Cultural identification of American Indians and it's impact on rehabilitation services

Abstract

The socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the American Indian people distinguish them from other cultural and ethnic groups within the United States. The mores and cultural patterns of the dominant society are quite different from the culture and worldviews traditionally held by American Indian people. If American Indians with disabilities are to be served effectively, rehabilitation professionals must understand American Indian culture. To this end, this paper will explore American Indian cultural worldview, the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Model, and the implications of American Indian cultural identification for rehabilitation services. Keesing (1974) offers four traditional theories of culture. First, structural functionalism conceptualizes culture as a system that humans utilize to adapt to their environment. A central tenet of the adaptive function of structural functionalism is the role of culture as an organizing regulatory system. Second, ethnoscience offers a view of culture as a cognitive system of shared beliefs and knowledge of shared rules that govern an individual's behavior. Third, classic structuralism views culture as the manifestation of a universal unconsciousness, suggesting that individuals project their own psychological structure onto the world. According to the theory, culture thus becomes a representation of the individual's own super-ego. Fourth, symbolic structuralism views culture as being composed of symbols and the shared meanings that are attached to those symbols. In general, Keesing conceptualizes culture as an ideational system: ... of competence shared in its broad design and deeper principles, and varying between individuals in its specificities, is then not all of what an individual knows and thinks and feels about the world. It is his theory of what their fellows know, believe, and mean, his theory of the code being followed, the game being played, in the society into which he was born (p. 89). Triandis, Kashima, Hui, Lisansky, and Matin (1982) defined culture as a human-made part of the environment, with two levels. The first level is the objective culture, including cultural artifacts such as food, tools, and the media. The second level is the subjective level, consisting of norms for behavioral values within given social contexts. Similarly, Smircich (1983) conceptualized culture as a social instrument, organized to achieve biological and social functions within the social environment. Finally, culture can be conceptualized from a behavioral perspective. Levine (1982) viewed human behavior as a product of the interactions among cultural structure, individual cognitive and affective processing, and the biological and social environment. Levine's view is consistent with Bandura's (1978, 1986) notion of reciprocal determinism, suggesting that behavior is influenced by and influences an individual's social context. This behavioral model of culture holds that cultural competence is based on abilities to (a) perform socially sanctioned behavior in a situationally appropriate manner, (b) communicate clearly in the language of the given cultural group, (c) negotiate the institutional structures of that culture, (d) maintain active social relations within the group, (e) understand and use the beliefs and values of the culture, and (f) display sensitivity to the affective processes of the culture (LaFromboise, 1991). American Indian Culture American Indian culture is vastly different from the dominant culture in American society, particularly in terms of concepts regarding health and unwellness. According to Locust (1985), beliefs, philosophies, and religions are extremely personal, and American Indian people are reluctant to discuss personal matters, particularly with non-Indians. Talking about such things may violate tribal customs. Also, many American Indian tribes believe that speaking about a deformity or disability may give it power to manifest itself or express itself in human form. …

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