American Indian women and psychology.

Abstract

The ways of Native American women who choose to follow the healing path include the following: the way of the daughter, the way of the householder, the way of the mother, the way of the teacher, and the way of the wise woman. Each of these ways toward spiritual development, or "disciplines that accord with the age of the aspirant and her duties within the sacred wheel of life" (Allen, 1991, p. lo), leads one to ever more specialized modes of work. We have accepted this developmental framework as a guide for the description of diverse American Indian' women's quest for mental health. Whether their well-being is deemed effective functioning, adaptation, and competence or living a peaceful (Hopi), artfulWe thank the following women who provided research ideas listed in Exhibit

The Importance of Community in a Feminist Analysis of Domestic Violence among American Indians

“…Further, even studies of groups who are primarily American Indian (e.g., Maguire, 1987) may attend little to issues of race or culture. There is a great need for more investigations of domestic violence among American Indians that takes into account the culture and context of Indian life (LaFramboise, Choney, James, & Running Wolf, 1995b).…”

“…It is likely that, as in other areas, there was considerable variability among tribes, and that unrecognized cultural differences account for some of the disagreement. The one area of agreement is that rates of domestic violence appear to have risen dramatically in the last 150 years (Chester et al, 1994;DeBruyn et al, 1990;Gunn Allen, 1990;LaFramboise et al, 1995b). Contact with Westerners has had many negative consequences, including increased domestic violence rates, probably due in part to profound losses in the traditional statuses and roles of both men and women (Wolk, 1982).…”

“…Christian marriage conventions influence many American Indian tribes today, and patriarchal, patrilineal patterns are far more prevalent today than in the past. Boarding schools often participated in the indoctrination of Western values by offering less education to girls than boys and making girls clean the schools (LaFramboise et al, 1995b). Most observers (e.g., Gunn Allen, 1990;Wolk, 1982) believe native women have lost status due to Western patriarchal influences, but at least one study attributed a very recent rise in domestic violence to the increasing status of females (Durst, 1991).…”

“…American Indian and other ethnic minorities continue to be disadvantaged in a society in which race determines access to economic resources. Current poverty rates of American Indian communities range from 20-47%, compared with 12% of the total U.S. population (LaFramboise et al, 1995b). Numerous sources document the lower income, education, and employment of American Indians in contrast to European Americans and even compared to some other minority groups (West, 1998).…”

American-born Asian, African, Latina, and American Indian adolescent girls: Challenges and strengths.

“…Adolescent American Indian girls are an especially vulnerable population to unwanted teen pregnancy, sexual abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and eating disorders (LaFromboise, Choney, James, & Running Wolf, 1995). Indeed, a 1989 Indian Adolescent Health Survey report found that young American Indian girls in boarding schools are more prone to depression and that 20% of all American Indian girls have attempted suicide (LaFromboise et al, 1995).…”