American Native Research Articles

What Does It Mean to Heal From Historical Trauma?

Native American peoples' health is impacted by structural legacies of settler colonialism, including land dispossession, racism, and poverty. Responding with care to individuals and communities experiencing past and present traumatic stress from genocide and deeply entrenched structural violence means navigating ongoing grief, restoring self-community and human-ecological relationships, and generating cultural vibrancy.

Gestational exposure to fatal police violence and pregnancy loss in US core based statistical areas, 2013-2015.

BackgroundFatal police violence in the United States disproportionately affects Black, Native American, and Hispanic people, and for these groups it is a racially oppressive population-level stressor that we hypothesize increases the risk of pregnancy loss. Focusing on core based statical areas (CBSAs) surrounding small and large urban centers, we accordingly tested whether gestational exposure to fatal police violence decreased the number of live births, which is reflective of a rise in lost pregnancies.MethodsOur observational study linked microdata for all births (N = 7,709,300) in 520 CBSAs with at least one incident of fatal police violence in 2013–2015 to Fatal Encounters, a database that prospectively identified 2594 police-related fatalities using online media reports and public records. We estimated the association between month-to-month fatal police violence and conceptions resulting in live births using distributed lag quasi-Poisson models with CBSA-level fixed effects, adjusted for seasonality and stratified by maternal race/ethnicity.FindingsFor each additional police-related fatality that occurred in the first through sixth months of gestation, we observed a 0.14% decrease (95% confidence interval: 0.05%, 0.23%) in the total number of live births within CBSAs, and a 0.29% decrease in births to Black women (95% CI: 0.11%, 0.48%). The association was null for births to White women.InterpretationOur findings suggest fatal police violence may have population-level consequences for pregnancy loss and adds to the evidence regarding the importance of preventing these fatalities.

Embracing cultural relevance and fostering student metacognitive formative assessment through T.A.L.E. (Take Another Look Everyone) in a rural 5th grade math classroom: a collaborative action research project

ABSTRACT Many educators focus on the cognitive and/or cultural/contextual deficits that students bring to learning tasks, which are oftentimes used to explain poor academic performance. Metacognition that can be taught and learned for improving learning performance is regarded as an alternative. The purpose of this year-long collaborative action research is to describe how a culturally relevant metacognitive formative assessment strategy called TALE (Take Another Look Everyone) worked in a rural 5th grade mathematics classroom (N = 16). A variety of data was collected, recorded, co-transcribed, co-reflected, and systematically co-analyzed. Major findings were that students’ formative test scores substantially increased and two cases of students with different backgrounds, including Native American culture and academic levels, demonstrated different ways of improving mathematics proficiency. This paper concluded that students learned better when given an opportunity to metacognitively think about mistakes in a highly respectful classroom.

Women's embroidered self‐portraiture in the late 18th century: Authorship, agency, and artistry

AbstractIn 18th‐century Europe and North America, portraiture satisfied multiple purposes: the creation of individual and/or familial identity, verisimilitude, and the decoration of a home. Self‐portraiture, a likeness of an artist created by the artist, often served as an artist's statement that articulated professional goals. Textile self‐portraits, however, unlike the more popular sculpted and painted versions, have been neglected by scholars of the early modern period. Three examples were made by English embroiderers Mary Linwood (1755–1845), Mary Knowles (1733–1807), and Marie Thérèsa Lasselle (1735–1819), a New World settler whose family traded with Native American peoples on behalf of the British. Because the lives of these women are poorly documented, their embroidered self‐portraits were more than just a likeness, for they served an important autobiographical function. The iconography and materiality of these portraits conveys information about late 18th‐century beliefs about femininity, self‐expression, and individual agency.

COVID-19 response by the Hopi Tribe: impact of systems improvement during the first wave on the second wave of the pandemic

The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation home to ~7500 Hopi persons living primarily in 12 remote villages. The Hopi Tribe, like many other American Indian nations, has been disproportionately...

Europe ‒ Latin America: Migratory Space Development

The migration ties between Latin America and Europe at the beginning of the XXI century were manifested in a massive migration flow, resulting in the dramatic growth of the number of South American natives in Europe. The Migratory Space concept is applied to the current stage of transatlantic mobility, which makes it possible to determine the territorial limits of the involved states, to distinguish the transatlantic space from the general panorama of the Latin America migration movement as well as from the European migration context. At the present stage, the South American states are mainly the migration donors, while the European states are recipients. The historical ties between continents, their linguistic commonality and the social networks between migrants contributed to the transatlantic mobility. The majority of the Latin American migrants is localized in Spain and Italy. The high degree of integration into the host communities contributed to generally favorable public opinion about the migrants in the recipient countries. A large-scale migration presence also became an important factor in strengthening economic and political ties in the Iberoamerican Community of Nations.

