Restoring Strength by Facing History
Wicasa was’aka is a Lakota term that means “strong men.” It describes the traditional role of Lakota men in tribal society. Wicasa was’aka serve and protect their fellow tribal members with courage, wisdom, respect, compassion, self-sacrifice, and skill.
Many other American Indian tribes have similar ideas of male gender roles. However, modern realities can make it hard for Native boys to grow into strong men.
One major barrier for Native men and women alike is historical trauma. This concept refers to the losses and injustice inflicted on Native people – in the past by European invaders, more recently by the U.S. government. Historical trauma is a major focus of the work of Dr. Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, a Lakota (Hunkpapa and Oglala) researcher at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
In an article in the American Journal of Public Health, Dr. Brave Heart and colleagues discuss the effect of historical trauma on the health of Native men. They offer an eloquent definition of this concept, spoken by a Lakota man:
My grandparents’ generation lost the land and their livelihood. . . . There are a lot of answers that I don’t have and a lot of questions that I do have and there is a lot of hurt inside me. . . . Some of these things happening over the years are still happening today, like my grandparents, my great-grandparents had their children moved to schools. . . . I was moved, my brothers and sisters moved. . . .There’s a big hole in my heart.
In their article, Dr. Brave Heart and colleagues note that deaths by car crashes, suicide, and homicide are at epidemic levels among American Indian boys and men. In addition, Native males experience poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders at much higher rates than most other Americans. Dr. Brave Heart argues that health interventions in Native communities need to account for historical trauma and its effects. So far, very few have done so.
The article reviews two recent programs that do address this history of violence and injustice. One is the Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention, which has been offered to many tribes in North America. It uses elements of traditional ceremony and spirituality. Male participants report feeling less numb afterward and more open to feelings of joy. They also become more aware of how they react to trauma and how they can change. Both men and women say that the intervention helped them work through grief. This was especially true for memories of violence and abuse experienced in boarding school. In Lakota communities, the intervention includes Wiping of the Tears, a traditional ceremony to resolve mourning. Lakota people found this ceremony very powerful.
The second program discussed in the article is RezRIDERS (Reducing Risk through Interpersonal Development, Empowerment, Resiliency and Self Determination), which is designed for Native boys. Its goal is to reduce depression and substance abuse while encouraging positive social development. The program recognizes that in traditional times, tribes encouraged young men to test themselves in nature with guidance from older mentors. RezRIDERS engages youth who enjoy taking risks and exposing themselves to danger. They are invited to practice extreme sports, such as snowboarding, in the presence of adult cultural mentors. Their mentors use an evidence-based curriculum to build trust and teamwork.
All this work offers a way to help Native boys and men build stronger, healthier lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. The authors present the life of Tatanka Iyotake, also known as Sitting Bull, as a key example of the Lakota concept of wicasa was’aka. Although modern people might think of strong men and great warriors as men who talk big, carry guns, and engage in violence, Tatanka Iyotake embodied woksape (wisdom). This is a key characteristic of wicasa was’aka, who above all are “resilient and sacred men.”
Original article: Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, Jennifer Elkins, Greg Tafoya, Doreen Bird, Melina Salvador. (2012) Wicasa Was’aka: Restoring the traditional strength of American Indian boys and men. American Journal of Public Health Supplement 2, Vol. 102, No. S2. Available at: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300511
Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention: Homepage at http://historicaltrauma.com/
RezRIDERS: Homepage at http://www.rezriders.org/