“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 psycho-logical 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 alcohol-lism, 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 in-flicted on the children was tremendous. Many
Native Americans who were forced to attend boarding schools and/or reside on
reservations were taught that what hap-pened 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.
Historical trauma has taken its toll on many Native Ameri-can 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 dur-ing
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 ex-perienced 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 dis-crimination, being viewed as second class citizens to the rest of the
population and a loss of a sup-portive governmental system and a sense of
belonging to a community (Eyaa-Keen Centre, Inc., 2003).
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 (Stout and Kipling,
2003).
·
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
(Stout and Kipling, 2003).
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 during Hitler’s reign committed
heinous crimes against hu-manity; 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 bed-rooms to perform sexual acts.
Many of the boys felt aban-doned 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 chil-dren 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 pop-ulation 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 rela-tionship conflicts that in the end fosters additional
stress.
Oppression is usually evident in abusive
inter-personal 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 let-ters 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 trau-ma.
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.