Incorporating Indigenous Nations into International Political Economy

This comment elaborates on and extends the roundtable’s discussion by turning to the context of Indigenous peoples. Even setting aside normative motivations, expanded study of Indigenous peoples provides clear opportunities for theory development in international political economy and international relations more broadly. For example, the legal status of American Indian Nations’ 326 unique political jurisdictions can inform the political economy of marginalized identity groups in a non-Westphalian but nonetheless international context.

In Search of Workforce Diversity? A Program's Successful Approach.

The persistence of health care disparities along racial and ethnic lines highlights the complex and multifactorial nature of this national concern. The paucity of physicians ethnically underrepresented in medicine to treat an ever-growing heterogeneous population inherently contributes to these ongoing disparities. The authors proposed an approach to improve the representation of physicians underrepresented in medicine in their plastic surgery residency program. With a renewed commitment to ethnic diversity and inclusion, a multifaceted recruitment and retention approach was implemented at the University of Pennsylvania plastic and reconstructive surgery residency program from 2015 to 2020 (5 academic years). A retrospective review of the demographics of the program's residents was then assessed over the past 9 academic years for comparison (2011 to 2020). The representation of underrepresented-in-medicine residents within the plastic and reconstructive surgery residency program steadily increased with the implementation of this multifaceted approach, reaching an unprecedented high. Currently, 29 percent of all residents are underrepresented in medicine and 29 percent are female, some of whom are also underrepresented in medicine. Although the female representation is on par with the national average, the underrepresented-in-medicine representation is far greater than the national average. As a result of this multifaceted approach, the representation of African American and Latino plastic surgery residents at the University of Pennsylvania now far exceeds current national averages. Unfortunately, the representation of Native American and Alaskan Natives is still lacking, despite the program's broadened recruitment efforts. The success of this experience describes a successful strategy that institutions can implement to enhance underrepresented-in-medicine representation among its plastic surgery trainees.

On Second Thought

On Second Thought

Identification of Antibodies Against Diego B in the Context of a Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn

Since its discovery in 1953, the presence of the antigen Diego (Di) has been related to the Mongoloid populations and American natives. Given its immunogenic potential, the presence of the mentioned antigen is related to the development of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). We present the case of a puerperal patient with no known history who was detected the presence of antibodies to Di b during study of a mild HDN presented by her daughter. When studying the patient's family, the presence of Dib antigen was reported in a brother as well as in both parents. We consider that being a rare event, this type of case should be reported promptly to promote the exchange of knowledge with other health professionals and the community.

Enhancing Language Services to Native American Children: A Look From the Inside

Enhancing Language Services to Native American Children: A Look From the Inside

Estimation and Comparison of Current and Future Racial/Ethnic Representation in the US Health Care Workforce

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with health disparities have highlighted the disproportionate burden of disease among Black, Hispanic, and Native American (ie, American Indian or Alaska Native) populations. Increasing transparency around the representation of these populations in health care professions may encourage efforts to increase diversity that could improve cultural competence among health care professionals and reduce health disparities. To estimate the racial/ethnic diversity of the current health care workforce and the graduate pipeline for 10 health care professions and to evaluate whether the diversity of the pipeline suggests greater representation of Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations in the future. This cross-sectional study used weighted data from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) to compare the diversity of 10 health care occupations (advanced practice registered nurses, dentists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, physician assistants, physicians, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and speech-language pathologists) with the diversity of the US working-age population, and 2019 data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) were used to compare the diversity of graduates with that of the US population of graduation age. Data from the IPEDS included all awards and degrees conferred between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, in the US. A health workforce diversity index (diversity index) was developed to compare the racial/ethnic diversity of the 10 health care professions (or the graduates in the pipeline) analyzed with the racial/ethnic diversity of the current working-age population (or average student-age population). For the current workforce, the index was the ratio of current workers in a health occupation to the total working-age population by racial/ethnic group. For new graduates, the index was the ratio of recent graduates to the population aged 20 to 35 years by racial/ethnic group. A value equal to 1 indicated equal representation of the racial/ethnic groups in the current workforce (or pipeline) compared with the working-age population. The study sample obtained from the 2019 ACS comprised a weighted total count of 148 358 252 individuals aged 20 to 65 years (White individuals: 89 756 689; Black individuals: 17 916 227; Hispanic individuals: 26 953 648; and Native American individuals: 1 108 404) who were working or searching for work and a weighted total count of 71 608 009 individuals aged 20 to 35 years (White individuals: 38 995 242; Black individuals: 9 830 765; Hispanic individuals: 15 257 274; and Native American individuals: 650 221) in the educational pipeline. Among the 10 professions assessed, the mean diversity index for Black people was 0.54 in the current workforce and in the educational pipeline. In 5 of 10 health care professions, representation of Black graduates was lower than representation in the current workforce (eg, occupational therapy: 0.31 vs 0.50). The mean diversity index for Hispanic people was 0.34 in the current workforce; it improved to 0.48 in the educational pipeline but remained lower than 0.50 in 6 of 10 professions, including physical therapy (0.33). The mean diversity index for Native American people was 0.54 in the current workforce and increased to 0.57 in the educational pipeline. This study found that Black, Hispanic, and Native American people were underrepresented in the 10 health care professions analyzed. Although some professions had greater diversity than others and there appeared to be improvement among graduates in the educational pipeline compared with the current workforce, additional policies are needed to further strengthen and support a workforce that is more representative of the population.

