Many (most?) Native Americans these don't live on the reservations and never have because if they had a chance, they took jobs so they could support their families. Also, because of the boarding school programs and forced adoptions in the 50's and 60's, many of the older generation that were born on the reservation were taken off it by government programs and either never returned because they couldn't or because they didn't need to.
There are probably more urban/suburban Native peoples for that reason. Many of them do practice their traditional faith/ways or some variation thereof, though, with the predominance of the Native American Church on reservations, lots of people on reservations never grew up with those ways in the ways that we think. I know that there's a huge push right now towards preservation and traditionalism and that's good because a lot of the languages are dying because NDN kids were forced into boarding schools were they were disciplined or beaten when they spoke it and as a result they lost the language in childhood. Since that generation is the parental generation of mine, it means that it's falling to the elderly and the grandparents to teach and the life expectancy of Native Americans is still lower than (iirc) any other ethnic group in this country. There aren't a lot of Elders that can or are willing (because of things they themselves faced) to teach it. But it's getting better. :D
I wish you were closer, I'd take you to meet someone. He'd talk your ear off and have a lot to tell you and he'd be delighted to do it. If you need to interview/talk to someone, I'll give you his number and let him know I sent you. :D
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asenathwaite
(no subject)
Date: 2009-07-26 09:00 pm (UTC)There are probably more urban/suburban Native peoples for that reason. Many of them do practice their traditional faith/ways or some variation thereof, though, with the predominance of the Native American Church on reservations, lots of people on reservations never grew up with those ways in the ways that we think. I know that there's a huge push right now towards preservation and traditionalism and that's good because a lot of the languages are dying because NDN kids were forced into boarding schools were they were disciplined or beaten when they spoke it and as a result they lost the language in childhood. Since that generation is the parental generation of mine, it means that it's falling to the elderly and the grandparents to teach and the life expectancy of Native Americans is still lower than (iirc) any other ethnic group in this country. There aren't a lot of Elders that can or are willing (because of things they themselves faced) to teach it. But it's getting better. :D
I wish you were closer, I'd take you to meet someone. He'd talk your ear off and have a lot to tell you and he'd be delighted to do it. If you need to interview/talk to someone, I'll give you his number and let him know I sent you. :D