Native American kids need an upward spiral

Research shows 75% of deaths of indigenous children aged 12-20 are caused by violence

Due to public and official concern about an alarming rate of violence among Native American youths, public hearings on the subject were held across the country in 2013 and 2014.

Having evaluated the facts and figures gathered, a U.S. Department of Justice advisory committee urges the creation of a new Native American affairs office, additional federal funding, and additional action by Congress and the Obama administration.

Among the facts gathered were that Native American children experience post-traumatic stress at three times the rate of the non-Native population, and that 75 percent of deaths among indigenous children between the ages of 12 and 20 are caused by violence, including homicides and suicides.

The list goes on and is not surprising.

What is surprising is that the root cause of the violence was not specifically cited, nor specifically addressed.

Don’t we all know that, when a culture is marginalized and stomped upon, the people therein suffer? Once proud men, many traditionally warriors, shift into despair and hopelessness, and rates of spousal abuse and child abuse skyrocket.

Patterns subsequently develop, which become cyclical, tangled and locked-in.

If a new office of Native American affairs is created, as recommended, it might well be a step in the right direction, especially if funding processes are streamlined, and coordination between state, federal and tribal governments is improved. This is needed.

We should always be wary, however, about creating more bureaucracy in order to reduce bureaucracy.

Don’t we already have a Senate Indian Affairs Committee? Why not whip that into shape?

The most important concern, however, is whether government officials have a clear vision of the direction they are leading us.

Surely the goal of the hearings and report was to better the lives of Native American children. Isn’t that what we all want? So, let’s define that. To fail to do so is to risk getting lost in treating symptoms of a suffering culture — and to assume the symptoms will always be there.

Nor is reviving cultures as they were in their heyday the solution. This doesn’t work.

All cultures are in a state of evolution, and the goal should be helping them evolve in a healthy and progressive manner — a manner that lets them integrate with the rest of the world at their own pace, as we integrate with them.

Indigenous individuals certainly benefit from learning about their cultural history and valuing all that was good about it, as we all benefit from learning about our histories, in order to establish a sense of belonging and identity. Then we all move forward with our lives from there.

The result will be happier and welladjusted Native American adults, which results in cherished, respected and well-cared-for children.

And vice versa. Happy, respected children grow into healthy, less violent adults.

This is the upward spiral to define and kick into.