Roxanne Struthers

Participant Experiences of Talking Circles on Type 2 Diabetes in Two Northern Plains American Indian Tribes

The Talking Circle, a culturally appropriate, 12-week educational intervention, was employed on two Northern Plains American Indian reservations to provide information on type 2 diabetes. In a phenomenological study, funded as a minority supplement to the Talking Circle intervention, the authors asked 8 American Indian participants of the Talking Circle to describe their experience of being an American Indian Talking Circle participant. Seven common themes describe the phenomenon of participating in a Talking Circle diabetic intervention. The Talking Circle technique was effective in providing information on type 2 diabetes through culturally appropriate community sharing. Type 2 diabetes is viewed by both outsiders and those involved as a chronic disease of the utmost concern in American Indian communities.

Nursing in the Native American Culture and Historical Trauma

Historical trauma is a significant fact in the Native American community, a fact affecting both health status and social milieu. Mental health nurses and other persons working in the mental health professions will be confronted over and over with historical trauma when working with Native American peoples and communities. To heal historical trauma, culturally appropriate strategies derived from the ancient knowledge, philosophy, and world view of Native America are needed. One tool mental health care providers can use when encountering historical trauma is the Conceptual Framework of Nursing in the Native American Culture.

Phenomenological Research Among Canadian and United States Indigenous Populations: Oral Tradition and Quintessence of Time

Researchers conducting phenomenological studies among indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada have identified a seamless link between phenomenology and indigenous oral tradition. Phenomenology is compatible with indigenous peoples, because it is synchronous with holistic indigenous cultural lifeway and values. Phenomenology, as a research method, assists indigenous people in reproducing, through narrative communication, features of the past, present, and future. In the narrative process, this method elicits significant implicit meaning of indigenous culture and assists with recording the essence of experiences and events of indigenous societies. A product of the telling of narrative stories is the capacity to reflect on change that will enhance health in a holistic and culturally acceptable manner.

Indigenous Women’s Voices: Marginalization and Health

Marginalization may affect health care delivery. Ways in which indigenous women experienced marginalization were examined. Data from 57 indigenous women (18 to 65 years) were analyzed for themes. Three themes emerged: historical trauma as lived marginalization, biculturalism experienced as marginalization, and interacting within a complex health care system. Experienced marginalization reflected participants’ unique perspective and were congruent with previous research. It is necessary for health care providers to assess the detrimental impact of marginalization on the health status of individuals and/or communities.

Sacred tobacco use in Ojibwe communities.

A sacred relationship exists between tobacco and American Indian ceremonial activities and beliefs.This ancient connection continuesto play an important role in American Indian communities including the Anishinabe (Ojibwe). Six Ojibwe traditional healers and spiritual leaders described the sacred use of tobacco during interviews. The research provides information on key-informant smoking behaviors, influence of tobacco-industry media, and 3 essential themes: the origin of sacred traditional tobacco; contemporary use and abuse of tobacco; and cultural strengths and meaning of tobacco in Anishinabe (Ojibwe) communities. Health professionals must recognize, be amenable to learn, and understand that sacred tobacco use and smoking commercial cigarette tobacco have separate purposes and functions. The challenge for health professionals, including nurses, is to retain the cultural use and value of tobacco while addressing the abuse and chronic effects of cigarette smoking when providing health care to American Indian clients.

The Essence of Native American Nursing

This article emerged at the “Gathering of Wisdom: American Indian Nursing Summit III,” which took place in October 1997 on the Flathead Indian Reservations in Polson, Montana. This gathering described and clarified the distinctiveness of Native American nursing. Nursing literature has explored the essence of nursing from a variety of perspectives. This article describes a process of discovery in which seven themes emerged on the essence of Native American nursing. These themes, in ascending order of significance, are caring, traditions, respect, connection, holism, trust, and spirituality. These themes are connected and interwoven throughout the center of Native American culture and can provide a creative outlook for transcultural nursing and nursing in general. Furthermore, these themes provide a vehicle for care delivery innovation.

The Lived Experience of Ojibwa and Cree Women Healers

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the meaning and essence of the lived experience of Ojibwa and Cree women healers. The research question, “What is the experience of being an Ojibwa or Cree woman healer?” was asked of a purposive sample of four indigenous women healers, aged 48 to 59, residing in Canada and the United States. The data were collected and analyzed utilizing methods to preserve integrity within the indigenous community. Seven themes emerged from the data. They are as follows: recognizing and unfolding the healing gift; placing faith in the healing ability; mastering indigenous culture, values and traditions; wholesome use of self; interconnection with all; living a balanced, circular life way; and embracing mankind. These seven themes can be employed by nurse healers and/or holistic nurses to practice the art of holistic nursing.

The Experience of Indigenous Traditional Healing and Cancer

Indigenous traditional healing is an ancient, deeply rooted, complex holistic health care system practiced by indigenous people worldwide. However, scant information exists to explain the phenomenon of indigenous medicine and indigenous health. Even less is known about how indigenous healing takes place. The purpose of this study is to describe the meaning and essence of the lived experience of 4 indigenous people who have been diagnosed with cancer and have used indigenous traditional healing during their healing journey. The researcher used a qualitative phenomenological methodology to collect and analyze interview data. Interviews were conducted with 4 self-identified indigenous people, ages 49 to 61, from diverse tribes. Time since cancer diagnosis varied from 2 to 20 years; types of cancer included lung, prostate, sarcoma of the leg, and breast. Four themes and 2 subthemes emerged (1) receiving the cancer diagnosis (with subthemes of knowing something was wrong and hearing something was wrong), (2) seeking healing, (3) connecting to indigenous culture, and (4) contemplating life’s future. This study demonstrates that 4 individuals with cancer integrated Western medicine and traditional healing to treat their cancer. This knowledge provides necessary data about the phenomena of being healed by indigenous healers. Such data may serve as an initial guide for health care professionals while interacting with indigenous people diagnosed with cancer. Accordingly, traditional healing may be used to decrease health disparities.

Respecting tribal traditions in research and publications: voices of five Native American nurse scholars.

A dialogue with five Native American scholars provides insight into conducting research and publishing resulting manuscripts on Native American topics, specifically healing beliefs and practices. This information provides a means to develop sensitivity and create understanding about concerns held by Native Americans regarding sharing certain defined cultural information with those outside the culture. The article identifies salient tribal issues related to research, discusses perspectives important to tribal nations and Native individuals surrounding research, and supplies a base on which to formulate further discussions

TRADITIONAL BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES OF THE OJIBWE OF NORTHERN MINNESOTA

The Ojibwe have transitioned over the past 100 years from a woodland people moving with the seasons, to forced confinement on rural reservations, to inner-city poverty. Traditionally, Ojibwe womens knowledge has been passed through the generations orally. Using ethnographic methods, data were gathered on traditional infant feeding practices from Ojibwe women (N = 44). Few of these traditions have been documented previously. Some traditions are similar to other indigenous cultures while others are culturally specific. Understanding traditional breastfeeding practices can provide valuable information for those working with indigenous people in a variety of settings, so that they create services that are consistent with traditional values.