprofit organizations working to strengthen local food systems while increasing economic opportunities and organizational capacity.
Presented by Vicky Karhu, the Creating Sustainable Programs webinar will include steps to developing and implementing a sustainable program. Vicky Karhu is the Development Director at Taos County Economic Development Corporation and founding director of the Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative. She has served on numerous boards including the Community Food Security Coalition, National Family Farm Coalition and Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers Association (OFRA) to name a few.
Title: Creating Sustainable Programs
Date: Thursday, May 23, 2013
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM MDT
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3152615747020619264
Not for Sport
Barbara Munson
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-15-spring-1999/not-sport
In April 1991 when my daughter Christine wrote a letter to her principal about her high school's "Indian" mascot and logo, I did not realize that the issue would lead our family to activism on the state and national level. Whether the problem surfaces in New York state; Los Angeles County; Tacoma, Wash.; or Medford, Wis., I have found that it is framed by the same questions and themes.
As long as "Indian" team names, mascots and logos remain a part of school athletic programs, both Native and non-Native children are being taught to tolerate and perpetuate stereotyping and racism. I would like to point out some common misunderstandings on this issue and suggest constructive ways to address them.
"We have always been proud of our 'Indians.'" Most communities are proud of their high school athletic teams, yet school traditions involving Native American imagery typically reflect little pride in or knowledge of Native cultures. These traditions have taken the trappings of Native cultures onto the athletic field where young people have played at being "Indian." Over time, and with practice, generations of children in these schools have come to believe that their "Indian" identity is more than pretending.
"We are honoring Indians; you should feel honored." Native people are saying that they don't feel honored by this symbolism. We experience it as no less than a mockery of our cultures. We see objects sacred to us -- such as the drum, eagle feathers, face painting and traditional dress -- being used not in sacred ceremony, or in any cultural setting, but in another culture's game.
Among the many ways Indian people express honor are: by giving an eagle feather, which also carries great responsibility; by singing an honor song at a powwow or other ceremony; by showing deference toward elders, asking them to share knowledge and experience with us or to lead us in prayer; by avoiding actions that would stifle the healthy development of our children.
While Indian nations have the right to depict themselves any way they choose, many tribal schools are examining their own uses of Indian logos and making changes. Native American educators, parents and students are realizing that, while they may treat a depiction of an Indian person with great respect, such respect is not necessarily going to be accorded to their logo in the mainstream society.
"Why is an attractive depiction of an Indian warrior just as offensive as an ugly caricature?" Both depictions uphold stereotypes. Both firmly place Indian people in the past, separate from our contemporary cultural experience. It is difficult, at best, to be heard in the present when someone is always suggesting that your real culture only exists in museums. The logos keep us marginalized and are a barrier to our contributing here and now.
Depictions of mighty warriors of the past emphasize a tragic part of our history; focusing on wartime survival, they ignore the strength and beauty of our cultures during times of peace. Many Indian cultures view life as a spiritual journey filled with lessons to be learned from every experience and from every living being. Many cultures put high value on peace, right action and sharing.
"We never intended the logo to cause harm." That no harm was intended when the logos were adopted may be true. It is also true that we Indian people are saying that the logos are harmful to our cultures, and especially to our children, in the present. When someone says you are hurting them by your action, then the harm becomes intentional if you persist.
"Aren't you proud of your warriors?" Yes, we are proud of the warriors who fought to protect our cultures from forced removal and systematic genocide and to preserve our lands from the greed of others. We are proud, and we don't want them demeaned by being "honored" in a sports activity on a playing field.
Indian men are not limited to the role of warrior; in many of our cultures a good man is learned, gentle, patient, wise and deeply spiritual. In present time as in the past, our men are also sons and brothers, husbands, uncles, fathers and grandfathers. Contemporary Indian men work in a broad spectrum of occupations, wear contemporary clothes, and live and love just as men from other cultural backgrounds do.
The depictions of Indian "braves," "warriors" and "chiefs" also ignore the roles of women and children. Many Indian Nations are both matrilineal and child-centered. Indian cultures identify women with the Creator, because of their ability to bear children, and with the Earth, which is Mother to us all. In most Indian cultures the highest value is given to children -- they are closest to the Creator and they embody the future.
"This logo issue is just about political correctness." Using the term "political correctness" to describe the attempts of concerned Native American parents, educators and leaders to remove stereotypes from the public schools trivializes a survival issue. Systematic genocide over four centuries has decimated more than 95 percent of the indigenous population of the Americas. Today, the average life expectancy of Native American males is 45 years. The teen suicide rate among Native people is several times higher than the national average. Stereotypes, ignorance, silent inaction and even naive innocence damage and destroy individual lives and whole cultures. Racism kills.
"What if we drop derogatory comments and clip art and adopt pieces of 'real' Indian culture, like powwows and sacred songs?" Though well-intended, these solutions are culturally naive and would exchange one pseudo-culture for another. Powwows are religious as well as social gatherings that give Native American people the opportunity to express our various cultures and strengthen our sense of Native community. To parody such ceremonial gatherings for the purpose of cheering on the team at homecoming would compound the current offensiveness. Similarly, bringing Native religions onto the secular playing field through songs of tribute to the "Great Spirit" or Mother Earth would only heighten the mockery of Native religions that we now see in the use of drums and feathers.
