Working On, Working For, and Working With American Indians

1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Weibel-Orlando
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
American Indian ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
The Social ◽  
Politically Active

The lyrics of the Curtis and Westerman song, dating from circa 1960 (printed in Vine Deloria's Custer Died for Your Sins) exemplify the then prevailing attitude of a number of politically active and vocal Native Americans toward anthropologists in general and, in particular, those of us who have "worked with" American Indians. The social distance between researcher and researched community as suggested by the lyrics' invective has approached, in some instances, the ultimate semantic contrast set, that is, the social distance that separates "us" from "our enemies." Their words suggest an Indian view of anthropologists as, at best, unrealistic Romanticists to, at worst, exploiters and intellectual imperialists. In no sense do the lyrics concede that anthropologists "do" anything of worth for their American Indian subjects.

Indigenous standpoint theory as a theoretical framework for decolonizing social science health research with American Indian communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 117718012110420
Author(s):  
Genevieve R Cox ◽  
Paula FireMoon ◽  
Michael P Anastario ◽  
Adriann Ricker ◽  
Ramey Escarcega-Growing Thunder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Science ◽  
American Indian ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Standpoint Theory ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
The Social

Theoretical frameworks rooted in Western knowledge claims utilized for public health research in the social sciences are not inclusive of American Indian communities. Developed by Indigenous researchers, Indigenous standpoint theory builds from and moves beyond Western theoretical frameworks. We argue that using Indigenous standpoint theory in partnership with American Indian communities works to decolonize research related to American Indian health in the social sciences and combats the effects of colonization in three ways. First, Indigenous standpoint theory aids in interpreting how the intersections unique to American Indians including the effects of colonization, tribal and other identities, and cultural context are linked to structural inequalities for American Indian communities. Second, Indigenous standpoint theory integrates Indigenous ways of knowing with Western research orientations and methodologies in a collaborative process that works to decolonize social science research for American Indians. Third, Indigenous standpoint theory promotes direct application of research benefits to American Indian communities.

American Indians Encounter the Bible

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-157
Author(s):  
Christopher Vecsey
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
American Indian ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
American Indians ◽  
New World ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Indian Languages ◽  
The Bible ◽  
To Receive

Abstract This article explores how Native Americans have received the Bible. Over the centuries some Indians have been inspired by the Bible, and some have been repelled by its long-standing place in colonization. The Christian invaders in the New World carried the Bible in their minds. It served as their inspiration, their justification, and their frame of reference as they encountered Indigenous peoples. In effect, the Bible was the template for exploration, conquest, identification of selves and others. The Christian invaders brought along or produced physical Bibles, which served their catechetical purposes, and in time they began to translate the Bible—in whole and in part—into American Indian languages. Therefore this article illustrates that to the present day Native Americans continue to receive the Bible actively and variously, attempting to fit it to their unfolding cultural stories. Ultimately, it has not lost its potency, nor have they lost their power to consider it on their own terms.

Racism

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selena T. Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Native Americans ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Historical Trauma ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Social

Racism is pervasive, endemic, and historically rooted in systematic assumptions inherent in superiority based on race and requires the critical attention of all social workers. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has made strides in tackling racism as demonstrated by the social worker and civil rights activist Whitney Young Jr. (1921–1971), other pioneers, and more recently, the NASW zero-tolerance racism policy. Undergirded in empirical discussion, this article leads with the etymology of race(ism), followed by a discussion of Racial Formation Theory and Critical Race Theory. The article gives a historical sketch of racism, followed by examples of its contemporary indicators—throughout social institutions—in the United States. Racism is pervasive and impinges on micro-level and macro-level systems. It is, therefore, beyond the scope of this article to address how racism impacts each group in America. Social work scholars and other experts have provided extensive empirical documentation about the historical trauma and sufferings of other racial groups (e.g., Native Americans/Native peoples/American Indians, Mexican Americans) discussed elsewhere. Specifically, the racism endured by blacks in America is the emphasis of this article. Themes of “colorism” and historical trauma are provided to contextualize advances in national reform and encourage a broader conversation about the racism that blacks experience globally. In addition, this article highlights strides by the social work profession to eradicate racism. Implications for social work are discussed.

scholarly journals The Case for a Native American 1968 and Its Transnational Legacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-70
Author(s):  
György Tóth
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Native American ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Native Americans ◽  
American Indian ◽  
American Indians ◽  
The Us ◽  
Native American Activism ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Cold War

