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>> Welcome.

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Welcome back to the K'am-t'em:
Impact of ACEs

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and Toxic Stress on Indigenous
Communities.

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Thank you for being here.

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We finished Modules 1 through 5 already.

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And so today we're going to
be talking about Module 6,

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which is interrupting toxic stress.

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And so we've already talked about how --

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what causes and what
influences toxic stress.

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We talked about ACEs and
the 10 categories of ACEs,

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other social determinants of health
and looking at other influences,

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things such as poverty, discrimination,
separation from family or separation

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from parents, how all of these things
can play a role into toxic stress.

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We also talked about intergenerational
trauma, intergenerational transmission

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of adversity, and how those components
can also play a role in toxic stress.

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We talked about how there's
all different types of stress.

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There's actually stress that is
good stress, a positive stress,

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that there's tolerable stress.

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But toxic stress is one that
is at elevated levels and it's

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over an extended period of time.

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And toxic stress can actually
have impacts on a person's health.

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And so we've talked about some of those
impacts that we can see with people

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that have four or more ACEs or
people that have experienced some

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of these other social
determinants of health and how

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that has impacted their health.

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And we've talked about
those numbers as well.

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And so today our discussion is
about interrupting toxic stress.

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So how do we interrupt it?

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And so that we began this
discussion around protective factors.

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For example, what can we do to
help encourage and support healing?

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In addition to screening for ACEs,
how can we interrupt the stress?

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And so this is our topic of discussion
that we'll start with here today.

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And so once again, our training
learning objectives for all seven

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of the modules is that at the end of
the training participants will be able

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to define adverse childhood
experiences, that they'll be able

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to describe how providing
trauma-informed care

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for Indigenous communities of
California include an understanding

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of their histories.

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And we spent the last two modules
talking about some of the histories

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of Indigenous peoples of California.

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And then also looking at
how these experiences relate

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to intergenerational transmission
of adversity and protective factors

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from an Indigenous perspective.

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So part of this is multi-logical
thinking, a multi-logical lens.

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And so this training really takes
aspects of scientific evidence

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from ACEs Aware research, and then also
presents an Indigenous perspective along

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with that.

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And then finally describe
how the content

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of these modules support
screening for ACEs and treatment

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of toxic stress in Indigenous
communities.

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And in this specific module, Module
6, the objective is to recognize

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that in order to provide trauma-informed
care for Indigenous communities

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of California, that it is vital
to understand their histories.

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And this is part of the second
objective we talked about earlier

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and how these experiences relate
to intergenerational transmission,

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factors for stress, protective factors
from an Indigenous perspective.

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And so part of what this module is
about is looking at testimonial justice.

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And so often Indigenous peoples
are omitted from not only the data

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that is available, but also
sometimes from narratives that we hear

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in regards to Indigenous peoples.

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And so Adichi, in this slide
here, she gives a presentation

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on Danger of a Single Story.

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And so she says, that's how
we create a single story,

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show a people as one thing, as only
one thing, over and over again,

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and that is what they become.

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But to insist on only these negative
stories is to flatten my experience

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and to overlook the many
other stories that formed me.

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So the single story creates stereotypes,
and the problem with stereotypes is not

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that they are untrue, but
that they're incomplete.

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They make one story become
the only story.

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And so kind of the message
here is when we talk about some

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of the health disparities,
the social indicators,

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the struggles of Indigenous peoples,
sometimes that becomes the only story.

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It doesn't mean that those
statistics are untrue,

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but it's not the whole
picture of Indigenous peoples.

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And so the next testimony that
I'll share is actually of myself.

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It's a pre-recorded clip.

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But we have to have the testimony
separate from the official presentation.

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It is entitled More Than a Boat.

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And looking at Indigenous identity

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and the Indigenous peoples
are more than a boat.

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So we'll watch this clip now.

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Often history is influenced or sometimes
imposed by a single dominant narrative

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that comes from an external lens.

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And oftentimes that can be through
literature, it can be through Hollywood,

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it can be through the media, it can be
through newspapers, even social media,

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but portray Indigenous peoples in ways
that aren't necessarily identities

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that we ourselves identify with.

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Oftentimes, Indigenous
peoples are thought of

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or their identity is
imposed upon by some

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of the social indicators that we face.

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And it's true that we do suffer from
some of the highest rates in the world.

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We know that we have 10
times the suicide rate

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of any other group of people.

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This isn't attempted suicide.

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This is actual suicide,
10 times the rate.

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We have five times the alcoholism
rate, two to five times the death rate

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of our adolescents, our teenagers,
compared to Euro-Americans.

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We have the highest rate of diabetes,
the highest rate of tuberculosis,

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the highest dropout rates, the
highest rate of death due to violence,

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the highest rate of people
killed by police officers.

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So as far as social indicators
and statistics, we do struggle,

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but those struggles do not define us.

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They don't define us as Indigenous
peoples and they're not our identity.

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And that's important for
us to reclaim, re-center,

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and look within to our own
identities and reconnecting

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to who we are as Indigenous peoples.

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The time is over where we accept the
identities the others impose on us.

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And it's now time for us to identify
ourselves and to do that as an act

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of testimonial justice in defining
our own identity and who we are.

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So I'd like to start off
by telling you a story

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about a young boy who we'll call Ijo.

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Ijo is a five-year-old boy getting
ready to go to kindergarten.

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And Ijo was brought up with the
cultural teachings of his people.

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And so one of the stories that Ijo
was presented with was the story

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of the Blackbird and the Redwood Tree.

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And it's so fitting that we had
the bird singers start us off

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with this presentation
because the blackbird is one

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that teaches us this story and Ijo
was taught this story at a young age.

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The little blackbird,
he had injured his wing.

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He was out playing, hurt his wing,

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and all his family was getting
ready to leave for the winter.

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And when his family traveled
south he could hear the chittering

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of them, goodbye, goodbye.

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They're chattering away
as all the birds flew away

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and the blackbird couldn't fly.

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His wing was broken.

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And so he watched them leave and he was
very, with his desperation, very sad,

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and so he began to walk
along and look for shelter.

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He walked along and as he was
looking for shelter he began to sing.

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[ Singing ]

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And he bumped into a tree.

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And this tree, it was a smaller tree,

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but it had big beautiful
white flowers on the tree.

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It was a dogwood tree.

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He bumped into the tree and he said,
"Oh, Mr. Dogwood Tree," he says,

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"I broke my wing and my family
they left for the winter.

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Can I rest in your limbs
for the winter?"

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The dogwood tree says, "Rest
in my limbs for the winter?

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Don't you see all my beautiful flowers?

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If you would have rested my
limbs you would ruin my beauty.

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Go on, move along, get out of here."

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So little blackbird held on to his
limb and he continued on walking

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and now it's starting to heavily rain.

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He starts singing.

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[ Singing ]

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And he bumps into another tree.

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Now this tree that he
bumps into is a lot bigger.

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And this tree is covered with
acorns all over the tree.

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He says, "Oh, tanoak tree," he
says, "I'm so happy to see you.

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I hurt my limb.

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My family went south for the winter.

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Can I rest in your limbs
for the winter?"

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And the tanoak tree says,
"Can't you see I'm so busy?

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So many of these acorns depend on me
and I have to take care of everybody.

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I can't be taking care of somebody else.

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Go on, get out of here."

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So the little blackbird continued
on and now sleet has turned to snow

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and his dragging his little arm -- wing
is just dragging along with the snow.

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[ Singing ]

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And he bumps into a redwood tree.

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And this redwood tree is so big that
when blackbird tries to see the top

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of the tree, he almost
tips over backwards.

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It's so tall and huge and
blackbird is so afraid.

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He's nervous because he's been turned
down twice and he says, "Um, excuse me,

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Mr. Redwood Tree," he says, "can I
rest in your limbs for the winter?"

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And the redwood tree says,
"Sure, you can rest in my limbs."

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And he scooped him down
with his bow and put him

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up on the top of the redwood tree.

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Blackbird was so happy.

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He sing --

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[ Singing ]

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So Wohpekumew, who was one of
our creators, was watching all

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of this come along and
everything happened.

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So Wohpekumew came down and
gathered together all the animals

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and all the trees and he said,
"I watched, I watched how each

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of you treated the blackbird, our
relative, when he was in time of need."

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He said, "And dogwood tree,"
he said, "you were so confused,

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so enamored by your looks and
focused on your beautiful flowers."

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He said that, "You didn't have
time to take care of our relation."

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He said, "So you and all your relations,
you'll only have your beautiful flowers

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for a short period of time."

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And the dogwood tree, their
flowers bloom and they're gone.

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Not just the dogwood tree,
but all the relations,

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all of the species of dogwood tree.

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And he said, "Acorn tree,
tanoak tree," he said,

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"you were too busy to help our friend.

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So you and all your relations
will have the responsibility

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to feed the people and
care for the people.

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You'll lose your acorns every year."

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And he said, "But redwood
Tree," he said,

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"you took care of the
blackbird in his time of need.

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So you and all your relations will
always be keepers of the forest

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and to look over everyone."

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And so Ijo learned these teachings
and he learned these types of stories.

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And from learning those types of
stories, he built a relationship

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with redwood and with
the natural environment.

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And one of the things that we
use to make a redwood tree --

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out of a redwood tree,
is oohl'-we'-yoch.

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An oohl'-we'-yoch is a canoe.

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It's -- has its own spiritual life.

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We as Yurok people refer
to ourselves as Oohl.

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We take breath in, we breathe life.

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An oohl'-we'-yoch has
its own spiritual life.

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And so Ijo grew up with this
teaching of oohl'-we'-yoch.

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So now Ijo starts his
first day of kindergarten.

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And he's brought up in his family
where he's learning and he's immersed

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in a lot of cultural teachings.

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And he attends that first day of school
where he has a teacher that's beginning

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to teach him external
factors of the world.

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And she has an activity.

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And this activity is that she
gives each child a paper bag.

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And in that paper bag, they're to
put four items that are of importance

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to them, things that they want to
share with the rest of their class.

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So Ijo is so excited
about this opportunity.

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He takes his paper bag home.

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Remember he's five years old and he's
so excited to share about his people.

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And he comes in the house
and runs into his room.

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And the first thing that
he grabs is a baseball.

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And he says -- puts his
baseball in the bag.

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And the next thing that
he grabs is a Spider-Man

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and he puts the Spider-Man in the bag.

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And then he gets on his
stool, he crawls up and he has

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on his top shelf an oohl'-we'-yoch,
a carved model of an oohl'-we'-yoch

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that his grandfather's
grandfather made for him as a boy

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and which he used and
plays with in the tub.

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The next thing he grabbed, he got
into his closet and pulled out a trunk

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and he grabbed an eagle feather.

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And this wasn't a real eagle feather.

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It was the eagle feather that his
father had painted for him to look

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like an eagle feather so that
he could practice ceremony

232
00:15:15,916 --> 00:15:18,296
and practice the care
of the eagle feather.

233
00:15:19,086 --> 00:15:20,946
And so he ran out into the kitchen.

234
00:15:20,946 --> 00:15:23,116
He told his mom what
he's going to present.

235
00:15:23,116 --> 00:15:26,526
His mom said, "What are you
going to say to your class?"

236
00:15:26,826 --> 00:15:31,966
And he says, "Well, I'm going to tell
them that I'm Yurok, Hoopa, and Muscogee.

237
00:15:32,906 --> 00:15:35,316
And I'm going to show them my baseball."

238
00:15:35,316 --> 00:15:37,766
"What are you going to
say about your baseball?"

239
00:15:37,766 --> 00:15:41,586
"Well, I'm going to tell them
that my dad and I play baseball

240
00:15:41,586 --> 00:15:44,716
in the backyard every day and it's
real important to our family."

241
00:15:44,716 --> 00:15:48,946
And he said, "And this guy here, this
Spider-Man, I'm going to tell them

242
00:15:48,946 --> 00:15:54,326
that this is a Spider-Man and he
has superpowers and he's a superhero

243
00:15:54,326 --> 00:15:55,976
and I'm going to be a
superhero someday."

244
00:15:56,046 --> 00:16:01,606
And then he held up the oohl'-we'-yoch
and he says, "This guy here," he said,

245
00:16:02,106 --> 00:16:05,836
"I'm going to tell him that the
oohl'-we'-yoch has his own life.

246
00:16:06,536 --> 00:16:10,716
And when he's made, he has a heart,
he has lungs, he has kidneys,

247
00:16:11,746 --> 00:16:14,676
and I take care of him
and he takes care of me."

248
00:16:14,826 --> 00:16:16,966
Of course, his mom was real proud

249
00:16:16,966 --> 00:16:20,236
to hear his connection
to the oohl'-we'-yoch.

250
00:16:20,816 --> 00:16:25,286
And he shows his eagle feather and
he says, "I want to tell the class

251
00:16:25,526 --> 00:16:28,926
about how this eagle
feather is so important to us

252
00:16:28,926 --> 00:16:31,286
in our prayer and how we use it."

253
00:16:31,506 --> 00:16:33,466
He said, "I love this guy."

254
00:16:33,706 --> 00:16:35,356
And he set his eagle feather down.

255
00:16:35,546 --> 00:16:38,146
So he was prepared for his presentation.

256
00:16:39,016 --> 00:16:40,886
The presentation was the next day.

257
00:16:41,266 --> 00:16:44,446
His mom, of course, had planned to
check in on him through the week.