"We are helping you preserve your culture." The responsibility for the continuance of our cultures falls to Native people. We accomplish this by surviving, living and thriving; and, in so doing, we pass on to our children our stories, traditions, religions, values, arts and languages. We sometimes do this important work with people from other cultural backgrounds, but they do not and cannot continue our cultures for us. Our ancestors did this work for us, and we continue to carry the culture for the generations to come. Our cultures are living cultures -- they are passed on, not "preserved."
"Why don't community members understand the need to change; isn't it a simple matter of respect?" On one level, yes. But in some communities, people have bought into local myths and folklore presented as accurate historical facts. Sometimes these myths are created or preserved by local industry. Also, over the years, athletic and school traditions grow up around the logos. These athletic traditions can be hard to change when much of a community's ceremonial and ritual life, as well as its pride, becomes tied to high school athletic activities.
Finally, many people find it difficult to grasp a different cultural perspective. Not being from an Indian culture, they find it hard to understand that things that are not offensive to themselves might be offensive or even harmful to someone who is from a Native culture. Respecting a culture different from the one you were raised in requires some effort -- interaction, listening, observing and a willingness to learn.
We appreciate the courage, support and, sometimes, the sacrifice of all who stand with us by speaking out against the continued use of "Indian" logos. When you advocate for the removal of these logos, you are strengthening the spirit of tolerance and justice in your community; you are modeling for all our children thoughtfulness, courage and respect for self and others.
Visit the new Language Conservancy website
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The New Language Conservancy Website | Supporting Ancient Voices |
Did you know that every 14 days a language is lost forever? The new Language Conservancy website is looking to change that by providing Native and non-Native people resources to help them take action and make a difference in their communities and around the world. The site gives visitors various ways to get involved ranging from teaching a language to becoming someone who raises awareness or funds.  Vision Maker Media helped fund the site through its funding ofRising Voices--a documentary about the about the crisis of endangered Native languages that shows some of the solutions communities are coming up with to help save Native languages. Visit the new Language Conservancy website |
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Joseph A. Myers Center for Research on Native American Issues & Center for Ethnographic Research Summer Internship and Mentoring Program
Applications Due May 1, 2013
The Joseph A. Myers Center for Research on Native American Issues, in collaboration with the Center for Ethnographic Research, is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for a summer undergraduate internship and mentoring program.
Program Overview
This summer the Myers Center, in collaboration with the Center for Ethnographic Research (CER) at the University of California at Berkeley, is offering an intensive research internship program for undergraduate and graduate students. The Myers Center is reserving two free spots in this internship program for highly motivated undergraduates or beginning graduate students who are conducting research on issues affecting Native American communities today.
Where can I find you on the Web?
http://crnai.berkeley.edu/training/undergrads
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NCAI Education Newsletter May 10, 2013 Edition 49 |
Table of Contents
· Department of Education To Host Tribal Consultation Session in New York (May 13)
Department of Education To Host Tribal Consultation Session in New York (May 13)
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where: Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, 310 Fourth Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14303
The Department of Education will host its first tribal consultation session of 2013 in Niagara Falls, New York, on Monday, May 13, 2013. These sessions provide an opportunity for tribal leaders and other Native education stakeholders to engage in a dialogue with senior officials from the Department of Education about the critical issues facing American Indian and Alaska Native students.
Registration
To register for this consultation session and for more information, go to http://www.edtribalconsultations.org.
Other News and Commentary
· Show Native Educators They're Appreciated This Week: This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Indian Country Today offers some suggestions on showing educators how much you appreciate them.
· Student Loans, Big Decisions, and Staying Hungry: Gyasi Ross offers new Native graduates some advice for the future.
· Education Fight Likely to Split Lawmakers: Democratic senators from rural areas are seeking a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act to give their constituents a better chance of competing for federal funding. The debate will likely split lawmakers along regional lines. These senators say current funding formulas favor urban and suburban schools.
· Financial Education Empowers Native Families: A lack of resources to help Native Americans learn effective money management techniques has stunted the ability of many Native families to reach their full potential. But KeyBank is working to change that by expanding the delivery of financial education to Native communities across the country.
· Salish Kootenai College and the University of Montana to Co-Host Native American Student Advocacy Institute Conference: The University of Montana and Salish Kootenai College will co-host the College Board’s Native American Student Advocacy Institute National Conference on May 30-31. Joyce Silverthorne, Director of the U.S. Office of Indian Education, will deliver the opening plenary titled “Opening the Doors for Native Students.”
· Celebrating Two Years of Let’s Move! in Indian Country: Jodi Gilette, Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs, attended an event to mark the 2nd Anniversary of Let's Move! in Indian Country at Chimney Rock National Monument in southwestern Colorado.