Cultural sensitivity

Find teachable moments Practiced at MFHS – social studies, ELA, science, math, arts ,etc. Learning centers – will provide visitors with more material on culture School demographics – available to presenters , to staff, to students? Diversity- is it plain to see? Recognizing other tribal affiliation for awareness /appreciation. Test taking skills- do we do this while keeping in mind sensitivity? Multi-ethnic authors/books- available in nearby areas?

Revitalization Today, native languages are “severely threatened” say the linguists. Ft. Defiance School and Rock Point School showed that “ students were more relaxed “ while learning, where Kdg. was immersed 90% of the time in Dine language. In 2nd grade it went down to 50% . Academically, this group did better than English only learners in nearby schools. (1972 at Rock Point . 1986 at Ft. Defiance) Individually, the Dine philosophical goal is to live in Hozho – which is to live in harmony and walk in beauty. There are two forces in the Dine universe. Hozho is female and Naayee is male. Sensitivity , calmness, are for hozho while aggression and war are for naayee. Ceremonies are done to balance these areas during one’s pathways in life.

Observations Today , Parents are younger and unprepared to face daily pressures around them. { They seem to be more aggressive and less tolerant yet expect more services} Young people are in control of /expect more from their parents/ guardians early in life. Blaming game begins early in the homes. ( towards school, nation, society, misfortunes) Borrowing “indianness” from other tribes has come about. Influx of other nationalities into tribal lands causing extra burden on self identity. Droves of parents attend basketball games and trickle in for parent meetings. Band aids are abundant particularly in tribal/state programs. Federal govt. wants to get out of trust /treaty responsibilities asap but they want to get lands back and give it away to rich corporations who will destroy the lands even more. Discipline at home questioned by some as a questionable area but some are fortunate to carry on teachings to their younger generation.

Future outlook Law enforcement is limited dealing with domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, elder abuse, drug/alcohol violations, curfew, etc. How can tribal leaders address some of these areas? Do they have the resources to do this? Is it a political, cultural, social /media concern? Priorities vs band aid status in nature for community involvement, tribal involvement. Population explosion is still a huge factor along with other affecting issues. Tribal sovereignty –is it a misnomer or a misunderstanding for now? Just a few things to discuss but very worthy of research and data collecting.