258
00:16:44,446 --> 00:16:48,326
And so when he asked if she would
watch the presentation, she was ready

259
00:16:48,326 --> 00:16:49,776
and available and she was there.

260
00:16:51,386 --> 00:16:55,416
And so he was the first one to be
asked to share his information,

261
00:16:55,416 --> 00:16:59,436
to share his bag of his
personal treasures.

262
00:17:00,016 --> 00:17:02,266
So the first thing he did
when he got in the front --

263
00:17:02,436 --> 00:17:06,076
he was nervous because he'd never
spoken in front of people before.

264
00:17:06,616 --> 00:17:07,956
He pulled out the baseball.

265
00:17:07,956 --> 00:17:11,516
He says, " This is a baseball
my dad and I practice every day.

266
00:17:12,066 --> 00:17:14,326
And it's important to our family."

267
00:17:14,516 --> 00:17:15,986
He set it down on the desk.

268
00:17:16,796 --> 00:17:19,596
Then he pulled out the
superhero, Spider-Man.

269
00:17:20,126 --> 00:17:22,206
Now all the children
start chitter-chatter

270
00:17:22,206 --> 00:17:24,146
because they too enjoy Spider-Man.

271
00:17:24,246 --> 00:17:25,116
They get excited.

272
00:17:25,686 --> 00:17:27,576
So he set the Spider-Man down.

273
00:17:27,936 --> 00:17:30,596
Then he pulled out the oohl'-we'-yoch.

274
00:17:31,496 --> 00:17:35,476
And he says, "This here,
this is the oohl'-we'-yoch."

275
00:17:36,186 --> 00:17:37,936
He was so excited to share with them.

276
00:17:38,486 --> 00:17:41,766
And one of the students
says, blah, blah, blah.

277
00:17:43,196 --> 00:17:47,296
He looks down at it and he says,
"Well, it's called an oohl'-we'-yoch."

278
00:17:47,936 --> 00:17:53,156
And another child says, that's not an
oohl'-we'-yoch or blah, blah, blah.

279
00:17:53,776 --> 00:17:54,316
That's a boat.

280
00:17:54,316 --> 00:17:54,926
He looks at it.

281
00:17:54,926 --> 00:17:56,556
He'd never heard it called
a boat before.

282
00:17:57,126 --> 00:18:00,436
So he says, "Well, I'm pretty
sure it's oohl'-we'-yoch."

283
00:18:01,126 --> 00:18:03,976
And suddenly a child said,
"I just experienced deja vu."

284
00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:06,946
He said, "I just experienced it."

285
00:18:06,946 --> 00:18:09,776
And another child says,
"What is deja vu?"

286
00:18:10,436 --> 00:18:13,646
And the teacher discovered
a teachable moment.

287
00:18:13,856 --> 00:18:16,186
So she steps out in front
of the class and she says,

288
00:18:16,946 --> 00:18:20,526
"Deja vu is when you experience
something that you feel

289
00:18:20,526 --> 00:18:22,106
like you've experienced before."

290
00:18:22,526 --> 00:18:27,966
And so they all start talking about deja
vu and their experiences with deja vu.

291
00:18:28,836 --> 00:18:33,946
So Ijo took his canoe, his
Spider-Man, his baseball, rolled it up

292
00:18:34,246 --> 00:18:36,036
and went and sat down in his desk.

293
00:18:36,986 --> 00:18:38,806
So the teacher dismissed
all the children.

294
00:18:39,956 --> 00:18:41,486
She dismissed them for recess.

295
00:18:42,396 --> 00:18:46,766
And Ijo sat there and he got up
and walked over to his backpack

296
00:18:46,766 --> 00:18:51,026
and unzipped it, put his paper bag
in there and zipped it back up.

297
00:18:51,026 --> 00:18:52,666
So his mom goes over
to him and she said,

298
00:18:52,666 --> 00:18:56,816
"You did such a great job presenting the
items, your treasures from your bag."

299
00:18:58,166 --> 00:19:01,396
"Yeah," he said, "I didn't
show them my feather though."

300
00:19:02,246 --> 00:19:04,196
And she said, "Why didn't
you show them your feather?"

301
00:19:05,856 --> 00:19:08,206
"They didn't deserve it," he said.

302
00:19:09,436 --> 00:19:15,966
So from that moment on, he had decided
and he had known that what he values

303
00:19:15,966 --> 00:19:21,556
and treasures the most was not valued
or recognized by the educational system.

304
00:19:23,166 --> 00:19:26,376
And so that's a part of
what I'd like to talk to you

305
00:19:26,376 --> 00:19:29,146
about today is looking
at these identities.

306
00:19:29,946 --> 00:19:35,046
Is that the teacher, although with
this good nature that she was going

307
00:19:35,046 --> 00:19:39,036
to create an assignment that
would give children an opportunity

308
00:19:39,036 --> 00:19:43,666
to connect their home life with their
school life, giving them the paper bag

309
00:19:43,666 --> 00:19:45,656
so that they could bring
things from home.

310
00:19:46,046 --> 00:19:50,626
This was an opportunity for
the children to be able to make

311
00:19:50,626 --> 00:19:52,306
that home-school connection.

312
00:19:53,266 --> 00:19:56,386
But yet when the opportunity
came for the teachable moment,

313
00:19:57,026 --> 00:20:01,636
the teacher identified that
teachable moment as the word deja vu,

314
00:20:02,586 --> 00:20:05,626
rather than learning
the word oohl'-we'-yoch

315
00:20:06,006 --> 00:20:07,976
and all that it had to entail.

316
00:20:09,106 --> 00:20:13,036
And so this presentation
is called More Than a Boat.

317
00:20:13,946 --> 00:20:17,526
Because like the oohl'-we'-yoch
is more than a boat,

318
00:20:17,796 --> 00:20:23,176
it has a spiritual significance, it
has worldview, it has our philosophies

319
00:20:23,176 --> 00:20:24,616
and our Indigenous knowledge.

320
00:20:25,336 --> 00:20:29,916
We as Indigenous peoples,
too, are more than a boat.

321
00:20:30,786 --> 00:20:35,016
When we look at these external
indicators, things like high rates

322
00:20:35,016 --> 00:20:40,646
of suicide, high rates of alcoholism,
high rates of violence, that's the boat.

323
00:20:41,306 --> 00:20:44,706
We as Indigenous peoples
are more than that.

324
00:20:45,206 --> 00:20:51,546
But when people label us as a
boat, in the end, it's their loss.

325
00:20:52,266 --> 00:20:57,286
A five-year-old was able to
identify that they didn't deserve it.

326
00:20:58,116 --> 00:21:01,406
And so when we as professionals, I
know there's many professionals here

327
00:21:01,406 --> 00:21:05,556
in the audience, is that creating space

328
00:21:06,016 --> 00:21:12,526
to nurture identity is also a personal
investment in our growth over time.

329
00:21:14,076 --> 00:21:20,736
And so this picture here is an
example of the oohl'-we'-yoch.

330
00:21:20,866 --> 00:21:25,036
It's more than a boat, as we as
Indigenous peoples are more than a boat.

331
00:21:26,036 --> 00:21:29,796
We as Indigenous people and
human beings in general,

332
00:21:30,476 --> 00:21:34,386
we establish our self-concept
of who we are

333
00:21:34,496 --> 00:21:36,346
within the first five years of our life.

334
00:21:37,236 --> 00:21:41,096
And so this is our worldview
and our epistemology.

335
00:21:41,446 --> 00:21:43,416
Our worldview is a lens.

336
00:21:43,526 --> 00:21:47,116
And through that lens is
how we perceive the world.

337
00:21:47,436 --> 00:21:52,466
Our worldview is made up of our values,
our beliefs, and our experiences.

338
00:21:52,916 --> 00:21:56,296
And this worldview is
established, our self-concept

339
00:21:56,296 --> 00:21:59,976
of who we are is established within
that first five years of life.

340
00:22:00,046 --> 00:22:06,016
And it's influenced by our circle
that we grow up within the home,

341
00:22:06,786 --> 00:22:11,706
the external factors of extended
family, of the community,

342
00:22:11,756 --> 00:22:16,866
is all part of developing
the self-concept of a person.

343
00:22:17,516 --> 00:22:23,146
And so when children get into school,
school age, six to 12 years old,

344
00:22:23,406 --> 00:22:26,916
is when they start establishing
their self-esteem.

345
00:22:27,656 --> 00:22:31,936
They're looking at what they know
in their own beliefs, values,

346
00:22:31,936 --> 00:22:35,906
and experiences, and comparing
those beliefs with other children.

347
00:22:36,756 --> 00:22:42,006
And so oftentimes when children first
begin school, their self-esteem plummets

348
00:22:42,436 --> 00:22:44,946
because they're seeing that
not everyone is the same.

349
00:22:44,946 --> 00:22:45,766
People are different.

350
00:22:46,336 --> 00:22:49,796
But once they start to establish
and start to build confidence

351
00:22:49,796 --> 00:22:53,156
in their self-esteem
around 11 years old,

352
00:22:53,586 --> 00:22:55,966
then they start looking
at social identity.

353
00:22:57,066 --> 00:23:01,636
This is critical because this
is when children are confident

354
00:23:01,636 --> 00:23:04,866
in their self-esteem,
confident in their self-concept,

355
00:23:05,096 --> 00:23:07,856
and they're establishing
in and out groups.

356
00:23:09,426 --> 00:23:13,346
In groups are those that have
like worldview and philosophy.

357
00:23:13,916 --> 00:23:15,686
Out groups are those that do not.

358
00:23:16,096 --> 00:23:20,366
And they also can identify out groups
that don't have the same worldview

359
00:23:20,366 --> 00:23:25,126
and philosophy, but are supportive
of their worldview and philosophy.

360
00:23:25,586 --> 00:23:27,986
As professionals, this
is really important to us

361
00:23:28,036 --> 00:23:31,606
because we can easily
become an out group.

362
00:23:32,206 --> 00:23:38,206
And so thinking of ways that we can
support a healthy identity development

363
00:23:38,626 --> 00:23:39,606
is really important.

364
00:23:40,546 --> 00:23:43,006
And so this is an example.

365
00:23:43,546 --> 00:23:49,176
This is a dissertation research that
I had done years ago in looking at

366
00:23:49,176 --> 00:23:54,196
and asking Hoopa, Yurok, and Karuk
people, we had 350 participants,

367
00:23:54,596 --> 00:23:58,976
what are the five most important
things to teach to your children?

368
00:23:59,326 --> 00:24:02,856
And the things that came up
were things like relationships

369
00:24:02,856 --> 00:24:07,566
with the natural environment,
relationships with the human realm

370
00:24:07,566 --> 00:24:13,536
of the world, elders, extended family,
community, having that connection

371
00:24:13,536 --> 00:24:17,796
to our people and where we come from,
and a connection to spirituality,

372
00:24:18,036 --> 00:24:23,716
our regalia, our songs, our
ceremony, our concepts of creation.

373
00:24:24,676 --> 00:24:30,006
Having cultural skills like basket
making, regalia making, playing sticks,

374
00:24:30,276 --> 00:24:35,146
learning how to play cards, learning
how to gather, and characteristics

375
00:24:35,146 --> 00:24:41,406
and values like being humble, having
a good heart, being generous, kind,

376
00:24:41,856 --> 00:24:43,936
nurturing, being a good listener.

377
00:24:44,496 --> 00:24:48,815
These are all things and components
that Indigenous peoples, Hoopa, Yurok,

378
00:24:48,816 --> 00:24:53,366
and Karuk, identify as important
to teach to our children.

379
00:24:54,236 --> 00:24:59,276
Yet when we look at educational systems,
and if you were to look at statistics,

380
00:24:59,656 --> 00:25:02,096
you might think that
Indigenous peoples are failing.

381
00:25:02,846 --> 00:25:06,906
But in actuality, our goals for
our children are very different.

382
00:25:07,456 --> 00:25:11,396
In the school system, a person is
deemed gifted if they're in the top 1%

383
00:25:11,396 --> 00:25:12,606
of standardized test scores.

384
00:25:13,356 --> 00:25:16,306
In our communities, people
are deemed gifted

385
00:25:16,306 --> 00:25:20,266
if they have a personal connection
to the environment, for example.

386
00:25:21,016 --> 00:25:25,496
Our people, California Indigenous
peoples are very unique in our history

387
00:25:25,836 --> 00:25:28,636
and we had contact with
non-Indigenous people much later

388
00:25:28,636 --> 00:25:29,856
than the rest of the country.

389
00:25:30,786 --> 00:25:36,226
And so, looking at how long we have
been here, Hoopa, Yurok, Karuk people,

390
00:25:36,226 --> 00:25:40,256
people along the coast, we've been
here since the beginning of time,

391
00:25:40,256 --> 00:25:42,816
all of us as Indigenous
peoples throughout California.

392
00:25:42,816 --> 00:25:45,706
We have our own centers of the
world, our own creation stories.

393
00:25:46,246 --> 00:25:50,775
But looking at scientific evidence,
carbon dated, Hoopa, Yurok, Karuk,

394
00:25:50,776 --> 00:25:54,346
Tolowa people have been
here seven to 12,000 years.

