In 1980, a Native American social worker and mental health professional named Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart spent time researching the long history of disempowerment found among the Lakota tribe. Maria’s work expanded far beyond one single tribe, and in turn translated to the entire Indigenous community. This resulted in her coining the medical term Historical Trauma. Historical Trauma is defined as, “The cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over one’s lifetime and from generation to generation following loss of lives, land and vital aspects of culture” .
Oftentimes, this term is lumped in together with personal traumas such as; PTSD, emotional abuse, or even physical abuse, but there are three distinct differences between Historical …show more content…
For example, the Termination policy era ranging from 1953-1964 states, “at the earliest possible time, all of the Indian tribes and the individual members thereof located within the States of California, Florida, New York and Texas, should be freed from Federal supervision and control and all disabilities and limitations specifically applicable to Indians”. Over 100 tribes were terminated, one million acres of trust land were removed from protected status, and the relationship between tribes and the federal government was essentially cut off . This policy resulted in forced assimilation, loss of land, and most importantly a loss of identity. One of the most famous actions taken by the federal government against Native Americans was residential boarding schools. Not only were Native American children stripped from their homes, but they were pushed towards forced assimilation, and forfeiture of culture and traditions. Boarding schools perpetuated doubt about Native cultural traditions and directly coincided with a loss of cultural identity. Linda EagleSpeaker, a member the Blackfeet tribe and Elder in Residence at the Indian Women’s Resource Center, was forced to attend St. Paul’s School, a residential boarding school from age five to eleven in Canada. When recounting her time at the school, she described it as, “We were there to be Christianized. We were there to be changed” . When she went into the school, she entered knowing Blackfeet, with long hair, and not a single bone broken. When she emerged, each of those factors had been stripped
Oftentimes, this term is lumped in together with personal traumas such as; PTSD, emotional abuse, or even physical abuse, but there are three distinct differences between Historical …show more content…
For example, the Termination policy era ranging from 1953-1964 states, “at the earliest possible time, all of the Indian tribes and the individual members thereof located within the States of California, Florida, New York and Texas, should be freed from Federal supervision and control and all disabilities and limitations specifically applicable to Indians”. Over 100 tribes were terminated, one million acres of trust land were removed from protected status, and the relationship between tribes and the federal government was essentially cut off . This policy resulted in forced assimilation, loss of land, and most importantly a loss of identity. One of the most famous actions taken by the federal government against Native Americans was residential boarding schools. Not only were Native American children stripped from their homes, but they were pushed towards forced assimilation, and forfeiture of culture and traditions. Boarding schools perpetuated doubt about Native cultural traditions and directly coincided with a loss of cultural identity. Linda EagleSpeaker, a member the Blackfeet tribe and Elder in Residence at the Indian Women’s Resource Center, was forced to attend St. Paul’s School, a residential boarding school from age five to eleven in Canada. When recounting her time at the school, she described it as, “We were there to be Christianized. We were there to be changed” . When she went into the school, she entered knowing Blackfeet, with long hair, and not a single bone broken. When she emerged, each of those factors had been stripped