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CULTURE LOSS & THE EFFECTS OF HISTORICAL GRIEF

MADISON DELOACH
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

What is culture? According to Merriam Websters Dictionary culture can

be defined as The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or
time. For many people, culture consists of the languages we speak, our values and beliefs, even
something as simple as the foods we eat. Now imagine (or perhaps you dont have to) if all of
those things listed above were taken from you. Then imagine you are then forced to adapt to a
new and different way of life that inherently erases nearly everything you once held to be
important. This is the case for many minorities who came to the United States at some point, but
none are quite like the Native American community. Unlike most other minority groups, Native
Americans were not brought to the US nor did they willingly come, they were here long before
any settlers invaded what is now the United States. Native American tribes throughout the US
were thriving with their uniquely individual cultures hundreds of years ago, but as one can see
that is not the case today. Whether it is through genocide, termination, or assimilation, these
tribes and their cultures have been diminishing from the United States and North America.
Culture loss for the Native American community directly correlates with their
historical trauma. Culture loss impacts much of the Native American
community today.
Historically, the Native Peoples of North America cultures have been
forced together and generalized. Pre-colonial Natives were spread far and
wide throughout the United States, allowing for each tribe to establish their
own cultural identities and lifestyles. According to Michael Haines and

Richard Steckel in A Population History of North America scholars have

estimated The pre-European population at approximately 750,000 for
Native Americans. With this estimated population, it can be inferred that that
population of individual people each who belong to one tribe or another,
their beliefs traditions and overall identity will differ. Considering geographic
location, the location of a tribe affects much of that culture. The environment
of which a Tribe resided would have affected clothing, agriculture, diet, and
housing to name a few. An example of this would be that a tribe such as the
Lakota who is living on the northwestern plains juxtaposed to a tribes like the
Powhatan who is living in the northeast will have significantly different lives
and cultures based on where they live.
All Native American cultures were initially put at risk with the
introduction of the first European settlers. During Colonial times and the
Manifest Destiny of the United States historical grief has occurred for Native
Americans which accounts for both past loss of culture and present loss. In A
Population History of North America, it is described that what was left of the
Native American population after being subjected to disease, genocide, and
forced labor, was the removal from their homelands and onto reservations
(Haine & Steckel, 2000, p. 18). This was done as a sort of ethnic cleansing
of Native Americans, and ensured that their lands were available to those
trying to expand America. While the government stole these lands, they put
Native peoples in unwanted and practically uninhabitable land. Native
Americans have their first truly impactful experience with culture loss after

they are forcefully removed from the lands of which their cultures are based.
By extracting Native Americans from these areas, their heritage and strong
bonds with the land are destroyed but not forgotten.
Then, after being forcibly removed from the lands entrusted to them,
Native Americans, while never being accepted by society, were expected to
conform to it. The United States government only further aided the decline of
Native American culture and heritage when instating boarding schools for
Native youth. In these schools, Native American children were taught English
and denied the use of their native tongue when speaking (Morrison, 1997, p.
53). In fact, the overall purpose of these schools was to assimilate and force
the younger generation of Native peoples to conform to western and
Christian societal standards. This was done in hopes to civilize Native
American savages. After completing this mandated education Native
American children were required to return to the reservations and other
areas that they were initially taken from. This was done as a form of control,
hoping to divide the youth from their heritage and community. With this
being done it would be easier to overall diminish the Native American
community and then more land could therefore be taken from them. Before
the Colonization of the United States, Native Americans thrived in all
different manners everywhere they could be found. All historical account
relating to culture loss was done to Native American by Western/ European
society to enforce authority over them. The historical cause of culture loss is
easily understood and reflected in the historical grief experienced by Natives

peoples but must be examined closer in order to pinpoint its origins of

present day.
As reported by Indian Country Diaries, In the 21st century, almost two
thirds of Native Americans live in urban areas(Indian Country Diaries, 2006,
p. 1). It also concedes that urban living for Native Americans will distance
those in urban areas from other community members and tribal members,
and will ultimately make it more difficult to participate in and retain their
cultures. While reservation life will have more accessibility for Native
Americans to engage with their community and traditions, to be able to
actively thrive on a reservation proves it have its own challenges. In the
enlightening documentary 30 Days: Living on an Indian Reservation,
investigative reporter Morgan Spurlock moves to a Navajo reservation to
expose the obstacles that still plague much of the Native American
Community. Like discussed in The Native American Community in Multnomah
County, lack of federal funding can be attributed to multiple disparities with
the Census and other document that contribute to the amount of funding
and services provided by the government. The first issue is that many Native
Americans, the youth particularly identifies with multiple racial identities or
cultures. This can be attributed to intermixing of races amongst the Native
American Community, which is only a problem funding wise because the
more one identifies as several races the more benefits and funds are
stretched among several communities (Weaver &Yellow Horse Brave Heart,
2008, p. 25). Another issue attributed to lack of funds is misidentifying race.