395
00:25:55,046 --> 00:25:57,636
And so, when we talk about
our connection to homeland,

396
00:25:57,886 --> 00:26:03,446
we're not just talking about loving a
place or feeling connected to a place,

397
00:26:03,936 --> 00:26:09,426
but thinking about our ancestors, our
parents, parents, parents, parents,

398
00:26:09,836 --> 00:26:13,186
for the last 12,000 or more years,

399
00:26:13,566 --> 00:26:16,626
walked in the same footsteps
that we walk today.

400
00:26:17,236 --> 00:26:21,646
That when we are in ceremony and we're
barefoot and our feet touch the ground,

401
00:26:22,116 --> 00:26:26,746
that our feet are dancing in the
same footsteps of our ancestors

402
00:26:27,246 --> 00:26:33,076
for 12,000 years or more, we call that wichwo
a ya den, whichwing a ya den, that connection.

403
00:26:33,276 --> 00:26:36,886
That's what we see as giftedness.

404
00:26:37,756 --> 00:26:39,186
So we're more than a boat.

405
00:26:39,726 --> 00:26:43,586
If someone were to create space
and to learn more about us

406
00:26:43,586 --> 00:26:48,246
as Indigenous peoples, they would
see that we are a thriving people.

407
00:26:48,716 --> 00:26:49,746
We are flourishing.

408
00:26:50,276 --> 00:26:55,176
We are all survivors of genocides
that our people have experienced.

409
00:26:55,606 --> 00:27:01,936
And as Chairman Hunter was speaking
to before, one of the biggest numbers

410
00:27:01,936 --> 00:27:06,916
that I ever always remember and always
express is in 1850, in California,

411
00:27:06,916 --> 00:27:08,876
we had a million California Indians.

412
00:27:09,396 --> 00:27:11,986
But by 1900, there's 17,000.

413
00:27:11,986 --> 00:27:19,156
It's 983,000 Indigenous peoples of
California that died during genocide.

414
00:27:20,406 --> 00:27:23,926
But we are survivors of those 17,000.

415
00:27:24,456 --> 00:27:27,546
We're not only survivors,
but we are flourishing.

416
00:27:28,116 --> 00:27:30,106
We are bringing back ceremonies.

417
00:27:30,316 --> 00:27:31,726
We're bringing back language.

418
00:27:32,066 --> 00:27:37,366
We are re-identifying ourselves and
we are speaking out and ensuring

419
00:27:37,366 --> 00:27:41,696
that we're recognized for who we
are and not for the external factors

420
00:27:41,776 --> 00:27:44,266
of other people's definitions
of who we are.

421
00:27:44,906 --> 00:27:48,486
So what are some things that
we can do as professionals?

422
00:27:48,656 --> 00:27:50,516
I know we have groups
of professionals here.

423
00:27:50,516 --> 00:27:54,116
I know we have groups
of young people here.

424
00:27:54,116 --> 00:27:57,426
And I think the first
and most important thing

425
00:27:57,426 --> 00:27:59,976
in this process is to
be aware of our bias.

426
00:28:00,946 --> 00:28:04,126
That every human being
is born with bias.

427
00:28:04,246 --> 00:28:09,986
That's a part of development, is where
a person that's five months utero,

428
00:28:09,986 --> 00:28:11,306
a child can tell the difference

429
00:28:11,306 --> 00:28:13,906
between their parents'
voices and strangers' voices.

430
00:28:14,376 --> 00:28:15,796
They already can distinguish that.

431
00:28:15,986 --> 00:28:20,696
So when they're born, we talk about talk
to the baby so that the baby feels safe.

432
00:28:21,126 --> 00:28:22,486
That in itself is bias.

433
00:28:22,826 --> 00:28:26,006
Within three months, a
child establishes that bias.

434
00:28:26,376 --> 00:28:30,706
So bias is something that
we as human beings all have.

435
00:28:31,046 --> 00:28:34,056
And when we interact with others,

436
00:28:34,056 --> 00:28:38,766
we undoubtedly are influenced
by our own perceptions.

437
00:28:39,436 --> 00:28:42,356
So the first step to creating spaces

438
00:28:42,356 --> 00:28:47,336
and nurturing healthy identity
development is to be aware

439
00:28:47,336 --> 00:28:50,266
of how our assumptions, expectations,

440
00:28:50,486 --> 00:28:54,376
and interpretations influence
other people.

441
00:28:54,636 --> 00:28:59,166
And this is important, particularly
for professionals, because if we were

442
00:28:59,166 --> 00:29:02,836
to list the things that we see
as being important to us to teach

443
00:29:02,836 --> 00:29:08,176
to our children, they undoubtedly
would be different in many ways

444
00:29:08,176 --> 00:29:09,806
than other Indigenous communities.

445
00:29:10,326 --> 00:29:12,546
And so it's important
for us to understand

446
00:29:12,546 --> 00:29:17,446
that Indigenous communities have their
own worldview and their own values

447
00:29:17,446 --> 00:29:19,956
and beliefs in teaching their children.

448
00:29:21,596 --> 00:29:27,086
Another step is, as Chairman Hunter also
talked about, shifting the paradigm.

449
00:29:27,936 --> 00:29:31,166
Shifting the paradigm of these
institutional frameworks.

450
00:29:31,896 --> 00:29:35,816
Remember that these institutional
frameworks were created

451
00:29:36,886 --> 00:29:39,646
to benefit a certain group of people.

452
00:29:40,436 --> 00:29:44,036
And as long as we are still
utilizing these same frameworks,

453
00:29:44,736 --> 00:29:49,326
these philosophies continue to resonate
to benefit those groups of people.

454
00:29:49,946 --> 00:29:52,346
And those particular
groups don't even realize

455
00:29:52,516 --> 00:29:55,446
that they're benefactors
of these systems.

456
00:29:56,096 --> 00:29:58,016
So for example, the educational system.

457
00:29:58,916 --> 00:30:00,996
The educational system was created

458
00:30:00,996 --> 00:30:02,976
as an assimilation tool
for Indigenous peoples.

459
00:30:03,076 --> 00:30:07,356
The whole concept behind it was
kill the Indian, save the man.

460
00:30:07,816 --> 00:30:10,986
Shed everything about
that person's identity

461
00:30:10,986 --> 00:30:13,046
and what makes them an
Indigenous person.

462
00:30:13,496 --> 00:30:17,526
The idea was kill everything about
them in order to save the man.

463
00:30:18,066 --> 00:30:21,646
In order to civilize them,
we must Christianize them.

464
00:30:21,646 --> 00:30:24,666
There was four tenets of
colonial education, how it began.

465
00:30:25,086 --> 00:30:28,626
And the first was that
all Indians are savages.

466
00:30:29,136 --> 00:30:32,236
This word savages, I put quotes around
it because we tried to change it

467
00:30:32,236 --> 00:30:35,006
and make it different, but it
began as a derogatory term.

468
00:30:35,736 --> 00:30:37,226
All Indians are savages.

469
00:30:37,586 --> 00:30:40,916
The second was that in order to civilize
them, we must Christianize them.

470
00:30:41,786 --> 00:30:46,706
The third is that parents are
detrimental to the civilization process

471
00:30:46,936 --> 00:30:50,356
and so we must move children
as far away as possible.

472
00:30:51,036 --> 00:30:53,556
And the fourth was that
Indigenous children

473
00:30:53,556 --> 00:30:58,576
or Indian children have certain mental,
physical, emotional deficiencies.

474
00:30:58,576 --> 00:31:02,296
So certain pedagogical methods
have to be used to educate them.

475
00:31:02,986 --> 00:31:06,916
So what that means is that
that was justification to say

476
00:31:06,916 --> 00:31:09,516
that Indigenous peoples
learn in different ways.

477
00:31:09,556 --> 00:31:14,896
So we have to do things like put a
red hot needle through their tongue

478
00:31:14,896 --> 00:31:18,476
for speaking their language
or teach them manual labor

479
00:31:18,476 --> 00:31:20,766
because that's the only
type of education

480
00:31:20,766 --> 00:31:23,126
that they actually will
be successful with.

481
00:31:24,186 --> 00:31:29,726
So when we think about things like I
hear oftentimes in teachers' lounges,

482
00:31:29,726 --> 00:31:34,636
teachers asking, how do I
get parents to be involved?

483
00:31:34,946 --> 00:31:38,056
I want parents to come and be a part
of the classroom and I want parents

484
00:31:38,056 --> 00:31:40,746
to be a part of the school, but
they're just not responding.

485
00:31:41,396 --> 00:31:45,346
And my first question
is, what have we done

486
00:31:45,586 --> 00:31:48,426
to shift the paradigm
of this institution?

487
00:31:49,146 --> 00:31:54,196
This institution was created to
separate parents from children

488
00:31:54,196 --> 00:31:57,786
because parents were seen as
detrimental to the civilization process.

489
00:31:58,706 --> 00:32:01,096
How has that philosophy changed?

490
00:32:01,596 --> 00:32:03,866
What have we done to shift that?

491
00:32:04,426 --> 00:32:07,336
It's more than just sending
an invitation in an email.

492
00:32:07,816 --> 00:32:12,006
It's about creating space, creating
space for parent contribution.

493
00:32:13,296 --> 00:32:16,766
And so this is so important in
looking at shifting this paradigm

494
00:32:16,766 --> 00:32:21,946
because paradigms exist in the
judicial systems, paradigms exist

495
00:32:21,946 --> 00:32:28,836
in mental health, paradigms exist in
police academies, the police system.

496
00:32:28,836 --> 00:32:33,936
So all of these systems were created
with this historical, cultural,

497
00:32:33,936 --> 00:32:37,366
social legacy that we
have to be aware of.

498
00:32:38,006 --> 00:32:42,076
And although one person can't
shift the paradigm on their own,

499
00:32:42,156 --> 00:32:43,916
awareness is the first step.

500
00:32:44,686 --> 00:32:48,206
Being aware and finding
ways to get to the root

501
00:32:48,206 --> 00:32:50,896
to be able to shift that system.

502
00:32:52,306 --> 00:32:57,886
Another piece in this process
of things that we can do is

503
00:32:57,886 --> 00:33:00,126
to promote testimonial justice.

504
00:33:01,346 --> 00:33:04,476
Testimonial justice, I'm working --

505
00:33:04,476 --> 00:33:07,926
or actually we're finished
with this project.

506
00:33:08,006 --> 00:33:12,336
But just finished a book
chapter on resilience

507
00:33:12,336 --> 00:33:15,696
with Charlene Juan,
Bronc Colegrove,

508
00:33:15,986 --> 00:33:17,016
Tesha Gensaw,

509
00:33:17,576 --> 00:33:20,656
and Gable Ammon, four
youth from this area.

510
00:33:21,666 --> 00:33:26,206
And the book that it's going to be in
is a handbook of resiliency among youth.

511
00:33:27,396 --> 00:33:31,266
Who more qualified to
write a book chapter

512
00:33:31,346 --> 00:33:33,896
about youth than youth themselves?

513
00:33:34,916 --> 00:33:36,426
That's testimonial justice.

514
00:33:37,166 --> 00:33:39,816
That we as Indigenous peoples have --

515
00:33:40,176 --> 00:33:45,446
our story has been told by
others for hundreds of years.

516
00:33:46,046 --> 00:33:49,176
And now it's time for us
to tell our own stories.

517
00:33:50,336 --> 00:33:54,116
Just like I said, I think Chairman
Hunter and I were on the same page

518
00:33:54,116 --> 00:33:57,776
because this is the same kind
of ideals that he's speaking to.

519
00:33:58,576 --> 00:34:03,596
But most importantly is that testimonial
justice is a tool to healing.

520
00:34:04,106 --> 00:34:08,136
So we have people who
have exp0erienced trauma,

521
00:34:08,946 --> 00:34:15,636
whether it's intergenerational trauma or
ongoing trauma, but sharing their story,

522
00:34:16,376 --> 00:34:22,236
sharing their experience is so
important in the healing process.

523
00:34:22,396 --> 00:34:30,636
And so Jack Norton, who is an Indigenous
scholar, also a historian, professor,

524
00:34:31,926 --> 00:34:37,046
he says that in the telling and
in the listening, humanity meets.

525
00:34:37,396 --> 00:34:40,606
I think that's so important
in the telling

526
00:34:40,986 --> 00:34:43,576
and in the listening, humanity meets.

527
00:34:45,106 --> 00:34:51,076
For professionals in the
field, oftentimes this is one

528
00:34:51,076 --> 00:34:55,456
of the beginning steps, is when
people have experienced an injustice,

529
00:34:56,446 --> 00:35:00,826
their truth, their perspective
is important.

530
00:35:01,626 --> 00:35:05,866
It's valuable and it's
essential to the healing process.

531
00:35:06,856 --> 00:35:10,096
Now we're an action-oriented society
because we've been conditioned

532
00:35:10,096 --> 00:35:14,206
to believe through our educational
systems that we have to have a solution.

533
00:35:15,426 --> 00:35:22,406
But sometimes in the healing, part of
the healing is to listen and not jump

534
00:35:22,406 --> 00:35:25,166
to a solution in this process.

535
00:35:26,506 --> 00:35:33,086
Testimonial justice is also a space to
give opportunities to our young people

536
00:35:33,486 --> 00:35:42,966
to identify themselves, to share
their experiences, to create space.

537
00:35:42,966 --> 00:35:47,076
But it's so important that
when we create these spaces,

538
00:35:47,746 --> 00:35:51,926
that we're creating them in ways
that our children that we're working

539
00:35:51,926 --> 00:35:55,176
with can be free to share who they are.

