Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community

Armstrong introduces herself by stating where she comes from, who her parents are and what her identity is. She does not speak for herself but for her people and culture. Her knowledge comes from her Okanagan people. She then talks about the four capacities of self. First being the “physical self” being “one part of the whole self that depends entirely on the parts of us that exist beyond the skin”(462). Next is the “emotional self” which connects to other parts of our larger selves around us and “holds a capacity to form bonds with particular aspects of our surroundings”(464). Then is the “thinking-intellectual self” which is the “spark that ignites”, referring to analytical thoughts, as well as the “thinking/logic and storage of information”(464). “A fire that is not controlled can destroy” refers to stress, anxiety, overthinking and depression which is hard to control but is still manageable. Lastly is the “spiritual self” which is both the individual being and of the larger self of which all things are part. “This is the true self, and it has great power”(464). Each person is born into a family and a community. “Our one skin” refers to our home, place and physical ties that we all share together that makes us who we are as unique humans. Community comes first within our teachings. 

How Place Names Impact The Way We See Landscape

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. Toastie tells us about a landmark called “El Capitan” and how that name was discovered by non-native settlers. He also tells about how most landmarks repeat colonizers' names and how it invokes indigenous stories. Most of these landmarks tie to a story. People hear about these stories and their lives echo across the creational realm. The dimensions of self that define our personal identity in relation to a physical environment is our “place identity”. It is also the conscious and unconscious ideas, feelings, values, goals, preferences, and skills relevant to a specific environment. There is a philosophy within these landscapes and it has beauty and strength. “Water has spirit” as told by our ancestors. We are to approach landmarks prayerfully, not haphazardly. 

And I Went to School

Joe Suina lived his early years with his grandmother in Cochiti Pueblo. He learned the basic village suits, ceremonies, prayers and his language. He went to school at six years old and was taught to be someone different than his true self. As he spoke his language at school, he would face cruel consequences physically and emotionally. He was told to “leave the Indian at home”, learn English and adapt into a new environment he never grew up in. After all the consequences he would face, he would question his lifestyle at home and his true identity. The assimilation method soon made Suina ashamed of his true identity. 

Alcoholism Without Borders

In some former Soviet bloc countries, men often die at an early age due to alcohol abuse. Countries such as Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland are the most problematic regions in terms of excessive drinking. Heavy drinking provokes serious diseases such as liver cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Death due to acute alcohol poisoning and secondary causes such as car accidents, falling, burning, homicide, drowning and hypothermia. The stated regions share a common history, cultural practices and consumption patterns relating to alcohol. Socio-economic factors and unemployment levels are major factors of heavy drinking. Rural areas perform worse than urban areas. “Rural areas lack attractive jobs and young people have ambitions and leave for bigger cities”. 

Intimate Partner Violence

Female spouses of men with alcohol dependence are prone to face various forms of abuse. Periyasamy addresses the issues of domestic violence and abuse women face by their partners. Prevalence of intimate partner violence among female spouses of men with alcohol dependence is 85.5%. Physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, economic abuse, and controlling behaviors are common issues women face by their partners. The factors of abuse are caused by unemployment, impulsivity, financial issues, low income, anger, drugs and alcohol. “There is a high prevalence of physical and psychological abuse among these women”. The impact on women's health leads to injuries, depression, anxiety, unwanted pregnancies, STD’s, and death caused by their partners with high alcohol influence. Studies have reported that rural, isolated areas, divorced women, and low education levels were associated with severe forms of physical violence. 

Child Victimization on South Dakota Indian Reservations:

Many horrendous crimes and incidents occur on tribal lands, especially when it comes to children being involved. Donelan provides information on the risk factors of domestic violence, abuse, and jurisdiction issues on tribal lands. Whenever a crime is committed on tribal lands, tribal law enforcement investigates the incident and takes action. Whenever a federal crime is committed such as, but not limited to homicide, murder, manslaughter, sex crimes, drug trafficking, and kidnapping, then federal agencies would have to get involved. In these situations, most of the time matter is not passed to the appropriate authorities or causes jurisdiction confusion. Investigations may take months or even years to be solved. Cases may fall into cracks and not be investigated at all. Child physical and sexual abuse are investigated by multiple agencies, causing repeated trauma to the child who is a victim of abuse. Most children lack a certain amount of trust in law enforcement due to their experiences with them in the past. They see things their parents deal with when they get into trouble, causing a hostile perspective towards the officers. They believe that police officers are there to ruin peoples lives and arrest people for fun. They become very intimidated by police officers causing trust issues and lack of communication. Poverty and unemployment plays a major role in abusive families. People suffer from depression, anxiety, and addiction. Isolation due to living in remote areas. Substance abuse and high rates of chemical dependency. American Indians have the highest rate of chemical dependency. When a parent is heavily intoxicated, they provide less supervision to their children and are likely to cause harm to someone in the home.