This most often happens when a surveyor for the Census or other
governmental questionnaires either is uncomfortable to ask ones race or
simply makes an assumption of ones race of those they are surveying
(Weaver & Yellow Horse Brave Heart, 2008, p.24). This leads to those
desperately needed funds going elsewhere. Another instance of
misidentification of race happens when a mortician has to fill out a death
certificate; again assumptions or guessing can take place and ultimately be
identified as the wrong race. This is actually very serious because a higher
mortality race in a community means a lack of health services, which would
hopefully be provided upon the realization of a high mortality rate.
Historically speaking though, legislature like to Dawes act of 1887 that
sought to terminate tribal sovereignty, claims to land and federal funding.
The odds have consistently been stacked against the Native American
community in light of social benefits and services (Curry-Stevens & CrossHemmer, 2011, p.7).
Not only is there an impotent amount of funding, there are very little
resources are available for Native Americans living on reservations. The
federal government usually controls and exploits any type of natural
resource that could significantly impact the reservations community in a
positive manner. One resource that many Americans take for granted is
something as simple as water. On the Navajo reservation that Spurlock
explores, he discovers that about 80,000 Native Americans that reside on the
Navajo reservation do not have access to running water (Spurlock, 2008).

While it is disheartening that many Native Americans do not have assess to

something that most consider a basic human right, what is even more
disturbing is that there is more than enough fresh water that flows through
the Navajo reservation. The problem with this is that the United States
government owns the rights to this water and distributes it in places like
Arizona and Nevada. This goes to show that even two hundred years after
the forced removal and overall genocide of Native Americans, the
government still manages to take advantage of them and their resources.
While Native American reservations may have many viable acres of
land nearly all of it is used for grazing lands for cattle. To be able to build,
create, or add onto the land though, one must go through both federal and
tribal bureaucracies first. It is nearly impossible for a Native American to
acquire a permit to build on reservation land to create a profit. This goes for
almost any type of business from auto body shops to basic restaurants, all
with the exclusion of Casinos (Spurlock, 2008). Casinos are controversial
amongst the Native American community because they can promote
unwanted stereotypes, tourism, and commerciality in reservations. Without
being able to create Native American owned businesses, it is difficult to
create a healthy and independent infrastructure for the reservation. Because
the government is again denying their lands to make profit there is little
access to jobs on the reservation.
When there are not enough businesses created it leads to there being
virtually no occupational opportunities for Native Americans that stay within

their communities. Because there are hardly any jobs available for Native
Americans, those seeking occupation have little choices. The first choice
would be to stay on the reservation and wait for an opportunity to arise,
unfortunately this period of no job and no money can attribute to the higher
suicide rates, drugs and alcohol abuse rate, and overall extreme poverty rate
that is seen in the Native American community (Curry- Stevens & CrossHemmer, 2011, p.23). The only other choice is to look elsewhere for job
opportunities, and ultimately leaving the reservation and community behind
to do so. With this, those who choose to leave the reservation in order to
acquire a job face the same issues that Native Americans whom live in urban
settings deal with. This consists of being unable to easily practice their
traditional lifestyle, as well as loosing that connecting with their close
community on the reservation. With serious lack of funding, resources, and
opportunity, Native Americans are forced to choose between their home and
heritage or being able to make a living outside the reservation (Indian
Country Diaries, 2006).
One might ask themselves Why does this matter?, the answer is if a
problem that exists goes unrecognized, then there is not way to mend it.
Culture loss is the invisible epidemic of the Native American community.
Unfortunately, most mainstream media is reluctant to voice issues that
plague Native Americans. Coincidentally, reports such as Communities of
Color in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile thats goal is to bring
awareness to the plights of Native Americans, as well as much of the Native

American community itself are for the most part silent on the topic of culture
loss. The coalition of communities of color is a Portland based group whose
goal is to accurately represent statistical findings on the racial groups of
Multnomah County. For the most part they do present substantial findings on
issues such as poverty levels, unemployment, homelessness, and crime
rates. All of which reflect the hardship face by Native Americans across the
United State in day to day life. This community profile however does not take
into account the correlation between these issues and culture loss. In each of
these instances historical trauma and grief most certainly lead to these
harsh findings but what is missing is their impact on Native Americans
culture. With so many of these issue put forth, one cannot simply continue to
practice their traditions and customs with ease. It is essential to address and
acknowledge this grim reality in order to inform others and preserve Native
American culture.
If culture loss is not brought to attention soon, being able to preserve
Native American cultures may not be possible. Culture loss has been caused
by years of exploitation and abuse on the Native peoples of America. The
Native American community will never be able to shake what has been done
upon them and their culture, but they are starting to address the issues that
plauge them. There has been a push by the Native American community to
have reservation schools to require the use of their native language the first
few years of their academic lives. The Native American community is also
taking a stand against cultural appreciation on popular platforms such as

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Buzzfeed and Youtube. There are even some Native Americans that are
preserving their heritage by sharing it with the world such as the new
movement of Native American rappers who mix traditional song, dance, and
costume with their performances. In conclusion the preservation and
education of Native American cultures is the key to ending culture loss.

Work Cited:
Curry-Stevens, A., Cross- Hemmer, A., & Coalition of Communities of Color.
(2011). The Native American Community of Multnomah County: An
Unsettling Profile. Portland, OR: Portland State University
Haines, M., Steckel, R. (2000) A Population History of North America.
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

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Indian Country, Native American Public Telecommunications. (2006,

September). Revitalizing Native Cultures. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.pbs.org/indiancountry/challenges/cultures.html
Morrison, D. (1997). American Indian Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach
to Contemporary Issues. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
Spurlock, M. (2008, July 8). 30 Days: Living on an Indian Reservation
[Documentary]. United States: CNN
Weaver, H., & Yellow Horse Brave Hearts, M. (1999). Examining Two Facets of
American Indian Identity: Exposure to Other Cultures and the Influence
of the Historical Trauma. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social
Environment, 19-33. doi: 10.1300/J37v02n0103