Partly as a result of compartmentalized academic specializations and history teaching, in accounts of the global upheavals of 1968, Native Americans are either not mentioned, or at best are tagged on as an afterthought. “Was there a Native American 1968?” is the central question this article aims to answer. Native American activism in the 1960s was no less flashy, dramatic or confrontational than the protests by the era’s other struggles – it is simply overshadowed by later actions of the movement. Using approaches from Transnational American Studies and the history of social movements, this article argues that American Indians had a “long 1968” that originated in Native America’s responses to the US government’s Termination policy in the 1950s, and stretched from their ‘training’ period in the 1960s, through their dramatic protests from the late 1960s through the 1970s, all the way to their participation at the United Nations from 1977 through the rest of the Cold War. While their radicalism and protest strategies made Native American activism a part of the US domestic social movements of the long 1960s, the nature of American Indian sovereignty rights and transnationalism place the Native American long 1968 on the rights spectrum further away from civil rights, and closer to a national liberation struggle—which links American Indian activism to the decolonization movements of the Cold War.

Through native eyes: American Indians write about their art

1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-12
Author(s):  
Mary B. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Native Americans ◽  
American Indian ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
American Indians ◽  
American Art ◽  
Native American Art ◽  
Art Historians ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Easel Painting

During the 20th century, and particularly since its adoption of easel painting, the continuing development of American Indian art has resisted attempts to contain and circumscribe it within definitions and categories imposed by outsiders — art critics, art historians, and the authors of many of the most readily available books on the subject. Native Americans are determined not only to remain in control of their art but also to have a say in how it is interpreted. A bibliography of sources follows an introductory survey of Native American statements about Native American art.

Offensiveness of Native American Names, Mascots, and Logos in Sports: A Survey of Tribal Leaders and the General Population

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fraser Laveay ◽  
Coy Callison ◽  
Ann Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Native Americans ◽  
American Indian ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Party Affiliation ◽  
Sports Teams ◽  
National Congress ◽  
Political Party Affiliation

The pervasiveness of media coverage of sports teams with American Indian names and imagery has arguably supported stereotypical beliefs of those referenced. Past research investigating opinions on sports teams using American Indian themes has been inconsistent in findings and drawn criticism for lacking valid samples of Native Americans. Through a survey of National Congress of American Indians leaders (n = 208) and random U.S. adults (n = 484), results reveal that Native Americans are more offended by sports teams employing American Indian imagery, as well as more supportive of change, than is the general public. Investigation of how demographic characteristics influenced perceptions show that although age and education level have little influence, political party affiliation does correlate with opinions, with those voting Democrat viewing the teams with American Indian names, logos, and mascots as most offensive and in need of change.

Seeing Similarity or Distance?

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Wilton ◽  
Diana T. Sanchez ◽  
Lisa Giamo
Keyword(s):  
Social Distance ◽  
Mixed Race ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Perceived Similarity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Intergroup Perception ◽  
Intergroup Perceptions ◽  
Racially Ambiguous ◽  
Ambiguous Faces

Biracial individuals threaten the distinctiveness of racial groups because they have mixed-race ancestry, but recent findings suggest that exposure to biracial-labeled, racially ambiguous faces may positively influence intergroup perception by reducing essentialist thinking among Whites ( Young, Sanchez, & Wilton, 2013 ). However, biracial exposure may not lead to positive intergroup perceptions for Whites who are highly racially identified and thus motivated to preserve the social distance between racial groups. We exposed Whites to racially ambiguous Asian/White biracial faces and measured the perceived similarity between Asians and Whites. We found that exposure to racially ambiguous, biracial-labeled targets may improve perceptions of intergroup similarity, but only for Whites who are less racially identified. Results are discussed in terms of motivated intergroup perception.

People represent their own mental states more distinctly than others’

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Allen Thornton ◽  
Miriam E. Weaverdyck ◽  
Judith Mildner ◽  
Diana Tamir
Keyword(s):  
Mental State ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Privileged Access ◽  
Behavioral Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
External Cues

One can never know the internal workings of another person – one can only infer others’ mental states based on external cues. In contrast, each person has direct access to the contents of their own mind. Here we test the hypothesis that this privileged access shapes the way people represent internal mental experiences, such that they represent their own mental states more distinctly than the states of others. Across four studies, participants considered their own and others’ mental states; analyses measured the distinctiveness of mental state representations. Two neuroimaging studies used representational similarity analyses to demonstrate that the social brain manifests more distinct activity patterns when thinking about one’s own states versus others’. Two behavioral studies support these findings. Further, they demonstrate that people differentiate between states less as social distance increases. Together these results suggest that we represent our own mind with greater granularity than the minds of others.

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