Understanding

American Indian
Children and
Adolescents
Origins
Many tribes believe they originate from the Americas but archaeologists have found this to
be false. Scholars instead find that their ancestors came from Asia.

The history of interaction between Native and European Americans can be broken down
into five time periods:

1. Removal: (17th century to 1840s) “The only good indian is a dead indian”
2. Reservation: (1860s to 1920s) “Kill the indian, but save the person”
3. Reorganization: (1930s to 1950s) schools were allowed onto reservations
4. Termination: (1950s to 1960s) social cultural integration and independence from the
government
5. Self-determination: (1973 to present) tribal sovereignty due to militant Native
American struggles
American Indians Today
There are more than 500 tribes. Some tribes Cherokee, Navajo, Chippewa, and
Sioux.

Fourteen tribes have populations of 10,000 and 21,000 people. One- half of
American Indians today live west of Mississippi river. Half of population lives in this
six states: Oklahoma, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, and Washington.

In 2015, 1,648,784 school-age American Indians lived in the young and growing
population. Many American Indians live below poverty line.Many live in Non- Indian
communities.

Movement off reservations can harm family relationships, educational problems,

and increase likelihood of behaviors that endanger health and well-being.
Stereotyping of American Indian
Children and Adolescents
Not all American Indians are slow learners, shy, and undependable and not all
adolescents are rebellious and experience difficult and stressful times.

Some American Indians experience poverty on a daily basis, others have been
successful in their educational and financial endeavors.

American Indians have been stereotyped in gender, social class, and sexual
orientation. American Indians are the most misunderstood cultural group because
many people have limited knowledge on their culture.

Negative stereotypes, American Indians are drunks,get free money from the
government, and receive large sums of money from their casinos.

Or they assume all American Indians are one with nature, deeply religious, and
wishes in ways spiritually.
6 Misconceptions About Native
American People
https://youtu.be/GHdW_LVfn28
Language
Educators should develop consciousness and appreciation for American Indian
languages and recognize problems that may result when educators and school
children have different language backgrounds.

American Indians tend to speak more softly and at a slower rate, to avoid direct
identification between speaker and listener and to interject less with
communication signs such as nods and verbal acknowledgements.

American Indian adolescents need security and psychological safety in language or

they will experience language problems during crucial period of development.

Self- esteem and identity formed during transition from family centered world of
intermediate and extended home.

Communication is no longer possible only with elders, parents, and siblings.

Religion
● Native American belief has it that the world is interconnected and everything lives
according to the same process.
● Nature is the essence of God and every part of nature has a spirit with intelligence,
emotion, and free will.
● The spiritual God is benevolent and part of daily living.
● Helping people understand each other and the natural world is an ideal action towards
God.
● There are cultural norms and standards for behavior among the tribes but they are
inclined to judge each person as a separate individual.
● A close relationship exists between spiritual realization and unity and their cultural
practices
Promoting Cultural Identities
American Indian learners often question their self worth and the worth of their
culture. Causes of this can be:

● Injustice and discrimination

● Poverty
● Low educational attainment
● Growing up on a reservation
● Being raised in a foster home
● Living in a society that is predominantly white
Achievement Levels
- Several studies show that American Indian children function at average -
superior range until 4th grade. This typically declines each year so that by the
10th grade levels are below the norm.
- Some contributing factors are

- growing feelings of isolation, rejection, and anxiety

- alienation

- poor self image

- withdrawal

- incompatibility of cultural value system with peers

Achievement Levels Cont.
Behaviors that may affect teacher’s perception of child’s learning progress

- Avoid teachers gaze

- Do not volunteer answers
- Delay response
- Present time orientation

- What is happening now is more important than what is not

American Indians native language varies widely between different tribes, BUT

Majority of American Indians now speak only english. Of the roughly 7.2 million
American Indians and Alaskan Natives counted by the 2016 census 73% 5 years
and older spoke only english
Achievement Levels Cont.
By today’s standards about 7 in 10 American Indians who start kindergarten will
graduate high school.

High dropout rates can be attributed to

- school rules not being enforced uniformly

- poor student teacher relationships
- disagreements with teachers
- the content of schooling

Perceptive educators should demonstrate genuine care, understanding, and

encouragement to identify with American Indian students, ensure curriculum
addresses needs and provides culturally relevant experiences, and understand the
home problems of some.
Socioeconomic Status
American Indian Children & Adolescents are among the

● Poorest economically
● Least employed
● Most unhealthiest
● Have low education
● Low income
● Worst- housed in ethnic groups

