DOCUMENT RESUME ED 351 168 RC 018 846 AUTHOR Bert, Cynthia Rowntree Greene; Bert, Minnie TITLE The Native American: An Exceptionality in Education and Counseling. INSTITUTION Independent Native American Development Corp. of Florida, Miami. PUB DATE [92] NOTE 64p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MFOI/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS American Indian Culture; *American Indian Education; American Indians; Classroom Techniques; *Cognitive Style; *Counseling; *Cultural Differences; Elementary Secondary Education; Learning Disabilities; *Special Education; Substance Abuse; *Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *Native Americans ABSTRACT Aimed at professionals and community members interested in program development, this paper presents an overview of issues in Native American education and counseling. A section on culture discusses similarities among Native world views and social behavior that are at odds with White values and behaviors. A section on Native American education points out the bias of schools that ignore Native attitudes and learning styles, and makes suggestions for culturally relevant teaching methods, evaluation methods, and classroom techniques. A section on special education discusses three methods of teaching content reading that have been successful among Native Americans with reading difficulties, problems related to differences among government agencies in definitions of learning disabilities, and the mistaken identification among Indian children cf learning disabilities that are actually learning style differences. Other sections focus on vocational education and counseling; the importance for job success of task-related social behaviors, communications skills, and decision-making skills; dropouts; substance abuse among Native American youth, dysfunctional behaviors, and dysfunctional families; and individual, group, and family counseling for Native American substance abusers. This paper contains 63 references. (SV) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** The Native American: An Exceptionality In Education and Counseling "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION Aida Bert" Curl CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated intr. It docu- ment do not necessarily represent official INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." OERI position or policy Cynthia Rowntree Greene Bert M. Ed. (0 Minnie Bert co 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Independent Native American Development Corporation of Florida P.O. Box 654154 Miami, Florida 33265 (305) 551-2835 Contents Introduction 1. Culture 2. Native American Education 3. 3.1 Present Reality 3.2 Learning Styles Needs 3.2 Exceptional Education 4. 4.1 Similarities of Populations 4.2 Teaching Techniques Needs 4.3 Vocational Education 5. 5.1 Present Reality 5.2 Goals 5.3 Strategies 5.4 Dropout Population 6. Substance Abuse in Native American Youth 6.1 Present Reality Needs 6.2 Counseling 7. A Three Pronged Approach 7.1 Individual 7.2 Groups (Peer) 7.3 Family 8. Recommendations and Conclusions Appendices 9. 2 Introduction 1. In order to properly address counseling or education for Native Americans and for the professionals who will in- teract with them a personal awareness is necessary. It is important to know one's own theoretical orientation and cul- tural affiliation. It is also important to understand the Native American culture which is often diametrically opposed to other society systems. Native American society has been forced out of balance. Individuals feel out control their of of own lives. Economically women are more employable in job markets of tribes on reservations in isolated areas. Traditional in- come practices for males are often under strict government control and are therefore limited. Emotionally individuals are isolated from others in the community. It is very dif- ficult to define what is wrong, and to calk about it is im- possible. Individuals young and old suffer in silence or seek quick cures to the pain. When an individual is intoxi- cated emotions spill out and life appears easier. Many children are raised in homes where sometimes par- ents are sober and working, sometimes parents are drunk and fighting and there are no clothes One does not or food. know when one wakes up which day it will be. Mentally chil- dren receive no individual support for their "strengths" or discipline for their "weaknesses." They have little 3 individual self concept. The traditional group cultural ad- hesiveness is not encouraged for many families. Children have poor group self concept. They learn to blame others for their problems, but like all children want magically perfect lives. They see more and more of White societies' values through movies and T.V. The White dream is an adver- Reality is a wrestling match or a macho tiser's paradise. hero kicking expletives out of mass groups of people. There no way to attain what they are told they must have. is There is no "better" lifestyle than pain and loneliness so children drink, too, or they look for someone to hold them, and they don't care how they are held. Then children began what White professionals to have children. This on is reservations see. It is hoped that the collection and dissemination of current research, program developments and cultural informa- tion will be useful for both professionals and community members interested in developing effective relevant programs for the Native American. Everyone .irivolved in the community must contribute their expertise and broaden their knowledge to address the multifaceted problems of the present and to plan for the future. "Today the Native American is the fastest growing eth- nic group in the United States" (Ashabrammer 1984). 