Don’t be Sad:

Suppressing Feelings the “Traditional way”

Keira Chavez

Santo Domingo Pueblo and

The Jicarilla Apache Nation

Research log 1 Sharing One Skin

In the article “sharing one skin” by Jeanette Armstrong we learned about the Okanagan people.

They have a strong relationship with their land, Culture, and Language. In the article we are told they use the same word for many things. i noticed how it mostly talks about the ways of the okanagan and what their beliefs are and what the meanings of the words like 4 selfs and what they mean to them and what they mean in English but overall it's about how they believe and think.

Memories and stories are connected to our land as described by B. Toastie in the article “how place names impact the way we see landscape” When i was reading the article i noticed that I got the meaning of the title and why it was such a good fit, For us Natives we know the history of our people and how we came to be and we also know the history of how the colonizers came in this world but the thing i don't get is how people praize this “colonizers'' I mean there are so many things named after people who didn't do good in thai country or in my eyes i don't see anything worth praying someone about. In the article pg 1 paragraph 3 line 2 “but we live in a world populated by places named for colonizers,Libraries ,streets,and counties”and “what is the impact on the mind- especially the indigenous mind- or a lifetime repeating colonizers names, invoking their stories''.

MLA Citations Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

MLA Citation Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022,

Research log 2

In the article It talked about the boarding schools and how the Many Native Americans suffered gross psychological trauma from being stripped of their self-determination and being told that their cultural traditions were meaningless, or wrong. Many tried suicide and it escalated in the Native American community, Also where the Alcohol problem started and spread all around.

MLA CITATIONS
Gallow, Lauren. "Indianness Confronts Conformity, 1878–1887." The American Mosaic: The American Indian Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2022,

americanindian-abc-clio-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/Search/Display/2219989. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.

Research log 3

In the article Historical and Current Trends impacting Native Youth Suicide by Joshunda Sanders, contains a lot of knowledge about Native american youth whov’e comitted suicide or tried. In the years between 1950 and 1990 suicide amonge pre teens tripples more likely in the young men. In 2001 suicide was the eighth leading cause of death in the USA. It was reaported That Native Americans had the highest rate of taking our lives than any other culture, And We are most likey to take our lives more than white as the rates states. Mental Health Experts say everything is from Historical trauma due to genocide, domestic violence ,and poverty is a risk factor for the youth. Many youth make these desissions to take their lives because we as native americans don't feel safe in our communities or homes.

In the article Depression in Native Communities by Linda Andrews, This artical states that with evidence Native Americans/ Alaska Native have increased rate of Mental health.Also are most likely to experience depression two times white people and also realting with sucide. When Native Americans and other native reach out and use the system they can't fully committee due to access and culture barriers. In most cultures when someone is depressed it is because they are spirtlly unbalanced and they will be shunned but that's only the diné.

MLA Citation

Sanders, Joshunda. "Historical and Current Trends Impacting Native Youth Suicide." The American Mosaic: The American Indian Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2022, americanindian-abc-clio-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/Search/Display/1652149. Accessed 1 Dec. 2022.

MLA Citation

Andrews, Linda Wasmer. "Depression in Native Communities." The American Mosaic: The American Indian Experience, ABC-CLIO, 2022, americanindian-abc-clio-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/Search/Display/1618415. Accessed 2 Dec. 2022

Research log 4

American Indian and Alaska Native youth experience trauma at higher rates than other youth in the U.S. population. According to the Indian Country Child Trauma Center, Native youth are 2.5 times more likely to experience trauma compared to non-Natives .Research also shows higher rates of related behavioral health concerns, including high rates of alcohol and substance abuse, mental health disorders, suicide, violence, and behavior-related diseases across Indian Country.

The connection between my topic and these articles are the situational background of the cycle of suppressing feelings in many communities not just one home or one communities but many all over the world, and the general knowledge of why it is very common in communities, and the rates states that Native Americans have the highest rates than any other non native peoples. Also concerning how it is going in many communities and the cycle keeps going cause it is what feels normal to the people.

MLA CITATION Addressing Trauma in American Indian and Alaska Native Youth - Aspe. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/private/pdf/207941/AIANYouthTIC.PDF.

MLA CITATION : Drcelsig, Claudia m. “The Dangers of Suppressing Emotions.” The CALDA Clinic, 7 Apr. 2022, https://caldaclinic.com/dangers-of-suppressing-emotions/.

Action Plan 1

Mental Health-Awareness: Peer to Peer Assistance

On Wednesday 9th 2022, Me and My partner Amber Bowannie did a presentation on the Middle School side with Mrs. Russell's 7th period class.We discussed with them about Mental Health,And what SHP was all about. I discussed with them about how Suppressing feelings is something you shouldn’t do and how to prevent it connecting with ambers topic about forcing teens to seek help even when they don't want to, but also going back to my topic on how to prevent suppressing the feelings from a young age.

We did a little activity at the end of our presentation. We printed out some coloring sheets and let them color and later on asked them how it made them feel. All most all of them said they liked it and that it made them feel better. Then gave them snacks afterwards.

The purpose of this presentation was to try to teach these young minds it's okay to feel emotions and how it is perfectly normal and not to hid them but to let then show. Also thats it okay if you don't want to seek help that is also perfectly normal and it's okay.

Action Plan #2

Mental Health Awareness:

Its okay, to not be okay

On Thursday February, 23, 2023, I and the help of my aunt asked for permission from both sfis and Santo domingo schools to conduct a presentation at Santo Domingo schools. I wanted to make my topic aware to younger minds especially because in my community a lot of teens and kids aren’t taught about mental health and how to control their feelings, and they resort to smoking and drinking. And they repeat the generational cycle of suppressing their feelings by using negative coping skills.

I asked a community member to help me with this presentation, Her name is Dorothy Coriz, She's a Substance abuse counselor at Santo Domingo clinic in the behavior health center. I wanted her to come in and talk to the kids about what counselor does and all the different kinds , and the services the clinic provides and just talking about alot of our community members resort to using some kind of negitive coping skills like drinking and smoking and even doing the hard core drugs.

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