540
00:35:55,676 --> 00:36:03,196
Not a confined space like what happened
in Ijo's story, where he was attempting

541
00:36:03,196 --> 00:36:07,976
to share a piece of himself and that
wasn't noted or wasn't recognized.

542
00:36:09,336 --> 00:36:15,966
So these are just some pieces in looking
at how do we support healthy identity.

543
00:36:16,386 --> 00:36:20,216
And so in supporting that is
being aware of our own bias,

544
00:36:20,646 --> 00:36:22,756
that we all have our own biases.

545
00:36:23,366 --> 00:36:25,446
I want to mention that in these biases,

546
00:36:25,446 --> 00:36:29,116
we have implicit bias and
we have explicit bias.

547
00:36:29,856 --> 00:36:34,776
And so implicit bias is -- or
I'll start with explicit bias,

548
00:36:34,776 --> 00:36:38,236
is bias that we know we have and
we choose whether to unveil it

549
00:36:38,236 --> 00:36:42,396
or not unveil it depending on whether
we feel like we have a safe space.

550
00:36:42,836 --> 00:36:45,656
I think this is interesting
because sometimes when we talk

551
00:36:45,656 --> 00:36:51,316
about the climate today and in some
ways it seems that there's more racism,

552
00:36:51,316 --> 00:36:53,126
discrimination, social inequities,

553
00:36:53,126 --> 00:36:58,006
and injustices than there
were before in earlier times.

554
00:36:58,566 --> 00:37:03,926
But the matter is, is that those
injustices were always there.

555
00:37:05,076 --> 00:37:11,376
But that was veiled because people
knew that they had these biases,

556
00:37:11,376 --> 00:37:15,176
but there wasn't a safe
space that nurtured for them

557
00:37:15,176 --> 00:37:17,586
to be able to express this.

558
00:37:17,936 --> 00:37:21,096
And now there's many pockets
that create these safe spaces

559
00:37:21,096 --> 00:37:23,066
and that's why you're seeing
it happening even more.

560
00:37:23,666 --> 00:37:28,456
So this implicit bias -- explicit bias,
we decide whether to unveil it or not,

561
00:37:28,456 --> 00:37:30,656
but we know that we have it.

562
00:37:30,656 --> 00:37:33,376
But we also have an implicit
bias and that's one

563
00:37:33,376 --> 00:37:34,906
that we don't even realize we have.

564
00:37:35,536 --> 00:37:40,126
But we as human beings all have
explicit and implicit biases.

565
00:37:40,646 --> 00:37:42,466
That's part of being a human being.

566
00:37:43,206 --> 00:37:47,236
But just because we are
good people doesn't mean

567
00:37:47,236 --> 00:37:50,956
that it doesn't have
long-lasting impacts on others.

568
00:37:51,916 --> 00:37:54,996
I often think of the National
Women's Indian Association,

569
00:37:55,396 --> 00:37:59,526
which was an association of women
that felt that the best thing

570
00:37:59,526 --> 00:38:03,386
for Indigenous peoples was
for them to be civilized

571
00:38:03,386 --> 00:38:04,876
through this boarding school process.

572
00:38:05,276 --> 00:38:10,796
And so this organization raised monies
to keep boarding schools in effect.

573
00:38:11,526 --> 00:38:15,366
From their own personal lens, they
felt that they knew what was best

574
00:38:15,366 --> 00:38:17,806
for another group based
on their own bias.

575
00:38:18,526 --> 00:38:20,786
They considered themselves
to be good people.

576
00:38:21,426 --> 00:38:25,056
But boarding schools had long-lasting
effects on Indigenous peoples

577
00:38:25,056 --> 00:38:26,806
that we still suffer from today.

578
00:38:27,646 --> 00:38:32,616
And at some point, it'd be fun to share
a lot more of that information with you.

579
00:38:33,976 --> 00:38:36,726
But good people can also have bias.

580
00:38:36,726 --> 00:38:39,586
So being aware of that
bias is very important.

581
00:38:39,966 --> 00:38:43,156
There's another aspect of that bias
which is the cloning mechanism.

582
00:38:43,566 --> 00:38:46,846
The cloning mechanism is when we
see similarities in someone else,

583
00:38:47,176 --> 00:38:50,076
then we assume that everything
is the same.

584
00:38:50,076 --> 00:38:53,566
And sometimes in Indigenous communities,
we do this, that because we're

585
00:38:53,566 --> 00:38:56,146
from the same tribe, we assume
the experience is the same.

586
00:38:56,146 --> 00:38:59,476
Because we're the same family, we
assume the experience is the same.

587
00:39:00,036 --> 00:39:01,346
But they're different.

588
00:39:01,586 --> 00:39:03,086
Everyone has their own truth.

589
00:39:03,286 --> 00:39:06,026
Everyone sees the world
through their own values,

590
00:39:06,026 --> 00:39:08,486
through their own experiences,
and their own beliefs.

591
00:39:09,466 --> 00:39:11,866
Each person is more than a boat.

592
00:39:12,116 --> 00:39:14,766
They're more than what they
appear to be on the outside.

593
00:39:15,406 --> 00:39:21,406
And then once again, shifting
the paradigm of institutions.

594
00:39:21,866 --> 00:39:26,086
And then finally, the piece
of testimonial justice.

595
00:39:26,446 --> 00:39:29,906
Looking at testimonial justice
in this discussion and talking

596
00:39:29,906 --> 00:39:32,806
about Indigenous identity and
also moving into this discussion

597
00:39:32,806 --> 00:39:39,236
about interrupting toxic stress
is looking at other testimonies.

598
00:39:39,236 --> 00:39:43,676
And so we're going to be talking
about different testimonies

599
00:39:43,676 --> 00:39:45,796
of Indigenous community members.

600
00:39:45,796 --> 00:39:49,026
When we're talking about
interrupting toxic stress,

601
00:39:49,186 --> 00:39:53,216
we look at the different
protective factors.

602
00:39:53,216 --> 00:39:56,096
And so -- and we talked about
this before when we talked

603
00:39:56,096 --> 00:39:59,976
about how toxic stress can
have health implications.

604
00:40:00,326 --> 00:40:04,576
But if there aren't certain
protective factors

605
00:40:04,576 --> 00:40:09,066
or if there isn't supporting
a kind of a network.

606
00:40:09,066 --> 00:40:13,056
And so it's important to understand
that just because a has a high ACE score

607
00:40:13,056 --> 00:40:17,436
or because a person has
intergenerational traumas

608
00:40:17,436 --> 00:40:20,846
or is experiencing intergenerational
transmission of adversity,

609
00:40:20,846 --> 00:40:25,216
just because a person is experiencing
ongoing oppression doesn't mean

610
00:40:25,216 --> 00:40:28,966
that they're destined to have
certain health conditions.

611
00:40:28,966 --> 00:40:32,446
And that one way to interrupt
this toxic stress is

612
00:40:32,446 --> 00:40:35,326
through these protective factors.

613
00:40:35,326 --> 00:40:40,326
And so as you see on the slide here,
protective factors are intrinsic

614
00:40:40,326 --> 00:40:46,536
or extrinsic conditions or attributes
that mitigate risk for toxic stress,

615
00:40:46,536 --> 00:40:50,696
such as curiosity and interest in
learning, ability to pay attention

616
00:40:50,696 --> 00:40:56,606
and persist in completing tasks, ability
to regulate emotions and behavior,

617
00:40:56,606 --> 00:41:00,546
feeling cared about and
heard when things are hard,

618
00:41:00,546 --> 00:41:05,026
having a sense of belonging in
school and in the community.

619
00:41:05,026 --> 00:41:09,946
And in addition to biological factors
like differences in telomere length,

620
00:41:09,946 --> 00:41:13,856
which we'll talk about, and the
serotonin transporter genes,

621
00:41:13,856 --> 00:41:15,476
which we'll also talk about.

622
00:41:15,476 --> 00:41:19,546
And so when we look at some
of these intrinsic factors,

623
00:41:19,546 --> 00:41:24,696
you can see on the right of the diagram,
some of the things that we talked about,

624
00:41:24,966 --> 00:41:29,056
the intrinsic factors with
the ability to pay attention,

625
00:41:29,056 --> 00:41:30,306
ability to regulate emotions,

626
00:41:30,306 --> 00:41:33,466
and then the extrinsic is
the buffering relationships,

627
00:41:33,606 --> 00:41:37,096
supportive environment,
community resources.

628
00:41:37,096 --> 00:41:41,226
And so in looking at
Indigenous communities,

629
00:41:41,306 --> 00:41:47,116
what are some of the protective
factors from an Indigenous perspective?

630
00:41:47,116 --> 00:41:53,706
Another thing to note is when we talk
about telomeres, telomere length.

631
00:41:53,706 --> 00:42:00,496
And so one of the things that
helps to protect any type

632
00:42:00,496 --> 00:42:03,976
of health disparity is
the telomere length.

633
00:42:04,046 --> 00:42:09,316
There's telomeres on the end of
the chromosomes that protect them.

634
00:42:09,316 --> 00:42:13,526
And that when people participate
in specific activities,

635
00:42:13,526 --> 00:42:16,056
the telomere length can
actually elongate,

636
00:42:16,056 --> 00:42:21,186
which is part of that protective
factor and part of protecting a person.

637
00:42:21,186 --> 00:42:28,556
And so telomeres are part of chromosomes
that protect them from degradation.

638
00:42:28,556 --> 00:42:31,066
The shorter the telomere
length has been associated

639
00:42:31,066 --> 00:42:32,726
with premature cellular aging.

640
00:42:32,726 --> 00:42:35,346
And so this comes from the
Roadmap for Resilience.

641
00:42:35,346 --> 00:42:39,456
And once again, this was written by
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and her team.

642
00:42:39,456 --> 00:42:43,006
And it's something that you can access
online if you want to read more about.

643
00:42:43,006 --> 00:42:45,646
Also, telomere lengthening
is one mechanism

644
00:42:45,646 --> 00:42:48,436
by which protective factors
may improve health.

645
00:42:48,436 --> 00:42:54,646
Interventions may reduce stress and
protect or even lengthen telomeres.

646
00:42:54,646 --> 00:42:59,326
This is really important is that
intervention may reduce stress

647
00:42:59,456 --> 00:43:02,446
and protect or even lengthen telomeres.

648
00:43:02,446 --> 00:43:05,756
And so when we talk about
different protective factors

649
00:43:05,756 --> 00:43:10,686
and how they can actually
be really important

650
00:43:10,796 --> 00:43:13,676
in supporting a person's health.

651
00:43:13,676 --> 00:43:17,316
Although chromosomes may be impacted
through intergenerational transmission

652
00:43:17,316 --> 00:43:21,866
of adversity, it's also important
to recognize that telomeres

653
00:43:21,866 --> 00:43:26,176
that protect the chromosomes can be
lengthened by protective factors.

654
00:43:26,176 --> 00:43:32,706
So I just want to reiterate that
point again, is that we're talking

655
00:43:32,886 --> 00:43:38,516
about how ACEs, how social determinants
of health, how intergenerational trauma,

656
00:43:38,646 --> 00:43:43,776
how intergenerational transmission
of adversity, and how other aspects,

657
00:43:43,846 --> 00:43:51,856
experiences can affect and cause
toxic stress, but in addition to that,

658
00:43:51,936 --> 00:43:54,856
which can lead to health disparities.

659
00:43:54,856 --> 00:43:58,786
Although chromosomes may be impacted
through intergenerational transmission

660
00:43:58,786 --> 00:44:03,316
of adversity, it's also important
to recognize that the telomeres

661
00:44:03,316 --> 00:44:07,976
that protect the chromosomes can be
lengthened by protective factors.

662
00:44:08,346 --> 00:44:14,236
And so from an Indigenous perspective,
protective factors can include singing,

663
00:44:14,236 --> 00:44:18,146
dancing, family support
networks, et cetera.

664
00:44:18,146 --> 00:44:22,236
And so we're going to hear
more testimonies of what,

665
00:44:22,236 --> 00:44:26,636
from an Indigenous perspective,
are protective factors.

666
00:44:26,636 --> 00:44:29,366
What are the things that have helped?

667
00:44:29,366 --> 00:44:33,776
And we talked about in the
K'am-t'em story, the treasures woven

668
00:44:33,776 --> 00:44:38,926
within the K'am-t'em basket, we talked
about how each generation picked

669
00:44:38,926 --> 00:44:42,226
up the basket, they learned from
the knowledge of those before,

670
00:44:42,226 --> 00:44:44,986
and they contributed
and put the basket back

671
00:44:44,986 --> 00:44:46,726
in the water for the next generation.

672
00:44:46,726 --> 00:44:53,676
In that story, the basket, K'am-t'em,
all those treasures could be seen as,

673
00:44:53,676 --> 00:44:58,686
from an Indigenous perspective,
protective factors, tools that help

674
00:44:58,686 --> 00:45:03,446
to lengthen telomeres to protect
the chromosomes of a human person.

675
00:45:03,446 --> 00:45:08,876
And so we'll talk more in
hearing testimonies about what,

676
00:45:08,876 --> 00:45:13,366
from an Indigenous perspective,
are other protective factors.

677
00:45:13,366 --> 00:45:17,936
And so the first person that
we'll hear from is Caitlyn Still.

678
00:45:17,976 --> 00:45:21,226
Caitlyn is Yurok.