Clinical and Genetic Spectrum of Stargardt Disease in Argentinean Patients

PurposeTo describe the clinical and molecular spectrum of Stargardt disease (STGD) in a cohort of Argentinean patients.MethodsThis retrospective study included 132 subjects comprising 95 probands clinically diagnosed with STGD and relatives from 16 of them. Targeted next-generation sequencing of the coding and splicing regions of ABCA4 and other phenocopying genes (ELOVL4, PROM1, and CNGB3) was performed in 97 STGD patients.ResultsWe found two or more disease-causing variants in the ABCA4 gene in 69/95 (73%) probands, a single ABCA4 variant in 9/95 (9.5%) probands, and no ABCA4 variants in 17/95 (18%) probands. The final analysis identified 173 variants in ABCA4. Seventy-nine ABCA4 variants were unique, of which nine were novel. No significant findings were seen in the other evaluated genes.ConclusionThis study describes the phenotypic and genetic features of STGD1 in an Argentinean cohort. The mutations p.(Gly1961Glu) and p.(Arg1129Leu) were the most frequent, representing almost 20% of the mutated alleles. We also expanded the ABCA4 mutational spectrum with nine novel disease-causing variants, of which eight might be associated with South American natives.

The underworld and its creatures of life in Turkic-Kazakh mythology: harmony with the mythology of the world and its differences, similarities in the characters' network

Based on the Turkic-Kazakh and a number of mythological materials presented in the article, the underworld and the underground creatures of the division of mythical heroes, the division of spirits are analyzed and compared with world examples. Their interconnections and features, historical stages, similarity and correlation of plots in the network of heroes are taken for scientific comparative, historical and comparative research. The lower spirits, the underworld and its life, ancient mythological concepts related to life after life are characteristic of all the nations of the world, but the comparative theoretical studies that have been studied in close cooperation are still insignificant. Ancient Greek, Roman, Kosozen and Ancient Egypt, the indigenous people of America (Inc, Maya, Aztec, etc.), Europe, the mythology of Chinese, Indian, Japanese people of eastern countries are strongly interconnected, and are not less typologically-researched, but historically majority of them are strangled in the ancient times and from an artistic point of view, the crucial Turkic mythology stays in the backstage., The folklorists of Western countries did not show much interest in Turkic mythology, except of the mythological scholars of the Turkic people. In large-scale researches and works about world mythology in a foreign language there are almost no chapters on Turkic mythology. This increases the importance of comparative historical research.

Renal Cell Carcinoma Health Disparities in Stage and Mortality among American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanic Americans: Comparison of National Cancer Database and Arizona Cancer Registry Data.

Simple SummaryThis study assessed renal cell carcinoma disparities in American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanic Americans using the National Cancer Database and the Arizona Cancer Registry, focusing on advanced-stage and mortality. Renal cell carcinoma disparities in American Indians/Alaska Natives have been partially explained by neighborhood socioeconomic factors and residence (rural or urban) pattern, but not in Hispanic Americans. Greater health disparities in renal cell carcinoma stage and mortality for Hispanic Americans and renal cell carcinoma mortality for American Indians/Alaska Natives were observed at the Arizona state level compared to national levels.Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the top 10 cancers in the United States. This study assessed RCC health disparities in American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIs/ANs) and Hispanic Americans (HAs) focusing on advanced-stage and mortality. RCC patients’ data were obtained from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) and Arizona Cancer Registry (ACR). Logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to ascertain the effect of race/ethnicity on stage and mortality, adjusting for neighborhood socioeconomic factors, rural/urban residence pattern, and other factors. In both data sets, AIs/ANs had significantly increased odds of advanced-stage RCC in the unadjusted model, but not in adjusted models. Mexican Americans had higher odds of advanced-stage compared to non-Hispanic Whites in NCDB (OR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11–1.35) and ACR (OR 2.02, 95% CI: 1.58–2.58), even after adjusting for neighborhood characteristics. AIs/ANs did not show increased mortality risk in NCDB after adjusting for neighborhood characteristics, while the association remained significant in ACR (HR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.03–1.72). The great risk of all-cause and RCC-specific mortality was observed in U.S.-born Mexican Americans in Arizona (HR 3.21, 95% CI: 2.61–3.98 and sub-distribution HR 2.79, 95% CI: 2.05–3.81). RCC disparities in AIs/ANs is partially explained by neighborhood factors, but not in HAs.

