Did you know the federal government recognizes 557 Native American tribes? Did you know 11 are located in Minnesota? And did you know each has its own creation story?
If not, you’re not alone. According to Sophia J. Jacobson, many Native Americans also are unaware of their heritage, language, and customs. In addressing a predominantly Caucasian audience on Tuesday at Augustana Health Care Center’s Spiritual Care Cultural Diversity luncheon series, Ms. Jacobson stated that many Native Americans found the problem of “Who we are” to be their biggest hurdle in adjusting to mainstream American society.
This problem of identity is more acute for Native Americans than for most Europeans because Native Americans as a group believe “Everything is sacred” and “everything is done from the heart.” Through respecting others’ belief systems as “Their truth [being] their truth,” Native Americans have survived by seeing through the larger culture’s eyes. But in learning and respecting these others, the mutual respect Native Americans expected for their own beliefs was not reciprocated. Their sacred ceremonies and rites of passage that “instilled the sacredness of who they are” in the world were ridiculed, misunderstood, or banned outright. Only in 1978, for example, did Congress restore their right to religious freedom by enacting the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.
Consequently, many Native Americans remain unaware of the diversity of dialects and customs that exist between reservations as close as Red Lake and Leech Lake. And many Caucasians misunderstand the significance of Native Americans dwelling upon things or how color displays symbolize their prayers. Nor should Native Americans’ reluctance to cry at the death of their loved ones be construed as an inability to feel sorrow but of their belief that such expressions of grief inhibit the dead person’s spirit from making its spiritual journey.
How do these beliefs apply to health professionals? Ms. Jacobson identified three proscriptions when ministering to Native Americans:
- Never make assumptions about their beliefs—some may not believe in the traditional ways
- Take care with the medicine pouches of those that do—their contents are intended for protection
- Recognize those contents have sacred and medicinal applications that vary among tribes
Perhaps the most important lesson to draw from Ms. Jacobsen’s lecture is that despite the diversity of Native American customs, one overriding constant is their sacred purpose. If everything is sacred, then “How do we respect this?” is the touchstone question that underlies all their actions.
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