I am a survivor of the end of the boarding school era. Although it was more of a prison than a school. I was sent there because of extreme personal behavioral issues I had engaged in as I tried to navigate my way through a family and a people who I did not feel I belonged. Today I continue trying to navigate through these same issues with family and with those people who I tentatively relate to as "my people". I have spent my entire life attempting to understand the reasons for all the trauma I grew up in. Any gains in my understanding were extremely difficult because nobody in my family would talk about the traumatic environment we grew up in, nor will anyone talk about the harm we caused to each other. These traumas are not just about me. Although because of the estrangement between me and my family it is how I continue to feel today.

I worked as a community family service worker for a native owned and operated health organization in Alaska. This SEARHC organization managed a mental health referal service program that I worked for but I moved into addictions counseling because it was more specific to my concerns. I can appreciate the research that went into this presentation. An important area of work like this overlooks the same stastistics created by the disparity within these fedreally recognized tribes and until we do this disparity will continue to grow.

Great job The Most High guide n Protect more Love Queen

Despite the threat to our language and culture an indigenous language did continue to be taught to many but was being kept from many as well. I witnessed this personally and grew up feeling like I was "always on the outside looking in" while this language and culture was being taught. I recall numerous times not being allowed "inside" while stories and songs were being sung and taught. I recall too, when a "white boy" my age was allowed "inside" and when this same "white boy" to this day continues to be a professor of this language and culture in the University of Alaska.

I am currently a mental health counseling student at the University of Oklahoma. Thank you so much for this webinar and sharing some bits of your story. Your right, there needs to be specific mental health classes for natives. We briefly touch it in one chapter in our multicultural counseling class.

Chritianity too, has become a coping mechanism. I recall the feeling of being herded into the church and being punished by my own family when I did not conform. But even more than this the church was a safe place for me to avoid the physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual trauma being reeked upon me unless I was in a church or involved in the Alaska Native Brotherhood.

It was funny to hear some native people may run a little late because ‘they are running on native time.’ We have something similar in the Hispanic community. Not so much for appointments but for events. Hispanics can run up to an hour late. Some call it the Hispanic hour.

Are we seeing similar disparities among the African American communities, or Jewish communities living in Europe, from intergenerational trauma?

Im accountable for the abuse I done. My siblings and mother are not accountable for abusing me. They get away with it but I went to jail...willingly because I did it. Not the residential school or the system. ME. Yes we have a history of colonialism and trauma but healing wont come till accountability is taken TODAY!! I want to talk about it. Clean under the carpet and quit walking in shame for my brother molesting me and rapoing my late sister or my other brother who raped my son. They blame it on residential school but I blame them!!!

@mallarieluvsgirls

7 ай бұрын

no one said that. but they can blame it. they didn’t have a choice. they were tortured.literally. my mom and grandma went. i was abused too. but i don’t blame my family. i blame history. and residential schools. cause it’s horrible. they were kidnapped. if residential school didn’t happen, you never would’ve been abused.

@irism7771

7 ай бұрын

accountability has to start somewhere for the cycle to stop! I wouldnt have been able to heal if I kept blaming. I did this for my own family. One drop at a time. My children dont look at the history. They look at me@@mallarieluvsgirls