Psychotherapy with Deaf Clients from Diverse Groups

9 Culturally Responsive Psychotherapy with Deaf American Indians

183 9 Culturally Responsive Psychotherapy with Deaf American Indians NANCY ELDREDGE American Indians who are Deaf form part of a unique minority group in the sense that Native Americans are the only indigenous minority group within our country.1 This fact sets them apart from other cultural groups whose members have immigrated to this land from other countries. Indeed, even the nomenclature historically used to refer to this group has always reflected its indigenous status; for example, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native peoples, First Nations (Gone, 2004; Paris & Wood, 2002). The terms American Indian or Indian are most commonly used in the contiguous United States, whereas the terms Alaska Native and Native Hawaiians are common in their respective states. While “American Indians who are Deaf” on first appearance may suggest a single, homogeneous identity—one that may be evaluated according to a certain static set of rules—recognizing the complexity, and often the fluidity, of Deaf Indian identity is critical in understanding Deaf Indian clients . Although many cultural commonalities among Native peoples in America exist, as will be described later in this chapter, a Hopi is not a Yaqui, and a Yaqui is not a Cherokee. To believe that all characteristics that apply to a member of one tribe will apply to a member of another tribe is a fallacy. But tribal identity is not the only complexity of Deaf Indian identity; it is not, perhaps, even the most important consideration . An American Indian born and raised on a reservation will not possess the same acculturation pattern as a member of the same tribe raised in an urban setting; additionally , an individual born in a traditional setting but educated (as is common) at a residential school for the Deaf will not have had the same cultural experiences as his or her counterpart who was schooled on the reservation. The same consideration applies when comparing the experiences of individuals who were born deaf with those who became deaf later in life. So, although the experiences and identities of Deaf American Indians are varied and wide-ranging, it must also be recognized that in some respects they do form a whole, and therefore we can construct a single, overarching framework to aid us in understanding Deaf Indian clients while simultaneously appreciating their individuality. 1. In this chapter, the use of uppercase Deaf designates the cultural group, whereas the lowercase deaf refers to the audiometric condition of hearing impairment resulting in an inability to perceive the sounds of speech (Rutherford, 1988). Also, the terms American Indian, Native, or Native American refer to the tribal groups, unless specific affiliations are being described. 184 The Ethnic Dimension Demographics In the United States there are currently 562 federally recognized tribal entities with approximately 1.9 million tribal citizens eligible to receive services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2009). Recent estimates of Native populations range between 2.5 million and 5 million individuals, many of whom do not hold tribal citizenship (Gone, 2004; U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). In general, ethnicity data have been based on self-identification, which is problematic when an individual must be a direct descendent of a tribal member, or have a certain “blood quantum” to be identified on the tribal register, and the quantum requirements vary depending on the tribe. Some individuals who identify as Indian may not fulfill the requirements of their particular tribe(s); others may far exceed it, and yet identify primarily with Deaf culture rather than the tribe or clan into which they were born. Additionally, self-identity may be fluid, responding to personal preferences, often depending on geographical location, for instance whether the individual lives in an urban or rural environment. Also, as discussed below, some American Indians may identify as Indian at the beginning of a psychotherapeutic relationship, and then later identify themselves by tribe after a certain level of trust has been established. Over half of the Indian populations in the United States presently live in California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, New York, Washington, North Carolina, Michigan, and Alaska (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Most live in the West, followed by the South, then the Midwest, and finally the Northeast. The largest Nation is the Cherokee, followed by the Navajo, Latin American Indian, Choctaw, Sioux, and Chippewa (Dillard, 2007). According to the 2000 Census, 2,475,956 people identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native alone and an additional 1,643,345 people...