679
00:45:21,226 --> 00:45:24,536
She is a resident of Humboldt County.

680
00:45:24,736 --> 00:45:28,166
She graduated from College of the
Redwoods with a AA in Behavioral

681
00:45:28,166 --> 00:45:32,066
and Social Services with
highest honors in 2018.

682
00:45:32,066 --> 00:45:37,996
And then she graduated from Humboldt
State with a BA in Social Work in 2020

683
00:45:37,996 --> 00:45:42,516
and then her master's degree
in Social Work in 2021.

684
00:45:42,516 --> 00:45:43,626
>> My name is Caitlyn Still.

685
00:45:43,756 --> 00:45:46,956
I'm a Humboldt County local and an
enrolled member of the Yurok tribe.

686
00:45:47,526 --> 00:45:51,576
I graduated from College of the Redwoods
with an Associate of Arts in Behavioral

687
00:45:51,576 --> 00:45:55,256
and Social Science, and I graduated
from Humboldt State University

688
00:45:55,576 --> 00:45:57,976
with a bachelor's and a
master's in Social Work.

689
00:46:05,116 --> 00:46:09,736
I have experience working within trauma
through my role as a client advocate

690
00:46:09,736 --> 00:46:13,716
at Humboldt's Domestic Violence
Services for the past 2 and 1/2 years.

691
00:46:13,716 --> 00:46:16,796
And I also have experience
through my internship

692
00:46:16,796 --> 00:46:20,826
at open-door community health centers
within the Behavioral Health Department,

693
00:46:20,956 --> 00:46:23,786
the Substance Use Department, and
the Case Management Department.

694
00:46:24,546 --> 00:46:26,406
I have an ACE score of nine.

695
00:46:26,826 --> 00:46:31,626
And at the age of 21, my life was
permanently changed with the onset

696
00:46:31,626 --> 00:46:37,486
of fibromyalgia, which is a result of
my high ACE score and childhood trauma

697
00:46:38,166 --> 00:46:43,386
and never being able to feel that I
had anywhere I could go that was safe

698
00:46:43,596 --> 00:46:44,956
that I could let my guard down.

699
00:46:45,426 --> 00:46:49,656
When I learned about ACEs many years
ago, I wanted to talk to my doctor

700
00:46:49,656 --> 00:46:54,276
about it, but I was afraid that
it wouldn't be taken seriously

701
00:46:54,336 --> 00:46:59,256
because ACEs are often only
attributed to mental health issues.

702
00:47:00,286 --> 00:47:06,986
And oftentimes doctors fail to see that
ACEs can impact the body physically.

703
00:47:07,116 --> 00:47:08,916
This training is very important

704
00:47:09,246 --> 00:47:12,356
because in Humboldt County
we have a health crisis

705
00:47:12,356 --> 00:47:14,466
with really high ACE scores.

706
00:47:14,896 --> 00:47:18,866
And then Indigenous peoples especially
are disproportionately affected

707
00:47:19,196 --> 00:47:20,426
by high ACE scores.

708
00:47:20,986 --> 00:47:26,036
And then it's worsened because we're
in a rural context, which limits access

709
00:47:26,036 --> 00:47:31,306
to healthcare, especially transportation
to and from healthcare appointments.

710
00:47:32,266 --> 00:47:37,726
And then these high ACE scores
can lead to medical issues,

711
00:47:37,726 --> 00:47:41,196
mental health issues, further trauma.

712
00:47:41,616 --> 00:47:47,046
These ACE scores will lead to
more ACE scores down the line

713
00:47:47,046 --> 00:47:50,226
for future generations
if not intervened on.

714
00:47:50,756 --> 00:47:58,036
And so without these ACE score
trainings and these early interventions

715
00:47:58,036 --> 00:48:00,976
and screenings, they will
only become worsened.

716
00:48:01,046 --> 00:48:04,126
When talking about ACEs,
it's important to know

717
00:48:04,126 --> 00:48:10,226
that a high ACE score does not mean a
person will not be successful in life.

718
00:48:10,226 --> 00:48:15,076
It actually can increase a person's
resiliency and allow for that person

719
00:48:15,076 --> 00:48:20,096
to bounce back easier and quicker
when they experience trauma

720
00:48:20,186 --> 00:48:22,706
or other hardships later on in life.

721
00:48:23,066 --> 00:48:27,556
Early intervention with ACEs
through screening is very important

722
00:48:27,556 --> 00:48:29,956
because in early childhood
it can prevent ACEs

723
00:48:29,956 --> 00:48:32,216
from happening even further.

724
00:48:32,546 --> 00:48:40,076
And even acknowledging heightened
risk and preventing, you know,

725
00:48:40,406 --> 00:48:44,386
lifestyle choices from worsening
risk of certain diseases

726
00:48:45,116 --> 00:48:48,406
and hardships is really beneficial.

727
00:48:48,626 --> 00:48:51,946
To increase resiliency, there are
things like protective factors,

728
00:48:52,256 --> 00:48:56,126
which are these conditions and
attributes in individuals, families,

729
00:48:56,126 --> 00:48:59,406
and communities that
help people cope better

730
00:48:59,806 --> 00:49:02,506
when dealing with stress and trauma.

731
00:49:03,506 --> 00:49:06,406
And these are things like
connection to culture,

732
00:49:06,716 --> 00:49:09,056
connection to family, and religion.

733
00:49:10,996 --> 00:49:14,076
Coming from a social work
perspective and background,

734
00:49:14,666 --> 00:49:18,176
I know social work has historically
been really harmful to communities,

735
00:49:18,176 --> 00:49:20,126
especially Indigenous communities.

736
00:49:20,486 --> 00:49:25,736
And so it's important to know
that my profession has come

737
00:49:25,736 --> 00:49:32,936
from a harmful background and for me
to purposely take a stand against that

738
00:49:32,936 --> 00:49:34,946
and work with a decolonization lens.

739
00:49:35,496 --> 00:49:39,626
Indigenous peoples have
disproportionately high rates of death

740
00:49:39,626 --> 00:49:42,786
from alcoholism, chronic
liver disease, diabetes,

741
00:49:43,346 --> 00:49:45,436
unintentional injuries, and suicide.

742
00:49:46,346 --> 00:49:52,646
And these deaths are
connected to colonization,

743
00:49:53,266 --> 00:49:57,026
connected to historical trauma
that continues to live on

744
00:49:57,266 --> 00:50:01,856
and affect today's generation
of Indigenous peoples.

745
00:50:03,016 --> 00:50:07,796
People with high ACE scores often
utilize the emergency department more

746
00:50:07,796 --> 00:50:09,556
than people with lower ACE scores.

747
00:50:09,736 --> 00:50:12,736
And a 2020 study by Perky et al.

748
00:50:12,976 --> 00:50:14,916
suggests that increasing access

749
00:50:14,916 --> 00:50:19,266
to primary care will decrease
emergency department usage among people

750
00:50:19,266 --> 00:50:21,706
with high ACE scores because people

751
00:50:21,706 --> 00:50:25,846
with high trauma burden often
have low tolerance for distress.

752
00:50:26,386 --> 00:50:30,726
And waiting to see a primary
care provider might feel

753
00:50:30,726 --> 00:50:32,676
like it's not a feasible option.

754
00:50:33,416 --> 00:50:40,766
Even though historical trauma is
not an official criteria under ACEs,

755
00:50:41,526 --> 00:50:49,936
it is almost a default ACE that every
Indigenous person has because of

756
00:50:49,936 --> 00:50:53,576
that collective experience of
historical trauma that continues

757
00:50:53,576 --> 00:50:57,556
to affect people passed
down through generations.

758
00:50:58,406 --> 00:51:03,186
Being in a medical field, whether you
are in health education promotion,

759
00:51:03,486 --> 00:51:10,126
behavioral health, or medical, you
have the opportunity to intervene

760
00:51:10,446 --> 00:51:15,656
in these cycles of trauma and prevent
them from being passed down again.

761
00:51:16,416 --> 00:51:21,406
You have the opportunity to
encourage protective factors

762
00:51:21,546 --> 00:51:23,386
and encourage resiliency

763
00:51:23,946 --> 00:51:28,376
through connecting patients
with cultural resources.

764
00:51:28,656 --> 00:51:34,506
Cultural identification has been shown
to be a preventative factor for things

765
00:51:34,506 --> 00:51:38,536
like alcoholism and drug use
among Native American people.

766
00:51:38,536 --> 00:51:42,296
>> One of the things
that Caitlyn highlights,

767
00:51:42,296 --> 00:51:45,996
some of the protective factors
that she speaks of is she shares

768
00:51:45,996 --> 00:51:47,736
that she has an ACE score of nine.

769
00:51:47,736 --> 00:51:52,766
And we talked about trauma-informed
care and about safety.

770
00:51:52,766 --> 00:51:55,846
And one of the things that Caitlyn has
shared is that it has been a struggle

771
00:51:55,846 --> 00:51:57,976
for her finding a place that is safe.

772
00:51:58,096 --> 00:52:03,616
She also identifies protective
factors as connection to culture,

773
00:52:03,616 --> 00:52:09,056
connection to family, increased
access to primary care.

774
00:52:09,956 --> 00:52:15,426
And so the next testimony that we
have is from Teresina White Rose Obie.

775
00:52:15,666 --> 00:52:17,726
And she is also a Yurok tribal member.

776
00:52:17,726 --> 00:52:22,626
And in 2013, Teresina graduated from
Georgian Court University in Lakewood,

777
00:52:22,626 --> 00:52:25,186
New Jersey, with her
bachelor's in social work.

778
00:52:25,186 --> 00:52:28,746
And then in 2016, she graduated from
the Graduate School of Social Services

779
00:52:28,746 --> 00:52:31,616
from Fordham University
in New York City.

780
00:52:31,616 --> 00:52:35,356
And since graduating, she's worked
in local, state, and federal level

781
00:52:35,356 --> 00:52:38,096
of tribal welfare and
school-based mental health.

782
00:52:38,096 --> 00:52:44,086
And so this is Teresina's
testimony of protective factors.

783
00:52:44,166 --> 00:52:47,266
>>Neke'y
Teresina White Rose Obie.

784
00:52:48,166 --> 00:52:51,455
I'm a Yurok tribal member and
a descendant of the Karuk,

785
00:52:51,456 --> 00:52:53,516
Hoopa, and Tohono O'odham tribes.

786
00:52:54,106 --> 00:52:58,286
I was raised on the Hoopa Valley Indian
Reservation in Northern California.

787
00:52:58,886 --> 00:53:02,726
After completing high
school at Hoopa Valley High,

788
00:53:03,106 --> 00:53:06,756
I attended Georgian Court
University in Lakewood, New Jersey,

789
00:53:07,456 --> 00:53:09,626
where I received my bachelor's
in social work.

790
00:53:09,626 --> 00:53:14,046
From there, I attended Fordham
University in New York City

791
00:53:14,046 --> 00:53:17,746
and completed the Graduate
School of Social Services.

792
00:53:17,946 --> 00:53:20,216
I would like to start
today off with a story.

793
00:53:22,036 --> 00:53:25,486
There once was a little five-year-old
girl who lived with her grandmother.

794
00:53:25,866 --> 00:53:28,906
Their love for each other
was an unbreakable bond.

795
00:53:30,466 --> 00:53:33,896
When the grandmother was working
in the garden or outside the home,

796
00:53:34,106 --> 00:53:36,456
the little girl knew to
hide underneath the porch

797
00:53:36,456 --> 00:53:37,986
when visitors came to the house.

798
00:53:38,236 --> 00:53:44,816
On this particular day, the little girl
noticed a vehicle approaching the house,

799
00:53:44,816 --> 00:53:47,506
and she went and hid under the
porch as instructed to do so.

800
00:53:47,506 --> 00:53:52,306
While the little girl was hiding,
she could see the familiar face

801
00:53:52,306 --> 00:53:55,976
through the cracks of the porch,
so she came out from hiding.

802
00:53:56,066 --> 00:53:59,826
As a family member enticed
the little girl with candy,

803
00:54:00,026 --> 00:54:01,876
she left with him in his vehicle.

804
00:54:03,716 --> 00:54:07,096
While driving away from her home, the
little girl knew something was wrong.

805
00:54:07,796 --> 00:54:10,426
And from that day, she never
seen her grandmother again.

806
00:54:10,916 --> 00:54:14,606
This is the story of my
great-great-grandmother.

807
00:54:14,966 --> 00:54:19,406
She was stolen from her home for
$1 and put into boarding school.

808
00:54:21,566 --> 00:54:25,536
While in boarding school, she
experienced physical, emotional, sexual,

809
00:54:25,536 --> 00:54:28,226
and spiritual abuse for
the first time in her life.

810
00:54:28,226 --> 00:54:33,806
She was stripped of her culture
and language by being starved,

811
00:54:33,966 --> 00:54:35,806
beaten, and sexually violated.

812
00:54:37,656 --> 00:54:39,786
My great-great-grandmother
was not only --

813
00:54:40,116 --> 00:54:43,896
was only able to pass on a few stories
from her boarding school experience,

814
00:54:44,256 --> 00:54:47,566
because her treatment was
so horrific and inhumane.

815
00:54:48,116 --> 00:54:53,206
Her treatment in Phoenix Indian boarding
school was done with the intention

816
00:54:53,206 --> 00:54:56,036
to conform and assimilate
to the dominant society,

817
00:54:56,126 --> 00:55:00,906
to what European Americans believed
was the American way of life.