However, there has been improvement due to the civil rights legislation, strong will
and determination.
Lands Containing Rich Energy Sources
GAS & OIL GAS & OIL FIELDS & URANIUM
RESERVATIONS
● Southern Utes in Colorado
● Uintah-Ouray Utes in Utah ● Navajo in the Southwest
● Blackfeet in Montana ● Hopi in the Southwest
● Shoshones in Wyoming
● Arapaho in Wyoming LARGEST PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS IN
THE WEST

● Bannocks in Idaho
● Shoshones in Idaho
 American Indians Today Are Making Achievements
● Create Business ventures
● Navajo Nation: Electronic missile assemblies for general dynamics
● Choctaws of Mississippi: Build wire harnesses for ford motor
companies
● Seminoles in Florida: Own 156 room hotels
● Swinomish Indians of Washington state: Plan 60 acre boat basin,
800 slip marina, 3 story office and commercial headquarters.
 Families
Both immediate and extended family are a priority to American Indian
adolescents.

● Immediate, extended, tribes, clans and heritage contribute to their cultural

identity which play an important role in their overall development.
● Grandparents: Retain symbolic leadership in families and communities.

Traditional American Indians will continue the respect and commitment to their
family. They also consider children to be gifts worthy of sharing with others so
they have fewer rules to obey. But if a crisis occurs at home involving a family
member then there will be an absence at school until the crisis is over. American
Indians place family members before themselves.
 Families Continued
American Indian children are taught obedience, respect for elders, experts, and those
with spiritual powers. They’re taught the importance of family and the responsibility to
family members. Adolescents seek social acceptable and approval from both their
elders and younger family members.

Early training about self sufficiency is received by family members and significant
adults. Adolescents will recognize the loyalty and dependence on immediate and
extended families.

American Indians who show incompatibility with European Americans tend to feelings
of isolation, rejection and anxiety.

This can result in alienation, poor self image and withdrawal which can affect the
behavior and aspiration of an American Indian adolescent.
Cultural Characteristics that Clash with
Mainstream School Systems
● Emphasis on generosity, sharing, and cooperation
○ Reassure learners that personal achievement is accepted and encouraged by mainstream
society and peers
○ Provide experiences that emphasize teamwork and cooperation
○ Avoid situations that strictly prohibit lending assistance
○ Explain the necessity of working alone to determine individual achievement
● Discomfort when singled out for praise or accomplishments
○ Praise is a form of acknowledging accomplishments and is expected by students
○ Offer private recognition and praise
● More flexible concepts of time
○ Realize that students being late or submitting assignments late is not a sign of laziness or
unconcern
○ Help students understand that their cultural orientations are not wrong, but that mainstream
society expects punctuality
 Educators can Benefit by
Understanding these Common
-
Characteristics of American Indians
Often harbor significant feelings of suspicion and distrust of professionals and
institutions
- Communication problems may result in the inability to understand, trust, and
build rapport. Learners may appear to be unconcerned with educational
progress, when in fact they are painfully shy and oversensitive to strangers
- Adolescents often develop in a unique and difficult situation
- Must learn to balance their own home culture and what is expected of them in
school
 Promoting American Indians Academic Achievement
Many American Indian students who are gifted are often not identified or not served in schools.

Factors

- Need for appropriate measures

- Need for cultural responsiveness
- Need for appropriate language and relevant cultural responsiveness
- Need to accommodate predominantly rural schools
- Need to address alternative learning styles

Fixes

- Less reliance on standardized achievement tests

- More American Indian teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and psychologists
- Project LEAP: Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, Performance. Focuses on
collaboration, identification, curriculum, and parent involvement.
School Practices Promoting American
Indians Progress
Educators should avoid:

- Methods that include positive self-talk

- Attempts to convince American Indian students to be competitive

- Expecting eye contact

(the lack thereof is a sign of withdrawal, embarrassment, or discomfort)

- Rely solely on verbal communication

 Cultural Characteristics
American Indian culture plays a huge role in shaping who they are. Important for
educators to understand American history and should think through their own cultural
beliefs to realize the dangers of cultural substitution.

American Indian children are taught that all actions must be in harmony with nature.

Other values conveyed include a degree of self-sufficiency and being in harmony with
the knowledge they gain from the natural world.

Adults teach the youth to respect and protect the aged, who provide wisdom and
enlighten the young with traditions, customs legends, and myths.
 Cultural Characteristics Cont.
American Indian adolescents attending European American schools experience degrees
of cultural confusion. It can cause problems for adolescents who want to retain their rich
cultural heritage while seeking acceptance in European American schools and society.

Sharing represents a genuine and routine way of life in American Indian Culture.

It differs from the European American custom of accumulating private property or savings.
The accumulation of material possessions is the measure of most people’s worth and
social status, but the American Indian considers the ability and willingness to share to be
most worthy.

Younger children may wish to only share with adults, acceptance of and allegiance to the
cultural tradition of sharing increases as the child or adolescent develops.
 Cultural Characteristics Cont.
American Indians are taught to be patient, to control emotions, and to avoid passionate
outburst over small matters.

Cultural characteristics such as poise and self-containment become ingrained as they

develop. This leads to a mistaken perception that the American Indian is lazy, uncaring,
and inactive. This demeanor or personality trait is also demonstrated in their tendency to
lower their voices to communicate anger, unlike European American adolescents’ who
learn to raise their voices to convey a message.

American Indians are taught early to respect the rights and privileges of others and the
responsibility to work together toward a common goal in harmony with nature.
 Gender
American Indian females differ from males in their ways of thinking, behaving, learning.

Native American Indian women continue to maintain respect for the power of words. They
use words positively (to inform, think, reconcile others) as well as negatively (to insult or
threaten). Native American women are also encouraged to be strong and resilient in the
face of tragedy.

Correlation between the number of Native American Indian women in the labor force and
the suicide rate of Native American Indian women. As more Native American Indian
women entered the labor force, their suicide rates increased.

The effects of forced assimilation have destroyed the complementary nature of

female-male relations and have resulted in an increase of Native American Indian male
control over women. Women held many positions in tribes, as did men. When European
men colonized the New World, they imposed a male-dominated system of “genocide”.
Question # 1
Formulate a plan for yourself, as a teacher in a predominately American Indian
classroom. What procedures/tools/issues would you utilize in planning effective
learning experiences for you learners?

● Strong relationship with student and family

01 Procedures ●
●
Group activities
Culturally relevant curricula and material

● Artifacts from their culture

02 Tools ●
●
Literature that covers their heritage
Members of the Native American community

● Cultural sensitivity
03 Issues ●
●
Differences in culture
The lack of representation in modern society
Question # 2
Contrast the views of family from the perspective of the American Indian versus the
European American.

American Indian European American

● Children are gifts worthy of sharing with ● Children are private property to be
others. disciplined when necessary.
● Few rules to obey ● Rules with strict consequences.
● Places importance on group welfare ● Prive individualism
● Family before self and have great respect ● Emphasizes youth and the self.
for elders and their wisdom.
Question # 3
If you were to be evaluated as an educator in a system that had 50 percent
American Indians and 50 percent European Americans, which particular culture
would you prefer being your evaluator? Why? Don’t hesitate to be honest.
Question # 4
Discuss cultural characteristics of American Indians. How can you direct your
perceptions and that of your colleagues toward a more positive viewpoint?

Some Cultural Characteristics: All actions are in harmony of nature, teach youth to
respect and protect the aged, and resolve cultural differences surrounding the
concept of sharing.

How we can direct our perceptions and colleagues toward a more positive
viewpoint is by allowing ourselves as educators to think about our own cultural
beliefs and realize the dangers of Cultural Substitution, in which American Indian
learners are expected to change cultural viewpoints. We can also have a deep
respect for the rights and dignity of individuals , constitute basic premises of
American Indian culture.
Question #5
Briefly describe some commonly held religious beliefs within American Indian
cultures. How do these beliefs contrast with commonly held European American
values? What challenges and opportunities does this contrast provide educators?
Question #5
The religion of American Indians varies widely from tribe to tribe. Plus, whereas the
European American people wrote down their religious beliefs from very early on,
the American Indian people passed theirs on orally. This makes it a bit difficult to
get a full view of the religion.

At the time of European contact most indigenous cultures in North America had
developed religious systems that included cosmologies --- creation myths were
passed from generation to generation verbally.

American Indians tend to believe that everything living and nonliving has a spirit,
intelligence, emotion and free will while European Americans tend to believe they
are just objects for them to use and saying that anything other than the higher
beings of Christianity has divinity would be considered sacrilegious.
Question #5
European Americans distinguish religious thought and action as that whose
ultimate authority is supernatural; beyond, above, or outside both phenomenal
nature and human reason.

In most indigenous world views, even where tradition conceives realms or worlds
apart from the terrestrial one, the boundaries are permeable and traversed in both
directions.

Being able to understand and share all of this with the children we teach can open
up so many doors for everyone involved. It’s a very rich history and can help lead to
more open minded and accepting people. It is very important for children to learn
about not only their own culture but that of others as well in order to create a more
well rounded world view. Teaching about this topic will also help American Indian
students feel more welcomed in the classroom and by their peers. Because of the
ambiguity of the topic it would be a difficult one to teach and have students fully
grasp, but it’s important enough to try.
References
http://indians.org/articles/native-american-religion.html

Manning, M. Lee. Multicultural education of Children and Adolescent, 6th Edition. Routledge, 2017

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/natrel.htm

http://www.native-languages.org/religion.htm