Native American Culture Summary

There are many diverse groups within the Native Americans dealing with their history, beliefs, rituals, religion and all around culture. This is very important to understand because each different culture group will relate to different aspects of life and Social Workers need to understand this in order to engage and assess with each individual, as well as, the community. Also knowing that each different group will cope with issues in different ways, a specific example would be engaging with people out of their community. Understanding the history of the Native Americans way of life is significant because there are outcomes that have created a certain perspective about engagement within their community.
Gilbert Quintero explores the influence
Cultural being determined by attitudes, values norms, beliefs, and customs shared by a group of people. Family for most native American tribes consist of the whole tribe, were other tribe members are considered and treated as brothers and sisters. Unlike the western family which is contrived of those living under one roof as the micro family, Native Americans do not have a micro family setting but a mezzo to macro family setting and that is how their culture has always been (Limb). Early Native American culture used altered states of mind for powers of healing, enlightenment, and the facilitation of war-making. Achieving a mind altering state was usually used to protect their people from harm. When the Europeans introduced alcohol to the natives they also taught them how to drink excessively. “Indians were exposed to persistent modeling of antisocial behavior associated with frequent high-dose drinking by soldiers” (Frank p.8). The Native Americans learned antisocial behaviors as well other socially harmful behaviors as the Europeans learned that they could use alcohol to oppress the Native
Because the AA program was designed by middle class white men and the approach is not necessarily a good fit for other cultures. For example, the Hispanic culture is a very macho culture who may not feel comfortable expressing a powerlessness which is the primary part fo the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Native Americans are a private and modest people who may not feel at ease announcing their shortcomings in a public forum which is highly encouraged at AA meetings. (Walle, 56)
While there is some thought that Native Americans are particularly susceptible to alcoholism due to genetic factors the author believes that this is probably not the case. If one looks at the trauma, cultural genocide and socioeconomic revearsals endured by this culture over the last 150 years this is far more likely to be the cause. One’s culture plays a huge role in our mental health and when that is “forcefully taken away it weakens a person’s emotional well being” as noted by Emile Durkheim in Suicide.(Walle, 57-60,