818
00:55:01,126 --> 00:55:03,306
Boarding school was seen
as an ideal structure

819
00:55:03,656 --> 00:55:06,076
to eradicate Native American culture

820
00:55:06,076 --> 00:55:08,666
and make model citizens
of Indigenous people.

821
00:55:09,926 --> 00:55:14,506
Their goal was to destabilize and
eliminate tribal and community living

822
00:55:14,776 --> 00:55:20,816
by the exploitation, neglect, and
torture of our Indigenous children.

823
00:55:20,816 --> 00:55:25,426
Because of this, we continue to see
the lasting effects that was done.

824
00:55:25,426 --> 00:55:30,036
We see how intergenerational
historical trauma and grief is systemic

825
00:55:30,036 --> 00:55:34,926
and ongoing oppression through
the trauma of invasion, diseases,

826
00:55:35,246 --> 00:55:39,276
the boarding school era, and other
facets of the Indigenous experience,

827
00:55:39,276 --> 00:55:44,456
such as chemical dependency, poverty,
and mental health discrepancies.

828
00:55:44,656 --> 00:55:46,966
However, we are still here.

829
00:55:47,066 --> 00:55:50,246
We will continue to remain
in the land of our ancestors.

830
00:55:52,826 --> 00:55:55,746
Going back to the story of
my great-great-grandmother

831
00:55:55,746 --> 00:55:59,976
and in her short time spent with her
grandmother, she knew what love was.

832
00:56:00,056 --> 00:56:03,276
Through all the atrocities she
went through at boarding school,

833
00:56:03,276 --> 00:56:06,196
it was her grandmother's
love that kept her alive.

834
00:56:08,296 --> 00:56:10,836
Four generations before me
attended boarding school.

835
00:56:11,196 --> 00:56:16,106
I am the first to participate as a
dancer in our traditional ceremonies.

836
00:56:17,116 --> 00:56:21,306
Growing up, I always wondered why my
maternal lineage did not participate

837
00:56:21,306 --> 00:56:22,606
in ceremonies.

838
00:56:22,726 --> 00:56:25,346
It wasn't until I learned
about the horrific truth

839
00:56:25,436 --> 00:56:28,626
of what the boarding school
era and the negative impacts

840
00:56:28,706 --> 00:56:31,266
that were made for our past generations.

841
00:56:31,546 --> 00:56:36,996
As I prepared for my flower dance, our
coming-of-age ceremony, and the ability

842
00:56:36,996 --> 00:56:39,796
to participate in our
traditional ceremonies,

843
00:56:39,916 --> 00:56:43,616
I remember having a conversation
with the women in my life.

844
00:56:43,686 --> 00:56:46,156
I was told I was bringing
the circle back

845
00:56:46,156 --> 00:56:49,026
around to heal my ancestors
through ceremonies.

846
00:56:49,846 --> 00:56:53,026
That what my family, like many others,

847
00:56:53,026 --> 00:56:56,266
found healing in the collective
energy of balance and harmony.

848
00:56:57,076 --> 00:57:00,836
It was through the preservation
of our ceremonies that my DNA

849
00:57:00,836 --> 00:57:06,526
and genetic memory, I was
dancing for my ancestors.

850
00:57:06,526 --> 00:57:08,726
I remember my first time
dancing in our ceremonies.

851
00:57:08,726 --> 00:57:13,396
A part of me cried for my mother, my
grandmother, my great-grandmother,

852
00:57:13,396 --> 00:57:16,976
and my great-great-grandmother,
because they were never able

853
00:57:16,976 --> 00:57:20,806
to experience dancing because of the
effects of a boarding school era.

854
00:57:21,796 --> 00:57:23,786
This was a monumental moment in my life

855
00:57:23,786 --> 00:57:26,716
because ceremony has shaped
me into who I am today.

856
00:57:26,716 --> 00:57:31,336
By participating in ceremonies
from a young age,

857
00:57:31,426 --> 00:57:36,176
I was fortunate my mother took me up
and down the Klamath and Trinity Rivers,

858
00:57:36,306 --> 00:57:41,386
visiting elders and learning about their
experiences and their participation

859
00:57:41,386 --> 00:57:46,296
in revitalizing ceremonies,
language, and traditional practices.

860
00:57:46,296 --> 00:57:48,816
I gained valuable knowledge
in visiting the elders

861
00:57:48,816 --> 00:57:51,256
and try my best to continue
their legacy.

862
00:57:52,746 --> 00:57:55,306
During my adolescent years, I struggled

863
00:57:55,306 --> 00:57:57,786
with self-esteem and
negative body imaging.

864
00:57:58,236 --> 00:57:59,936
I was struggling with the

865
00:57:59,936 --> 00:58:03,996
who the European American society was
telling me how I should look and act

866
00:58:04,256 --> 00:58:06,906
versus living a traditional
life in balance and harmony.

867
00:58:06,906 --> 00:58:10,776
Finding the balance in a world
that tried to eliminate my people.

868
00:58:11,576 --> 00:58:14,476
These adversities led to
eating disorders, depression,

869
00:58:14,476 --> 00:58:17,786
and a poor reflection of
cognitive and emotional health.

870
00:58:18,716 --> 00:58:22,806
I struggled in my education of having
a poor diet and not eating healthy

871
00:58:22,806 --> 00:58:26,086
or traditional foods that helped
to bring function and mobility.

872
00:58:26,676 --> 00:58:30,556
I was influenced by peer pressure by
being a follower and not a leader.

873
00:58:30,556 --> 00:58:35,176
If it wasn't for the strong,
intelligent, and beautiful people

874
00:58:35,176 --> 00:58:37,716
in my life, I'm afraid to
think where I would be.

875
00:58:38,426 --> 00:58:40,906
However, through ceremony,
I found healing.

876
00:58:40,906 --> 00:58:45,976
Healing not only for myself, but
healing for the past generations.

877
00:58:47,026 --> 00:58:48,846
This led to self-acceptance and love.

878
00:58:49,696 --> 00:58:54,166
With the support of my biological and
spiritual family and my involvement

879
00:58:54,166 --> 00:58:57,096
in ceremonies, I found
my self-worth and purpose

880
00:58:57,136 --> 00:58:58,926
on a cellular and molecular level.

881
00:59:00,176 --> 00:59:04,126
During my flower dance, a coming-of-age
ceremony, one of my prayers was

882
00:59:04,126 --> 00:59:07,686
for a quality education, not
only in a Western capacity,

883
00:59:07,686 --> 00:59:10,116
but traditional knowledge
and understanding

884
00:59:10,116 --> 00:59:12,946
of our physical and spiritual
experiences.

885
00:59:13,026 --> 00:59:16,026
I was able to integrate
my traditional learning

886
00:59:16,026 --> 00:59:19,966
into my Western education experience,
taking the same discipline and learning

887
00:59:19,966 --> 00:59:24,566
of my traditional ceremonies and
practices I used in the classroom.

888
00:59:25,786 --> 00:59:27,956
My prayers was to obtain
a quality education

889
00:59:27,956 --> 00:59:29,566
and return to my tribal community.

890
00:59:29,796 --> 00:59:34,766
As a social worker professional,
I've returned to my tribal community

891
00:59:34,766 --> 00:59:37,986
with the intention to help
heal intergenerational

892
00:59:37,986 --> 00:59:39,636
and historical trauma and grief.

893
00:59:39,636 --> 00:59:44,866
And in my experience, participating
in ceremony is one of my pillars

894
00:59:44,866 --> 00:59:46,946
of strength that has helped
heal past generations.

895
00:59:48,276 --> 00:59:51,776
Obtaining my Western education,
a system whose foundation was

896
00:59:51,776 --> 00:59:55,566
to eliminate tribal societies,
I found the balance to help heal

897
00:59:55,566 --> 00:59:56,976
and use education as a tool.

898
00:59:57,506 --> 01:00:01,666
This is done by recognizing the
traumas and learning to identify areas

899
01:00:01,666 --> 01:00:03,316
to uplift our tribal communities.

900
01:00:03,316 --> 01:00:07,946
For professionals learning and working
in tribal communities, it is important

901
01:00:07,946 --> 01:00:09,426
to hear the people and their stories.

902
01:00:09,916 --> 01:00:12,636
It's easy to recall theories,
applications,

903
01:00:12,636 --> 01:00:16,786
and frameworks that we learned in
school, but remember our healing,

904
01:00:16,916 --> 01:00:21,716
tribal healing from systemic
structures, is finding our way back

905
01:00:21,716 --> 01:00:23,576
to a traditional lifestyle.

906
01:00:24,076 --> 01:00:27,866
Use the community resources,
communicate with our tribal entities,

907
01:00:27,866 --> 01:00:32,436
and learn from the people, not the
textbooks lessons we found in school.

908
01:00:32,436 --> 01:00:36,396
Furthermore, learning and
education is a lifelong commitment.

909
01:00:36,966 --> 01:00:38,656
The more we continue to learn and heal,

910
01:00:38,656 --> 01:00:40,846
the stronger our future
generations will be.

911
01:00:42,456 --> 01:00:45,736
Although the Indigenous experience
is full of hardships, inequalities,

912
01:00:45,736 --> 01:00:48,966
and systemic and ongoing
oppression, as Indigenous people,

913
01:00:49,156 --> 01:00:53,546
we are continuing the movement to work
together and share our experiences

914
01:00:53,546 --> 01:00:57,986
to help heal tribal communities,
heal through education and ceremony,

915
01:00:57,986 --> 01:01:02,866
and find the balance and harmony to
return to a traditional lifestyle.

916
01:01:02,866 --> 01:01:03,676
Thank you.

917
01:01:03,676 --> 01:01:06,756
>> Teresina Obie, she shares her
experience of her grandmother.

918
01:01:06,756 --> 01:01:11,216
And this is an example of how a
grandmother going to boarding school,

919
01:01:11,216 --> 01:01:17,216
how intergenerationally that can
impact both behaviorally as well

920
01:01:17,216 --> 01:01:20,706
as biologically the future generations.

921
01:01:20,706 --> 01:01:25,656
And so, some of the things
that Teresina highlights here

922
01:01:25,656 --> 01:01:32,316
as protective factors is
rite of passage ceremony.

923
01:01:32,316 --> 01:01:36,036
The ceremony sometimes
referred to as a flower dance

924
01:01:36,036 --> 01:01:41,526
that acknowledges a young girl
transitioning into a young woman.

925
01:01:41,526 --> 01:01:46,036
And one of the things Teresina
speaks to is that she was able --

926
01:01:46,036 --> 01:01:51,476
her experience in her ceremony provided
an opportunity to come full circle.

927
01:01:51,476 --> 01:01:55,446
So, after four generations before
her went to boarding school,

928
01:01:55,446 --> 01:01:58,526
that she had the opportunity
to participate in ceremony

929
01:01:58,526 --> 01:02:02,966
and to participate in this rite of
passage ceremony into womanhood.

930
01:02:03,556 --> 01:02:08,106
Another protective factor
that Teresina identifies

931
01:02:08,186 --> 01:02:11,536
from her perspective is
supportive relationships,

932
01:02:11,646 --> 01:02:14,776
whether these are biological
relationships,

933
01:02:14,776 --> 01:02:18,626
people that you're related to in
your own family, extended family,

934
01:02:18,626 --> 01:02:22,846
as well as looking at spiritual
families, families that you participate

935
01:02:22,846 --> 01:02:26,686
in ceremony, families
that you have connections

936
01:02:26,686 --> 01:02:29,636
with can be protective factors.

937
01:02:29,686 --> 01:02:34,676
Involvement in ceremony, ceremony
as a part of life and preparation

938
01:02:34,676 --> 01:02:39,856
for ceremony, participating in ceremony
can be seen as a protective factor.

939
01:02:40,086 --> 01:02:42,206
In addition to that, learning.

940
01:02:42,606 --> 01:02:47,246
Learning about our own identities,
learning about ourselves,

941
01:02:47,486 --> 01:02:52,776
and part of that growth,
having connection can be a part

942
01:02:52,866 --> 01:02:58,756
of the protective factors, as well as
prayer was also identified by Teresina.

943
01:02:59,236 --> 01:03:03,236
And so then the next person
that will share a testimony,

944
01:03:03,236 --> 01:03:09,216
perspectives of protective factors
is Princess Jintcon Colegrove.

945
01:03:09,366 --> 01:03:12,676
Princess Jintcon is Hoopa,
Yurok, and Karuk.

946
01:03:12,886 --> 01:03:15,926
She's a Hoopa tribal member
from the villages of Me'dildin,

947
01:03:15,926 --> 01:03:17,896
Ta'k'imilding, and Diyshta:ng'a'de:n.

948
01:03:17,896 --> 01:03:21,626
She's also Ner-er-ner,
which is a coastal Yurok

949
01:03:21,626 --> 01:03:24,196
from the villages of Chapekw and Espew.

950
01:03:24,246 --> 01:03:28,675
She's an advanced Hoopa language
student and was a teaching assistant

951
01:03:28,676 --> 01:03:31,096
at the Iltuq' language center.

952
01:03:31,246 --> 01:03:33,406
Princess completed her xoq'it ch'iswa:l,

953
01:03:33,406 --> 01:03:36,296
her coming of age ceremony,
when she was 13 years old.

