Projects
American Indian Community Data Profile, 2002
Namadji Youth and Elders Project Report, 2001
Forum Reports
1997 Fall: Tribal Sovereignty and
American Indian Leadership
1996 Fall: Tribal Governments: What will they look like in the year 2010?
1996 Spring: The Threatened State of Tribal Sovereignty
Namadji: Youth and Elders Project Report
The Project
The American Indian Policy Center developed the "Namadji Youth and Elders Project" because we felt a need to examine the "disconnect" between traditional Indian elders and youth, especially those living in contemporary urban society. Based on information from our past projects in the Indian community we were made aware that American Indian elders were not involved in policy and program development affecting the Indian community. In addition, Indian youth have had less exposure to their elders for learning purposes.
Indian elders and youth have fewer interactions in today's society than in Indian communities of the past. Without these intergenerational relationships, a key mode of transmitting cultural knowledge, values, and Indian worldview is disrupted. This project attempts to focus and elaborate on this disruption by asking youth and elders what is being passed down from generation to generation, by soliciting their views on how they see Indian identity, and by investigating perceived barriers to youth-elder interaction. The project not only recognizes and describes the "generation gap" between Indian elders and youth, but also aims to demonstrate that perhaps Indian cultural identity as a catalyst might diminish this gap.
The first phase of the project focused on interviewing Indian youth. Two social service agencies that primarily serve the Indian community introduced the interviewer to youth involved with their various programs. These programs involved a group for teens whose lives have been affected by alcohol, a youth leadership program, and a program that provides Indian cultural activities. Six youth, ranging in age from 11 to 17, were interviewed. Interviews were based on a set of questions that were loosely structured. Interviews lasted from thirty minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the individual and his or her interest in discussing the interview topics.
The second phase of the project focused on interviewing Indian elders. Elders were identified through an American Indian-based residential facility for elders, a social service agency serving Indian families, as well as referrals to elders who are recognized community leaders. Interviewed were six elders, ranging in age from 58 to 83, using essentially the same basic questions used in the youth interviews and modified to be age-appropriate. Elder interviews were also loosely structured and conversational, and varied in length depending on the elder's interest in discussing topics.
The third phase involved a dinner and an informal focus-group type discussion that was intended to bring youth and elders together. The dinner was hosted at an elder residential facility on St. Paul's East Side. Five elders came to the dinner and participated in the discussion, but none of the youth attended. Prior to the occasion, many of the youth expressed interest in attending as well as genuine interest in meeting and talking with elders. It is possible that youth simply weren't interested in this particular occasion to meet elders, or that we failed to provide enough incentive. It is also possible that transportation, time conflicts, work schedules, and other practical issues prevented youth from coming. The failure to bring elders and youth together in common discussion may be an unfortunate demonstration of the generation gap.
The fourth phase, while not originally meant to be included in this project, contain comments obtained from Indian elders at an Indian reservation during a talking circle concerning Indian family preservation. Also, we added comments made by elders during other discussions, talking circles or public forums.
Assumptions were held going into this project, based on earlier projects and life experiences by the president of the Policy Center felt that elders and youth face struggles that pull them in different directions. These assumptions were confirmed and, in fact, augmented with our findings. We reasoned that older Indian people strive to retain traditional values and beliefs; to cope with work, health and financial problems; and in some cases, to simply adjust to their own dislocation from family. Young people may struggle to become successful, well-adjusted adults; to deal with a fast-paced, school and work-oriented culture; and in some cases, to keep their families viable. Both find themselves "caught," so to speak, in mainstream social forces that ascribe very different roles for youth than for elders. Both age groups assign great importance to American Indian values, lifestyle, and language, yet the two groups rarely merge with mutual intent for retaining their culture. Passing down oral traditions and thereby maintaining American Indian culture requires an everyday interaction between youth and elders. Culture has a greater opportunity to thrive when Indian children are immersed in an Indian way of life on an everyday basis. Events staged on an occasional basis are not sufficient to provide children with valuable cultural knowledge much less a strong cultural identity.
It is not simply a matter then, of two groups going separate ways. A key observation is that, on a day-to-day basis, there is little to bring these two groups together, even when they may be seeking similar goals. In fashioning this project and this report, it became increasingly difficult to delimit the problem we refer to as the "generation gap." As we learned more about the unique lives of individuals, we discovered more and more questions. It became obvious that the "disconnect" between elders and youth cannot be adequately addressed in isolation from broader problems in urban Indian society.
In addition, contemporary, mainstream, European-based societal attitudes help drive this phenomenon. Leaders of social institutions, most of whom have not learned about the importance of these intrinsic values and beliefs to American Indians, remain unaware. A leader at a local public policy institution, for example, in a discussion with the Center's president asked, "when are American Indians going to leave the old ways of doing things and join the contemporary world?" This kind of question seems to already behold an expected answer. It shows that this person does not appreciate the knowledge of the traditions held by the elders.
The elders, in those days, we held in great respect. Whatever they told us, we would listen very carefully, trying not to make mistakes when we listened, because we respected them so highly, because they knew so much more then we did…
Mary Muktoyuk, Yupiaq Nation
top | Projects
| Research | Publications
| Links | About Us
| Contact Us | Home
© Copyright 2002, American Indian Policy Center. All Rights
Reserved.
1463 Hewitt Avenue • St. Paul, MN 55104 • tel: 651-644-1728
aipc@cpinternet.com
Last updated:
Tuesday November 1, 2005