The Role of Music in Sherman Alexie’s Reservation Blues

The present research analyses the decisive role of music in Sherman Alexie’s Reservation Blues (1995). The study focuses on the role that music can play in the spiritual life of people in general and of the Native American people in specifics. Sherman Alexie’s novel, through presenting several examples and various characters, highlights and points out the cultural, social, psychological, and political functions of music in the Native American communities, especially in the reservations built allegedly to protect the identity of Native Americans across the United States. The research examines the tremendous role of music in preserving the Native American culture and identity through creating a collective mentality that will be a bridge between the old and the new generations

The prevalence of migraine in Argentina: A reappraisal.

Argentina has one of the largest territories in the world, which spreads over a lengthy latitudinal span. Its population is mainly composed of a mixture of South American natives and the descendants of numerous waves of European immigrants. Results from a previous study suggested that the prevalence of migraine in Argentina is the lowest in the region. Here we aimed to reassess the prevalence of migraine in Argentina applying a more sensitive and specific screening tool. We conducted a random computer assisted telephonic interview (n= 2500) using the Migraine Screen Questionnaire to evaluate the prevalence of migraine and some of its features among Argentinian adults. The overall prevalence of migraine was 9.5% (14% in females and 5% in males). Estimated migraine prevalence rates ranged between 6.3% and 12% across different regions. The approximated prevalence of high frequency and chronic migraine were 1.9% and 1.5% of the total population respectively. Consumption of analgesics on 10 or more days per month was reported by 18% of migraine sufferers (≈1.7% of the population). The prevalence of migraine in Argentina is higher than previously reported. Prevalence rates vary extensively across the territory. Specifically evaluating the determinants of these variations might be a promising avenue of research.

“We Can Do Better”: University Leaders Speak to Tribal-University Relationships

Wielding degrees of influence within educational organizations, university leaders are critical in determining how institutions enact their espoused missions and support severely marginalized campus communities. How do universities address and improve educational outcomes for the most severely underrepresented communities? This article presents emergent findings from an illustrative multiple-case study that examined the relationships between two public universities and local American Indian nations in California. As a preliminary step in understanding the present state of “tribal-university relationships,” I present findings on university leaders’ perceptions and knowledge regarding American Indians broadly and relationships with local Native nations specifically. Using tribal critical race theory as an analytical framework, I posit how colonization, federal recognition, and educational practices affect curricular, political, and economic relationships.

Contest Powwow: Sport and Native American Culture

The Native American powwow has served to maintain the culture of North America’s Indigenous peoples since before the arrival of European colonialists. In traditional forms of the powwow, competition is not common whereas contest powwows are characterized by the primacy of competition. We assess similarities and differences between the contest powwow and competitive sport found within the broader American society through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 14 competitive contest powwow dancers. We address a number of questions through the qualitative research process, such as what does the powwow mean to you? What are your primary goals for competing? We analyzed the qualitative data via a three-step coding process (open coding, axial coding, and theme development). We demonstrate that although the participants compete with a high degree of seriousness, they maintain traditional collectivist values and attitudes. Further, we conclude that the contest powwow serves to maintain and reproduce the unique characteristics of traditional Native American culture within the competitive contest powwow environment.

Analysis of unused prescription opioids and benzodiazepines remaining after death among Medicare decedents

BackgroundMillions of opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions are dispensed near end-of-life. After death, patients’ unused prescription pills belong to family members, who often save rather than dispose of them. We sought to quantify this exposure in Medicare beneficiaries. MethodsWe estimated the share of decedent Medicare beneficiaries who potentially left behind opioid or benzodiazepine pills at the time of death using Part D claims of a 20 % national sample of Medicare beneficiaries between 2006−2015 linked to the National Death Index. ResultsWe estimated that 1 in 6 Medicare beneficiaries who died between 2006−2015 potentially left behind opioid pills, and 1 in 10 who died between 2013−2015 potentially left benzodiazepines as well. Leftover pills were more common among younger, dually enrolled, and lower-income beneficiaries, as well as beneficiaries living in non-urban areas and those with a history of mental illness, drug use disorders, and chronic pain. North American Natives and Non-Hispanic Whites had higher proportions than Black, Hispanic, and Asian decedents. ConclusionsOpioids and benzodiazepines are commonly left behind at death. Policies and interventions that encourage comprehensive and safe medication disposal after death may reduce risk for intra-household diversion and misuse of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines.