Historical Trauma
“The greater the
difficulty,
the greater the
victory.”
Cicero
The
negative impact of historical trauma is still resonating with many Native
Americans today. A multitude of Indian
people suffer from a whole host of maladies such as higher rates of domestic
violence, depression along with other mental health issues, poverty, domestic
violence, child abuse, child neglect, and substance abuse, more than any other ethnic
group in this country. Historical trauma is an accumulation of traumatic
experiences which have made a negative impact for multiple generations of Indian
people occurring over a long period of time. For over 500 years, physical,
emotional, spiritual, and psychological genocide was inflicted on the Native
American people.
Soon after contact of the European
colonizers, a period referred to as “cultural transition,” Native Americans
were stripped of their social power and cultural authority. As soon as they
realized they could not escape the catastrophic events inflicted upon them,
they began to adopt “giving up” behavioral patterns. They withdrew socially,
which in turn lessened their social and psychological investment in all their
relationships, personal and with their communities.
As a result of the cultural and
social disruption, they engaged in destructive behaviors, social alienation and
developed serious psychological problems, such as alcoholism, drug addiction,
and other forms of displaced re-enactments of conflict. These disparaging
behaviors were acquired during the cultural transition period and later during
the boarding school period leaving a legacy of recurring dysfunction and
disturbing behavioral patterns associated with cultural disruption through acts
of genocide and discrimination.
Imagine the difficulty many children
faced when they were forced to attend the Indian boarding schools. Again, many
of these children were sexually, emotionally, spiritually, and physically
abused. The overall damage inflicted on the children was tremendous. Many
Native Americans who were forced to attend boarding schools and/or reside on
reservations were taught that what happened to them was their fault. They were
led to believe they deserved to be abused and many have lost the ability to
trust themselves or others. Because they had no place to turn for safety, their
sense of hopelessness grew over time. They became cynical and fell into the
depths of despair. Historical trauma has taken its toll on many Native American
people.
Historical trauma occurred in six
phases:
·
The
first contact with the Europeans which led to a life filled with shock,
genocide, no time for grief and then the colonization period which introduced
disease and alcoholism.
·
The
second phase was economic competition between various tribes and their European
invaders over resources during the fur trading era and the introduction to a
market based economy. There were physical and spiritual losses experienced during
this time period for the Indian people.
·
The
European invasion continued involving a war period which included extermination
and refugee associated problems.
·
Next
was a conquest and reservation period which consisted of forced dependency on
their oppressors and a lack of security.
·
The
boarding school era destroyed family systems which involved physical assaults, and
sexual abuse, along with prohibition of Native languages, spirituality, and
cultural associations. The lasting effect includes individuals poorly prepared for
parenting. Many Native American people also experienced identity confusion.
·
The
final phase of historical trauma consisted of forced relocation to reservations
and a termination period, a period when federally recognized tribal nation
status was abolished along with the services associated with this status such
as food assistance. Many Native Americans perished due to a lack of food and
medical services. There was continued prohibition of religious freedom, racism
and discrimination, being viewed as second class citizens to the rest of the
population and a loss of a supportive governmental system and a sense of
belonging to a community.
The following characteristics
represent some of the detrimental effects of historical trauma:
·
Helplessness
·
Injustice
·
A
lack of trust
·
Feelings
of insufficiency
·
Toxic
shame
·
Chronic
guilt
·
Feelings
of brokenness
·
A
lack of healthy boundaries
·
Persistent
confusion and frustration
·
Isolation
and avoidance
·
Self
loathing
·
Impulse
control involving alcohol, drugs, eating, and/or spending
·
Maladjusted
anger feelings
·
Unhappiness
and dissatisfaction
·
Anxiety
disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder
·
Poor
communication skills
The
Native Americans’ cultural development was severely disrupted. Our cultural
identity was disrupted by legislation, Christianity and later on by not knowing
how to get it back. Today, we experience glimpses of our cultural identity
through exposure to events such as Pow Wows and other traditional cultural
events, a rare occurrence for far too many. Many of the Indian children who
attended the boarding schools came from different tribal entities. However,
they were placed in these institutions and treated like they were all the same.
Many of these children came from distinctly different cultures. Oftentimes,
they did not even share the same native language. This created barriers to
establishing a sense of connectedness while attending these institutions.
Language in itself is a very important means of communication with others. The
ability to communicate in one’s own language as well as the shared commonality
of cultural practices was taken away from a multitude of Native American people;
thus, creating serious cultural disturbance.
Cultural
disruption has created conditions of:
·
Loss
of faith and spiritual beliefs
·
Internalized
stereotypes
·
Surviving
instead of thriving
·
Cultural
isolation
·
Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder and other anxiety issues
·
Depression.
Intergenerational
impacts involved a multitude of circumstances such as when the British and
French pursued a vast amount of the North American territory and its resources which
in turn instilled further rivalry between opposing tribes due to the shrinking
of resources. During the fur trading era the relationship between the European
entrepreneurs and the Indians occurred under a drunken haze brought on by
alcohol for the unsuspecting tribal people. A drunken Indian was easier to
steal from and use than a sober one. Indian children were taken from their
parents and communities and placed in cruel and unyielding institutions
referred to as boarding schools.
Meanwhile, spiritual practices were outlawed so what did the parents of
these children do, they turned to alcohol for their source of comfort.
Acute traumatic events can occur
almost anywhere at any time, such as car accidents and natural disasters.
Conversely, chronic, long-term trauma occurs only in circumstances of captivity
in which the victim or victims are held prisoner. Think about the Native
American people who were sequestered to reservations and placed in boarding
schools. The children who were forced to attend boarding schools were punished
severely if they ran away. As mentioned earlier, physical, psychological and sexual
abuse occurred at these institutions on a regular basis.
The captivity of the children in the
boarding schools set up a situation of prolonged contact with the perpetrators creating
a special kind of relationship, one based on coercion. The psychological damage
of subordination to coercive control has common features such as diminished
self-esteem and depression. The perpetrators such as those in authority at the
boarding schools and those placed in control of carrying out the reservation
legislation became the most powerful people in the lives of the Indian people. The
mindset of the victims is shaped by the beliefs and actions of the
perpetrators. Often little is known about what is behind the beliefs and
actions of the perpetrator. However, one common denominator is the perpetrators
believe they are free from assuming any fault concerning any of their
wrongdoings. They place blame of any problems or issues they are facing on the
victims.
One
of the most disturbing discoveries was that often the perpetrators appear to be
normal to the rest of the world, beyond the abusive environment even though the
pathology practiced by the perpetrators was, and is, awful. I have read many
sources which portray perpetrators in prominent positions such as doctors and
lawyers. The pedophile priests were often in the limelight due to their public
acts of generosity and good will. This idea can be deeply troubling to most
people. They walk amongst us and we are none the wiser. For example; Adolf
Eichmann committed heinous crimes against humanity; however, a dozen
psychiatrists diagnosed him as normal. Eichmann served as the main drive behind
the holocaust. He organized and managed the arrangements for the deportation of
many Jewish people to ghettos and extermination camps.
The
perpetrators are often paranoid, and experience feelings of grandiosity,
feeling as if they can possess and conquer the world. They are aware of the
realities of power and social norms so they can fit in without being noticed.
The perpetrators seek out situations in which tyrannical behaviors are
tolerated, condoned and/or admired. Hitler set the stage for domination of the
Jewish people so I imagine Eichmann’s behaviors were admired by Hitler and
Hitler’s devoted followers. The abusive individuals at the boarding schools
were able to treat the children as if they were objects undeserving of respect.
No one stopped them.
Recently
some of the Catholic pedophile priests have been punished for their heinous
acts. Many of those who ran the prisoner of war camps and inflicted harsh
treatment on the prisoners had to answer for their crimes. What about the
people who wielded the harsh treatment on the children at the boarding
schools? The government made a formal
apology for the treatment of the children who attended the residential schools
in Canada. There has been no acknowledgement in the United States concerning
the harmful acts wielded upon the Native Americans due to the implementation of
reservations and boarding schools.
The
perpetrators often demand from their victims respect, gratitude, and sometimes
love. For example, the pedophile nuns at
the Holy Childhood Boarding School in Harbor Springs, Michigan, would often
create a simulated loving situation with the boys they were having sexual
contact with. They would treat the boys as if they were in love with them.
Their advances would begin with kissing the boys and then they would bring
these boys to their bedrooms to perform sexual acts. Many of the boys felt abandoned
when the nuns moved onto other boys.
One
of the first goals of the perpetrators is to enslave the victim(s). They do so
by controlling all aspects of the victim’s life. But simple obedience
demonstrated by the victim is not enough, they move towards gaining the
victim’s validation and/or they humiliate the victim in some way. The
perpetrators will use the victim’s feelings of shame to gain even more control
over them. Often the victims live in constant fear. The children were shown
what it was like to not be compliant by observing other children being
physically and emotionally abused in front of them at the boarding schools. Many
of the Indian children were punished severely in front of their peers if they ran
away from these cruel institutions. Many of these children were also punished
harshly if they were caught speaking their native language.
The
children were often underfed at the boarding schools and a common punishment
involved sending children to bed without dinner. This control results in physical
debilitation. Along with being hungry
most of the time, the children were forced to work extremely hard at the
schools. They were expected to clean, cook, maintain the grounds, farm, other miscellaneous
duties and were expected to also attend school instruction for a few hours a
day. These children were exhausted, hungry, and abused.
Research
has been conducted concerning the aftereffects of the trauma faced by veterans
of war. The studies involved how the trauma faced by these veterans effect
their offspring. There have been
discoveries that the cells within the bodies of the veterans and their
offspring contain the memories of the trauma of being on active duty. Many of the Native American people today are
obese and as a result have been diagnosed with diabetes. Could this be the
result of their grandparents’ and parents’ starvation when they attended the
boarding schools? We often overeat if we don’t have a good relationship with
food. If food was scarce for our parents and/or grandparents, we may take on
the scarcity way of thinking which was passed down from one generation to the
next and as a result overeat. The higher levels of obesity within the Native
American population can also be attributed to the quality of food many can afford.
Depression,
a result of historical trauma which exists for a multitude of Native Americans,
is a common response to oppression. Oppression is the result of an imbalance of
power in relationships. Depression equates to a discrepancy in interpersonal relationships
and also creates a chemical imbalance. Depression is anger turned inward and it
represents unaddressed anger. In other words, depression has arisen in
situations in which anger and aggression was suppressed due to fear. A double
edged sword is generated consisting of suppression of anger and aggression
coupled with chronic resentment. This dilemma contributes to internal stress as
well as adding to relationship conflicts that in the end fosters additional
stress.
Oppression
is usually evident in abusive interpersonal relationships such as the
relationship between the Euro-Americans and Native Americans throughout
history; however, an extreme accumulation of stress can also become oppressive,
which in turn can lead to a response of defeat. We can feel trapped after
experiencing situations that feel inescapable, not just physically but also
psychologically. The intrusive symptoms of painful memories and strong emotions
can contribute to a sense of oppression. It is possible to have an oppressive
relationship with ourselves as a result of past destructive treatment. We may
be the target of our own anger, harsh criticism, and unrealistic demands,
adopting a defeated and indignant relationship with ourselves. A whole host of
problems can result from self-inflicted oppression as well as from the
oppression imposed by others.
The past of Indian children involved
censored and restricted communication while they attended the boarding schools.
The children were forced to remain quiet and stare straight ahead while they
were in the classrooms much like today’s classrooms. They developed a method of
communicating with their eyes when outside of the classroom. They could speak
volumes with eye contact amongst their fellow peers. Again, these children were punished, often
severely, if they spoke their native language. Speaking became a privilege
which could not be practiced for much of the day and into the evening, when
they were working on their homework or completing chores. Their communication
with their parents through letters was censored. As a result, it is my opinion
that many Native American people suffer from vast communication barriers today
as a result of Historical Trauma.
If Indian children were forced to
attend the boarding schools for long periods of time, they discovered that
communication with their families of origin was difficult to impossible when
they were finally permitted to return to their homes. Trust was one of the main
reasons why communication was difficult with their families. They were
strangers to their families because they were brainwashed into being something
they were not, Euro-American replicas and because of their long stay at these
institutions away from their families. Their parents and siblings, who did not
have the misfortune of attending these institutions, were worlds apart. These
children spoke differently, and often their appearance was dissimilar from the
rest of their family. They soon discovered they did not fit with their families
of origin, usually shortly after moving back home. Thus, many Native American
families were torn apart literally. Living on the fringe of both cultural
groups and in the effort to belong somewhere they would participate in
activities which brought them even more shame and feelings of despair. All
feelings attributed to historical trauma.
Historical
trauma has taken its toll on many Native Americans. The weapons of mass
destruction against the Indian people for centuries have been; but are not limited
to: small pox infestations and other acts of genocide; the introduction of alcohol;
broken treaties; forced attendance at boarding schools; enforcement of
reservation legislation; and mass sterilization. It is difficult to determine which losses
hurt the Native American people the most. With the vast amount of
discrimination, it would be amazing if Indian people have any self-esteem at
all. To make matters worse when things are in disarray for Native Americans,
blame has often been placed on the victims.