954
01:03:36,356 --> 01:03:40,266
And since then, she's been selected to
carry medicine and healing ceremonies,

955
01:03:40,266 --> 01:03:44,946
as well as to represent her people in
the brush dance, which is a ceremony

956
01:03:44,946 --> 01:03:47,076
for the balance of humans and the world.

957
01:03:47,076 --> 01:03:50,646
So currently, she's a junior
at Humboldt State University,

958
01:03:50,646 --> 01:03:55,226
majoring in environmental studies and
a minor in American Indian education.

959
01:03:55,226 --> 01:03:57,946
She also is a K'am-t'em book author.

960
01:03:58,046 --> 01:03:59,176
>> My name is Princess Colegrove.

961
01:03:59,556 --> 01:04:02,026
I am a member of the Hoopa Valley tribe

962
01:04:02,026 --> 01:04:05,486
and I'm also Yurok and
Karuk, and I am 19.

963
01:04:05,486 --> 01:04:09,816
And I'm currently a student at Humboldt
State University and I wrote Chapter 22

964
01:04:09,816 --> 01:04:13,826
of the book K'am-t'em: A
Journey Towards Healing.

965
01:04:13,826 --> 01:04:16,896
So the culture and ceremony has
played a big role in my life.

966
01:04:17,166 --> 01:04:23,006
Personally, I've grown up in ceremony
and doing cultural things with my family

967
01:04:23,006 --> 01:04:27,966
and my friends, and that's always
been a big part of my life.

968
01:04:27,966 --> 01:04:29,516
That is my life.

969
01:04:29,826 --> 01:04:34,866
And so it's always really important
for people to understand that.

970
01:04:34,866 --> 01:04:39,506
If I didn't have culture and
ceremony so heavily in my life,

971
01:04:40,386 --> 01:04:42,176
it would definitely be a lot different.

972
01:04:42,176 --> 01:04:46,426
I would have a very different outlook
on things and different worldview

973
01:04:47,006 --> 01:04:50,406
and I would not be doing what I'm doing.

974
01:04:50,406 --> 01:04:52,146
I probably would not be in school.

975
01:04:52,286 --> 01:04:58,266
I would -- I might have a job,
but I wouldn't have anything set

976
01:04:58,266 --> 01:05:01,036
in stone, steady, anything ready.

977
01:05:01,666 --> 01:05:03,636
It would just be a lot different.

978
01:05:04,216 --> 01:05:10,046
I grew up in a place where
a lot of the children

979
01:05:10,696 --> 01:05:14,906
around me were very disconnected
and there are a lot of examples

980
01:05:14,906 --> 01:05:18,746
of the different paths
that these kids choose.

981
01:05:20,096 --> 01:05:26,956
Some choose to try and find people
to surround themselves with people

982
01:05:27,196 --> 01:05:31,756
who do have knowledge and are willing to
show them and they go to talk to elders

983
01:05:31,756 --> 01:05:35,066
and teachers and learn things
and they make a connection.

984
01:05:35,356 --> 01:05:38,896
And then there are other
kids who don't do that.

985
01:05:38,896 --> 01:05:39,996
They don't know where to start.

986
01:05:39,996 --> 01:05:40,896
They get overwhelmed.

987
01:05:41,056 --> 01:05:46,086
They don't want to know or they don't
know how to learn this information.

988
01:05:46,436 --> 01:05:50,066
They don't know how to talk to
the people who can teach them.

989
01:05:50,136 --> 01:05:55,106
And so they end up doing things
like hanging out with people

990
01:05:55,106 --> 01:06:00,726
that are doing drugs or drinking a lot
and in a different crowd than somebody

991
01:06:00,726 --> 01:06:03,706
who has been able to grow
up with these connections.

992
01:06:04,056 --> 01:06:09,266
So I had my flower dance in Hoopa on
the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation

993
01:06:09,546 --> 01:06:12,416
and it's called xoq'it
ch'iswa:l in Hoopa.

994
01:06:13,296 --> 01:06:21,466
And my flower dance for me was really a
time that I matured and grew up a lot.

995
01:06:21,536 --> 01:06:27,036
And I was able to see things differently
than I did before my flower dance

996
01:06:27,036 --> 01:06:31,446
when I was really young and a child.

997
01:06:31,686 --> 01:06:36,476
So it really helped me to mature
in the things that I learned.

998
01:06:36,476 --> 01:06:41,656
I worked with a lot different people
that I didn't know I would be so close

999
01:06:42,006 --> 01:06:47,126
with and made a lot of different
connections with people who just showed

1000
01:06:47,126 --> 01:06:50,816
up because it showed me
that they are there for me.

1001
01:06:52,016 --> 01:06:56,626
And so it really helped me to realize
the connections that I do have

1002
01:06:56,626 --> 01:06:59,726
with people, even though
beforehand I didn't know

1003
01:06:59,726 --> 01:07:00,916
that those connections were there.

1004
01:07:00,916 --> 01:07:04,816
I had a lot of highlights
from my flower dance.

1005
01:07:04,816 --> 01:07:07,896
A few of them were working
with people and visiting

1006
01:07:07,896 --> 01:07:11,226
and a lot of learning things.

1007
01:07:11,796 --> 01:07:16,996
So one person that came to
work with me, she showed me how

1008
01:07:17,086 --> 01:07:19,146
to weave a basket and make a plate.

1009
01:07:19,146 --> 01:07:23,766
Another was visiting with my aunt.

1010
01:07:23,766 --> 01:07:25,716
And another was running with my dad.

1011
01:07:25,716 --> 01:07:31,526
Because on the finish up day, you go on
a really long run with a father figure

1012
01:07:31,526 --> 01:07:33,586
or your dad, whoever that might be.

1013
01:07:33,586 --> 01:07:34,706
And for me it was my dad.

1014
01:07:34,706 --> 01:07:41,396
And so we ran along the river
and we had to communicate

1015
01:07:41,676 --> 01:07:43,246
in a way that we weren't used to.

1016
01:07:43,246 --> 01:07:47,186
We had to actually talk to each other,
when normally we can just kind of look

1017
01:07:47,186 --> 01:07:49,116
at each other and know what's going on.

1018
01:07:49,216 --> 01:07:51,526
And so that was something
that was different for me,

1019
01:07:51,526 --> 01:07:53,326
but it was also a highlight.

1020
01:07:53,776 --> 01:07:57,286
One thing that I would like for medical
professionals to take from my chapter is

1021
01:07:57,406 --> 01:07:59,576
to understand that there's
beauty in everyone

1022
01:07:59,576 --> 01:08:02,436
and that everyone is valued and gifted.

1023
01:08:03,166 --> 01:08:07,486
And that just because
there are some assumptions

1024
01:08:07,706 --> 01:08:13,186
of Native people being alcoholics
or drug addicts or no good people,

1025
01:08:13,186 --> 01:08:15,516
that that person means
something to someone.

1026
01:08:16,166 --> 01:08:22,286
It's also really important to
know that Native people are a part

1027
01:08:22,286 --> 01:08:23,776
of something bigger than just them.

1028
01:08:23,776 --> 01:08:27,596
It's a community, and
we have a lot of family.

1029
01:08:27,596 --> 01:08:30,796
And sometimes when one
of us is in the hospital,

1030
01:08:30,836 --> 01:08:32,366
everybody wants to check and make sure.

1031
01:08:32,876 --> 01:08:35,996
And we have our own ways of healing.

1032
01:08:36,666 --> 01:08:40,386
We eat acorns in ceremony and it's
something that's super nutritious

1033
01:08:40,416 --> 01:08:45,326
and healthy and helps your
body kind of reboot itself.

1034
01:08:45,636 --> 01:08:48,466
And we do things, like we have
what we call majachet xole:n,

1035
01:08:49,156 --> 01:08:51,566
which is really important
to us, and we burn it.

1036
01:08:51,566 --> 01:08:54,566
And so sometimes we come
in and we do that

1037
01:08:54,566 --> 01:08:57,596
and medical professionals
don't know what's going on.

1038
01:08:57,596 --> 01:08:59,006
They want to control the situation.

1039
01:08:59,006 --> 01:09:04,586
And they want everyone to kind of
stay in line and do what they say.

1040
01:09:04,586 --> 01:09:06,546
But we have our own ways of healing too.

1041
01:09:06,746 --> 01:09:08,846
>> Jintcon's testimony,
some of the things

1042
01:09:08,846 --> 01:09:13,006
that she brings up as
protective factors.

1043
01:09:13,426 --> 01:09:16,476
She -- in her testimony,
she really speaks

1044
01:09:16,476 --> 01:09:18,186
to how culture has been integral --

1045
01:09:18,186 --> 01:09:22,836
an integral tool in interrupting
responses to toxic stress.

1046
01:09:22,836 --> 01:09:28,196
And so she describes culture as
influential on her outlook, worldview,

1047
01:09:28,196 --> 01:09:31,676
and her self-perception
of her role in the world.

1048
01:09:31,876 --> 01:09:36,786
In addition, she highlights ceremony
and her coming-of-age ceremony,

1049
01:09:36,786 --> 01:09:41,226
the xoq'it ch'iswa:l, as helping
her to build relationships

1050
01:09:41,226 --> 01:09:45,726
and to understand her value
and to build connections.

1051
01:09:45,726 --> 01:09:50,166
And then she also emphasizes the
importance of each individual

1052
01:09:50,166 --> 01:09:55,756
to the community, and shares her
message with medical providers on this.

1053
01:09:55,756 --> 01:09:59,866
She speaks to the importance of
basket-making as a protective factor,

1054
01:10:00,016 --> 01:10:04,276
running, in particular, running
with her father during ceremony,

1055
01:10:04,276 --> 01:10:09,446
and learning new ways of communication,
relationships with the community,

1056
01:10:09,446 --> 01:10:11,976
and then also traditional
methods of healing.

1057
01:10:12,046 --> 01:10:15,326
And once again, this is part
of this multi-logical thinking,

1058
01:10:15,326 --> 01:10:19,156
is that there can be multiple
perspectives, multiple truths.

1059
01:10:19,156 --> 01:10:24,236
And just as we're speaking into
kind of the ACEs, ACEs Aware,

1060
01:10:24,236 --> 01:10:29,286
and scientific evidence, and kind
of paralleling that or integrating

1061
01:10:29,286 --> 01:10:33,756
into that Indigenous perspectives,
the same is with traditional methods

1062
01:10:33,756 --> 01:10:36,046
of healing, is it's important
to understand

1063
01:10:36,046 --> 01:10:38,926
that Indigenous peoples have had
traditional methods of healing

1064
01:10:38,926 --> 01:10:45,216
for thousands of years and that's an
important part of Indigenous knowledge,

1065
01:10:45,216 --> 01:10:48,816
and from an Indigenous perspective,
also a protective factor.

1066
01:10:48,816 --> 01:10:53,926
So, our next testimony in
looking at protective factors

1067
01:10:53,926 --> 01:10:58,926
from an Indigenous perspective, these
are just a few people that are sharing.

1068
01:10:58,926 --> 01:11:01,956
And of course, every person
has different perspectives

1069
01:11:01,956 --> 01:11:03,976
on what these protective
factors could be.

1070
01:11:03,976 --> 01:11:06,986
But our next person is Peter Gensaw.

1071
01:11:06,986 --> 01:11:08,326
And he's Yurok.

1072
01:11:08,326 --> 01:11:11,626
And he's the cultural director
for the Ancestral Guard.

1073
01:11:11,836 --> 01:11:14,976
Ancestral Guard is a community
organizing network developed

1074
01:11:14,976 --> 01:11:19,076
to encourage an Indigenous mindset
and engage the people who live

1075
01:11:19,076 --> 01:11:23,626
in Yurok ancestral territories
to respect, become a part of,

1076
01:11:23,626 --> 01:11:27,016
and restore a natural
balance between people

1077
01:11:27,016 --> 01:11:28,826
and the environment that we all share.

1078
01:11:28,896 --> 01:11:30,746
He's also an artist.

1079
01:11:30,746 --> 01:11:36,106
He's a Yurok language speaker, a singer,
a cultural advocate, a regalia maker,

1080
01:11:36,106 --> 01:11:38,146
a youth leader, a hunter,
and a gatherer.

1081
01:11:38,146 --> 01:11:42,776
And so, his work and focus are strongly
rooted in the strengths and activities

1082
01:11:42,776 --> 01:11:46,166
of his skills as a Yurok
practitioner and a cultural bearer.

1083
01:11:46,166 --> 01:11:50,006
And I think this interview is
really important to understand

1084
01:11:50,946 --> 01:11:53,486
that it's occurring out in nature.

1085
01:11:53,696 --> 01:11:58,976
And sometimes people don't have
access to the same types of resources.

1086
01:11:59,066 --> 01:12:03,526
And this one, we are thinking about
service and providing services

1087
01:12:03,526 --> 01:12:07,506
to Indigenous communities, is
that sometimes we have to think

1088
01:12:07,506 --> 01:12:11,326
about what types of services
are actually available.

1089
01:12:11,326 --> 01:12:16,686
And so, in this example, there are some
kind of fades in and out with the Wi-Fi,

1090
01:12:16,686 --> 01:12:21,666
et cetera, but it's important because
it's a part of the natural environment

1091
01:12:21,666 --> 01:12:25,386
and the surroundings of Peter.

