Native American spirituality is described through the 4 basic cultural elements of Medicine, Harmony, Relation, and Vision. Based on these 4 cultural elements, practical implications for counseling are offered concerning greeting, hospitality, silence, space, eye contact, intention, and collaboration.Everyone knows that grandparents and grandchildren often have a very special bond that goes beyond words. Still, from time to time, the way grandchildren act can get on the nerves of grandparents (and, of course, the way grandparents act can get on children's nerves too). Tsayoga was a good little boy, sensitive, quiet, inquisitive, but also very stubborn. He was a good boy, but he had to do things his own way, and couldn't always understand why things weren't the way he thought they should be. "But why?" he might ask his grandfather-over and over and over. Sometimes, Grandfather would get a little frustrated with the boy who might be busy listening but not hearing. "Tsayoga," the old man would say abruptly sometimes, "Does the worm live in the ground, or does the worn fly in the sky?" "Grandfather," the little boy would answer, "The worm lives in the ground . . ." "Well OK then," Grandfather would reply.
OV E RVI E WThere seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding these days as to what Native American spirituality actually means and what i t involves (Matheson, 1996). This misunderstanding in mainstream Michael Tlnnusta Garrett is an assistnnt professor of counseling in the Department of Human Services at Western Carolina Uniwrsity, CuUowhee, North Carolina. Michael P. Wilbur is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology a t the Unwersity of Connecticut, Storrs. Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to Michael