4 Culture 2. "One measure of whether a person's behavior is accept- able in a culture is whether that person is able to be com- petent in everyday life in that culture" (Brislin 1977). Native Americans have been affected by legal and polit- ical policies which have constantly threatened their exis- From the forced reservation policies, the subtle and .:ace. often overt goal has been to annihilate the Native American or at least to assimilate the Native American into White Society. Time after time tribes which were thought to have vanished have reappeared. The time has passed for the ma- jority culture to attempt to destroy or subjugate the Native American culture (Herring 1989). Native American children are separated from other chil- dren in most educational systems by culture and ethnicity. Traditional Native American Attitudes are deeply and histor- ically ingrained. When structuring counseling or educa- tional programs either on or off the reservation certain cultural points must be remembered. All American Indian Tribes are separate but share some of the same similarities. A Native American identifies first with his clan, then with his tribe and then as an Indian. A Native American, his culture and his religion are the They cannot be bro- same. ken into separate identities they intertwining are as 5 systems inseparable from each other (Herring 1989, Loftin 1989). Clans within tribes have certain rites, traditions and myths which they preserve, however there is a commonality in the Tribes. There are also some similarities between the tribes' viewpoints: 1) All tribes believe in a harmonious universe where everything (balanced) sacred has life. a They share certain religious symbols such as earth, sky, wa- ter, stone and fire and also use common rites such as danc- smoking the pipe and most have sweats. singing, ing, 2) The belief that humans are part of and not superior to the whole of nature. To all tribes there is a spiritual charac- ter to the land. our life are "Our land, our religion, 3) Every individual has rights and deserves dignity one." and respect. 4) The individual is part of the whole group and is subjugative to the good of the group's existence. 5) Leadership is based on ability and earned respect (Tooker 1983, Loftin 1989). Legal, political, economic and educational America has adopted the Puritan values of individualism, competitive- ness, profit, speed and efficiency. Native Americans gener- ally do not want to become like Anglo Americans. They do not want to exchange cultures. Herring (1989) documents an increase historic knowledge and in pride among cultural American Native Their Youth. cultural differ values 6 considerably from the White American values of culture. This results stress while in Non Native interacting in American life. For Native Americans truth is mythological. Whites For it logical. is Reality spiritual for is Traditional Native Americans. For White society reality is material. Whites respect the power of human politics. Native Americans respect the power of the world that creates and sustains them. Native America has a cultural definition of social be- havior which should be considered in social situation:. For example Native Americans are present oriented and lack training in time consciousness which makes scheduling diffi- cult for them. This may appear as deviant, but is a rele- vant and normal cultural phenomenon. Native merican cul- tural and heretical practices be devalued by should not White professionals who are often culturally chauvinistic. They should admit their biases and proceed in a non deroga- tory manner. Throughout history Whites have elevated them- selves over others by negative definitions of "savages" and "primitives." Native American culture does not increase child's a self concept in the same manner as other cultures. Some Native American concepts are in direct opposition to activi- ties used in education and counseling. Positive self talk and individual competition are not traditional for Native 7 Americans where cooperation and harmony in the group are valued. Native Americans consider it ill mannered to speak of one's own accomplishments. So strong is the value of co- operation within a group that being identified as better or than other worse children extremely stressful an to is Indian child (Mitchum 1989). Eye contact is expected in White social interactions. For Native American children eye contact signifies disre- The Native American culture also values reticence. spect. Lack of verbal participation in a group setting may cause Indian children to seem unknowledgeable or unwilling to par- ticipate (Youngman, Sadongi 1974). It is important to most Native Americans to be able to survive in both worlds, however, they wart to learn White skills while retaining culture and tradition. They resist absorption because assimilation - whether it is voluntary or involuntary still makes a Native American White in spirit. Native American Education 3. Present Reality 3.1 "L the difference exists in the level of self concept between preschool Native White American children" and (Bruneau 1985). "However when Native American children en- ter school this changes" (Soldier 1985). 10