Native American Cultural Values and Health Beliefs

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The Objective

Collaboration with the community increases the overall contribution to medicine. In the context of improving care for Native American people who are ill, an important challenge is to address disparities in attention to ethnicity. Moreover, attitudes and access to health care in these societies are often underdeveloped, requiring a range of skills to remedy the situation. Collaboration with communities and tribes can help understand the issues and improve the health status of this cultural and ethnic stratum.

Health Beliefs

Many Native American peoples view health as a holistic indicator and link spiritual, emotional, and bodily states together. Nature has traditionally been viewed as a source and assistant in healing, which does not promote medicine or trust in outsider practices. Moreover, the unification of spirit and body is largely religious and may interfere with necessary healing practices, even when a person’s life is threatened.

Health Practices

The use of medicinal plants, their properties, and their beliefs on par with ceremonial procedures is common in indigenous community beliefs. Nature is often considered by them as the main source of healing and life, which enhances the ecological nature of their worldview and implies the preservation of the environment for future generations. Moreover, such attitudes may contribute to the ancestral transmission of distrust of modern medicine.

Family Patterns

This culture values family and family relationships very highly, effectively dividing already small communities into clans. Most decisions cannot be made without the participation of respected family members and elders. Such family networks promote cohabitation and the genetic preservation of certain weaknesses (Blue Bird Jernigan et al., 2020). Cultural traditions enter into important points in the worldview of Native Americans, regardless of tribe, and influence patient behavior.

Communication Style

Indirect communication styles, quite common in Native American communities and environments, include body language, tone of voice, and other nonverbal cues. Moreover, metaphorical language and the use of pauses can contribute to misunderstandings among people who are communicating with this cultural stratum for the first time (Warne & Wescott, 2019). Showing respect and sensitivity to the patient’s culture and utterances can help establish the necessary level of relationship in the patient’s care process.

Space Orientation

For members of this ethnic background, it is especially important to respect their right to personal space. Moreover, in some cases, unreasonable touch can be seen as a personal insult. In interacting assertions of individuality and privacy with religion, interesting patterns have emerged that often imply the importance and spirituality of any interaction (Carter et al., 2019). Much of this requires the presence of family members or respected representatives of elders to ensure one’s peace of mind.

Time Orientation

For representatives of this cultural community, concentration on what is happening with parallel references to analogies of the past is very important. Given the belief in ancestral spirits and the importance of their previous generations, there is a noticeable tendency to repeat others’ deeds or beliefs within the boundaries of their tribe’s legends (1). Accepting death or illness as part of the cycle can be detrimental to healing and contribute to one’s opposition.

Nutritional Patterns

The food habits of the communities in question significantly impact the identity of these communities and the development of their culture. Food can be seen as a way of expressing cultural identity in addition to the means of subsistence (Warne & Wescott, 2019). Moreover, in many tribes, certain foods or plants are inextricably linked to notions of healing and ritual socialization (Warne & Wescott, 2019). This is why many Native Americans prefer natural foods and do not like to eat alone.

Pain Responses

Traditional treatments for pain attacks may include herbalistic, meditative, and physiological practices. Each person’s experience is very important to Native Americans and should be considered in treatment in medical settings. Specifics of marking and demonstration rules may also vary greatly by tribe and location. Indigenous peoples have historically viewed pain as an expected part of the natural course of life.

Childbirth

In Native American culture, giving birth and assisting in the perinatal process is often considered a sacred rite of passage. Having a partner at childbirth as an aid or midwife and using phytotherapy is still very common. Moreover, due to the negative experiences of the past, some modern isolated communities prefer to avoid state and professional childbirth assistance, which does not benefit the process.

Perinatal Care

Because of mistrust, Native American communities have much lower infant weights and high mortality rates. Moreover, the closed nature of such communities limits access to public health resources and provokes higher rates of maternal morbidity (Blue Bird Jernigan et al., 2020). Commitment to traditional practices contributes to delays in seeking routine medical care and can be detrimental to the health of newborns and women in labor.

Death and Dying

Death is a natural part of the life process in many Native American cultures. Traditional rituals and customs are often highlighted in the care and burial of the dying, and such ceremonies should not take place in a hospital setting. Such cultural sensitivities in caregiving must be understood in order to show respect and provide peace of mind to the relatives of the dying person.

Spirituality, Religion, and Faith

Spirituality is in many ways synonymous with Native American culture and implies that they are developed in this regard. Their beliefs include animalism, connection to nature, and adherence to centuries-old customs. Much of this can manifest itself in their superstition and refusal of certain medical procedures at certain times. In order to establish a trusting relationship, the interests of any patient must be considered, and the necessary level of spirituality must be maintained.

Prayer and Meditation

These practices are often the standard in continental indigenous cultures and are designed to promote healing in all aspects of the human condition. In many ways, they can be used in parallel with traditional therapies, phytotherapy, and modern, advanced medicine. Moreover, such practices are very important to patients, especially older patients, and should be respected by anyone interacting from the outside.

New Knowledge about the Group

The enormous diversity within the Native American group becomes evident when studying them in detail. However, it is possible to highlight common factors which were listed earlier. Spirituality, traditionalism, commonality, and distrust of the descendants of colonialists are among the unifying indicators of this cultural and ethnic group. In order to comply with the information received and to approach any patient appropriately, it is necessary to be aware of their spiritual and cultural practices and to give each person the right to their beliefs (Cultural diversity, 2021).

The Knowledge Impact on the Cultural Group Care

The change in attitudes toward this cultural group could only have occurred in the deepening direction, as all ethnic groups are entitled to equal respect. The understanding of traditionalism and spirituality was reinforced, and the high birth of rituals and ceremonies in the lives of many group members was examined. The legacy of historical trauma, which may have distorted some perceptions and diminished trust in medicine, should not be forgotten. Moreover, basic knowledge about Native Americans emphasizes the depth of each individual and the need for more research on a case-by-case basis with the utmost respect and tolerance.

References

Blue Bird Jernigan, V., D’Amico, E. J., Duran, B., & Buchwald, D. (2020). Multilevel and community-level interventions with native Americans: Challenges and opportunities. Prevention Science: The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 21(S1), 65–73. Web.

Carter, R. T., Johnson, V. E., Kirkinis, K., Roberson, K., Muchow, C., & Galgay, C. (2019). A meta-analytic review of racial discrimination: Relationships to health and culture. Race and Social Problems, 11(1), 15–32. Web.

Cultural diversity in nursing: Understanding its importance. (2021). Regis College Online. Web.

Marion, L., Douglas, M., Lavin, M. A., Barr, N., Gazaway, S., Thomas, E., & Bickford, C. (2016). Implementing the new ANA standard 8: Culturally Congruent Practice. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 22(1), 9. Web.

Ong-Flaherty, C. (2015). Critical cultural awareness and diversity in nursing: A minority perspective. Nurse Leader, 13(5), 58–62. Web.

Warne, D., & Wescott, S. (2019). Social determinants of American Indian nutritional health. Current Developments in Nutrition, 3(Suppl 2), 12–18. Web.

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