1092
01:12:25,546 --> 01:12:28,946
>>Aiyukwee, nek-new, Peter Gensaw.

1093
01:12:29,146 --> 01:12:32,886
I come from the village
of Requa. Terwer ok.

1094
01:12:33,796 --> 01:12:35,476
Yeah, so I'm a Yurok tribal member.

1095
01:12:35,476 --> 01:12:38,176
I'm a little mixture from
little bit tribes up

1096
01:12:38,176 --> 01:12:41,436
and down the coast, from Tolowa
tribe all the way up to the Karuk tribe.

1097
01:12:41,756 --> 01:12:47,746
But I'm enrolled in the Yurok tribe and
I practice my tribal heritage there.

1098
01:12:47,746 --> 01:12:52,646
My most important cultural teachings,
I would have to say, is jump dance.

1099
01:12:52,646 --> 01:12:57,596
Through jump dance, the dance of world
renewal, it just changed me as a man.

1100
01:12:57,866 --> 01:13:06,256
Changed -- it gave me the opportunity to
help others just a lot more than my --

1101
01:13:06,256 --> 01:13:09,366
just what I could do on a daily basis.

1102
01:13:10,016 --> 01:13:13,836
What I learned about the jump dance
is a couple of different elders

1103
01:13:13,836 --> 01:13:16,256
in our community, highly
respected people,

1104
01:13:16,296 --> 01:13:18,106
brought me and my brothers along.

1105
01:13:18,106 --> 01:13:21,706
I started off with just
going up gradually

1106
01:13:21,706 --> 01:13:23,086
after the hike in the high country.

1107
01:13:23,206 --> 01:13:28,926
Then once we got up there, we discussed
the aspects of everything and how

1108
01:13:28,926 --> 01:13:31,696
to handle everything and whatnot.

1109
01:13:31,726 --> 01:13:34,195
But those two main people were
Walt Lara

1110
01:13:34,196 --> 01:13:36,436
and Chris Peters,

1111
01:13:36,436 --> 01:13:42,206
Hambone. Those two were my biggest
mentors and started me in that dance.

1112
01:13:42,286 --> 01:13:46,226
And after that, we hiked around,
packed medicine for people,

1113
01:13:46,226 --> 01:13:47,916
then we came down the mountain

1114
01:13:48,356 --> 01:13:52,026
and just started the whole
process of the world renewal.

1115
01:13:53,286 --> 01:13:58,506
It was like a camping trip up in the
high country that they all just talked

1116
01:13:58,506 --> 01:14:01,616
about and showed us how to do
things and why we do things.

1117
01:14:02,526 --> 01:14:06,736
One of the main things I
learned on that trip is

1118
01:14:06,736 --> 01:14:09,256
for everybody's well-being around us.

1119
01:14:09,716 --> 01:14:12,926
Just because they're not on the mountain
with us, we're here for them too.

1120
01:14:13,456 --> 01:14:18,546
Other than that, working as a
team, making sure everybody walks

1121
01:14:18,546 --> 01:14:21,306
at the right pace, everyone's
fine, no one's working too hard,

1122
01:14:21,496 --> 01:14:25,226
make sure we're all healthy,
have enough water, stay hydrated.

1123
01:14:26,876 --> 01:14:30,026
Even building camp together,
just it's this whole bunch

1124
01:14:30,026 --> 01:14:32,886
of opportunities for growth.

1125
01:14:32,976 --> 01:14:34,866
My grandmother and my mom.

1126
01:14:34,866 --> 01:14:38,876
For me, I started off with
beading at a young age.

1127
01:14:38,916 --> 01:14:40,726
These are some pretty
strict Yurok women.

1128
01:14:40,726 --> 01:14:43,486
They said, no, it's a nice necklace,

1129
01:14:43,526 --> 01:14:47,386
but you have some improperties
here -- no, impurities here.

1130
01:14:47,696 --> 01:14:51,126
They said, this beadwork
traditionally should go this way

1131
01:14:51,126 --> 01:14:52,966
or you messed up here, there.

1132
01:14:52,966 --> 01:14:54,776
And every time they told me that,

1133
01:14:54,776 --> 01:14:57,846
I would bust down the whole
necklace and start back over.

1134
01:14:57,846 --> 01:15:02,206
And that helped me grow
just as a person.

1135
01:15:02,206 --> 01:15:04,666
So I know to get help from others.

1136
01:15:04,786 --> 01:15:08,066
Come along to help talk to them.

1137
01:15:08,066 --> 01:15:10,036
Don't be afraid to ask
for help from people.

1138
01:15:10,606 --> 01:15:16,666
Another couple elders out there were,
we have a couple from Requa, actually.

1139
01:15:17,466 --> 01:15:18,766
There's Awok Merkie Oliver.

1140
01:15:18,766 --> 01:15:22,326
He was there just to help teach fish.

1141
01:15:22,406 --> 01:15:25,356
He helped us along the riverside.

1142
01:15:26,056 --> 01:15:32,396
Then farther up the hill, we have
Walt Jr. He actually taught me

1143
01:15:32,396 --> 01:15:36,166
and my brothers how to
fish down to a tee.

1144
01:15:36,166 --> 01:15:38,926
Because we knew -- we thought
we knew how to fish with Walt.

1145
01:15:39,126 --> 01:15:42,646
But once we left Walt, we
were fishing professionals.

1146
01:15:42,716 --> 01:15:51,016
Yeah. I like to keep in touch with a
whole bunch of elders from the bottom

1147
01:15:51,016 --> 01:15:56,906
of the Klamath River all the
way to the top just for stories

1148
01:15:57,016 --> 01:16:00,636
or if I have any problems
in life, I go talk to them

1149
01:16:00,636 --> 01:16:01,956
as a counselor or anything like that.

1150
01:16:02,046 --> 01:16:03,436
They can help me out.

1151
01:16:03,526 --> 01:16:04,216
It's always good.

1152
01:16:04,836 --> 01:16:08,186
So when I was younger, the first
thing I started doing is keeping

1153
01:16:08,186 --> 01:16:08,856
in touch with elders.

1154
01:16:08,856 --> 01:16:11,586
I'd go, I would cook
them breakfast, lunch,

1155
01:16:11,886 --> 01:16:15,006
or just do some yard work eventually.

1156
01:16:15,516 --> 01:16:19,756
Hanging out [inaudible warbling] then
just keep in touch with them.

1157
01:16:20,166 --> 01:16:23,856
When you ask them if they
need anything, if they --

1158
01:16:24,046 --> 01:16:27,796
yeah, main thing, ask
if they need anything.

1159
01:16:27,796 --> 01:16:32,106
And what I like to do is I'm a
hunter slash fisher-gatherer.

1160
01:16:32,626 --> 01:16:33,846
And I go by the season.

1161
01:16:33,846 --> 01:16:35,906
So right now, it's Dungeness
crab season.

1162
01:16:36,296 --> 01:16:38,366
And I'll ask them, hey,
do you guys eat crab?

1163
01:16:38,366 --> 01:16:39,986
How many people you got
in your household?

1164
01:16:40,246 --> 01:16:43,166
And they'll tell me X amount of
people or how many crab they like

1165
01:16:43,166 --> 01:16:46,546
and I'll just go fulfill the order,
go out crabbing, set my crab pots,

1166
01:16:46,626 --> 01:16:49,436
catch them fresh food,
and fresh produce.

1167
01:16:49,796 --> 01:16:51,766
It's always about keeping in touch,

1168
01:16:51,766 --> 01:16:56,646
make sure they have everything
they need for a healthy life too.

1169
01:16:57,336 --> 01:17:01,896
It's a non-profit that my
brother Sammy Gensaw started.

1170
01:17:01,896 --> 01:17:04,856
First, it was just a youth
group in the community.

1171
01:17:04,856 --> 01:17:07,766
Our original name was Smokehouse Boys.

1172
01:17:07,766 --> 01:17:10,846
Well, later on, somebody wrote a book
and got the name patent Smokehouse Boys.

1173
01:17:11,246 --> 01:17:12,326
So we changed it.

1174
01:17:12,756 --> 01:17:16,116
And with that changing of the name,
we all sat down and discussed,

1175
01:17:16,116 --> 01:17:17,806
were more than just a group of youth.

1176
01:17:18,416 --> 01:17:21,256
Yes, we're a handful of
youth, boys right now.

1177
01:17:21,256 --> 01:17:25,106
We'd like to expand to
other youth, not just boys.

1178
01:17:25,106 --> 01:17:25,816
We changed the name.

1179
01:17:25,816 --> 01:17:27,626
Sam came up with Ancestral Guard.

1180
01:17:27,626 --> 01:17:30,956
So that means if you're
on ancestral territory --

1181
01:17:31,046 --> 01:17:34,336
if you're on ancestral
territory, you're eligible

1182
01:17:34,336 --> 01:17:40,786
for our teachings and our practices.

1183
01:17:40,786 --> 01:17:45,606
Life will throw a lot of challenges and
stuff your way, no matter who you are,

1184
01:17:45,606 --> 01:17:46,656
no matter where you come from.

1185
01:17:46,656 --> 01:17:53,746
But for me, myself, having such strong
ties with my culture and my roots

1186
01:17:53,746 --> 01:17:58,236
and heritage and people, I always
fall back on them if I'm stressed out.

1187
01:17:59,236 --> 01:18:02,076
Because as a young Yurok
man, one thing we

1188
01:18:02,076 --> 01:18:07,786
like to say is how you feel inside
is really hard for us to break

1189
01:18:07,786 --> 01:18:09,756
down in tears as men, any men.

1190
01:18:09,756 --> 01:18:11,716
So Creator gave us the square drum.

1191
01:18:12,026 --> 01:18:15,966
With that square drum, it's
an amplifier from the heart.

1192
01:18:15,966 --> 01:18:19,036
So we project our singing and
our feelings throughout the drum.

1193
01:18:19,036 --> 01:18:23,126
So if I'm feeling sad, I can sit
down, I can bust out a sad song,

1194
01:18:23,126 --> 01:18:25,656
make my people around
me feel my sadness.

1195
01:18:26,116 --> 01:18:29,396
If I'm really happy, I'll
sing a happy song, a good song

1196
01:18:29,746 --> 01:18:32,226
and uplift everyone's
energy and spirit around me.

1197
01:18:33,046 --> 01:18:35,536
They should understand
about us Indigenous people,

1198
01:18:35,536 --> 01:18:37,926
we've been through a lot of trauma.

1199
01:18:37,926 --> 01:18:42,936
Our ancestors have been through
trauma, so it's embedded in our DNA.

1200
01:18:43,216 --> 01:18:45,886
So we all have that in
us just a little bit.

1201
01:18:46,366 --> 01:18:50,266
I have a couple friends, one of
the kids, they said they're young,

1202
01:18:50,556 --> 01:18:53,186
they hear a car drive by on the road
and they just hit the brush line.

1203
01:18:53,186 --> 01:18:54,026
They don't know why.

1204
01:18:54,536 --> 01:18:56,006
No one talked to them,
no one taught them that.

1205
01:18:56,006 --> 01:18:59,466
It's just in their DNA
as kids, from us Indians.

1206
01:18:59,826 --> 01:19:04,026
But other than that, I said that,
I think medical professionals,

1207
01:19:04,556 --> 01:19:08,226
they will diagnose a lot of
us Indigenous kids with ADHD,

1208
01:19:08,226 --> 01:19:11,196
because we have a lot of
energy and stuff like that.

1209
01:19:11,196 --> 01:19:14,896
I myself was diagnosed with
that when I was a little kid.

1210
01:19:15,556 --> 01:19:19,936
But I went outside, I went to
hit the traditional trails.

1211
01:19:19,936 --> 01:19:22,696
I went fishing, hunting, gathering,

1212
01:19:22,766 --> 01:19:26,146
and I put most of my
energy towards that stuff.

1213
01:19:26,146 --> 01:19:32,166
And I've actually balanced my
life out so I can focus on my work

1214
01:19:32,166 --> 01:19:37,066
and my schooling that I needed to do.

1215
01:19:37,066 --> 01:19:41,676
One thing I'd like to say to all the
medical professionals out there is us,

1216
01:19:41,676 --> 01:19:45,626
Indigenous people, we are a little
bit wired different, I would say,

1217
01:19:45,626 --> 01:19:47,446
than other Americans out there.

1218
01:19:47,446 --> 01:19:48,516
We think different.

1219
01:19:48,516 --> 01:19:51,206
Our process and our thoughts,
everything,

1220
01:19:51,206 --> 01:19:53,546
even our body, how we intake our food.

1221
01:19:54,356 --> 01:19:58,496
We don't have the enzyme
to naturally bust down some

1222
01:19:58,496 --> 01:20:02,906
of the American processed foods
that we all consume today.

1223
01:20:04,146 --> 01:20:11,226
But other than that, I would say
my traditional way of life tied me

1224
01:20:11,226 --> 01:20:15,416
to strong roots of my family,
tied me to strong roots

1225
01:20:15,416 --> 01:20:17,936
of the land that I come from.

1226
01:20:18,406 --> 01:20:24,236
Having said that, just keeping
those connections strong will make

1227
01:20:24,236 --> 01:20:25,376
you healthier.

1228
01:20:26,016 --> 01:20:28,976
>> The protective factors
that Peter talks

1229
01:20:28,976 --> 01:20:37,186
about in his presentation is
hiking in the high country.

1230
01:20:37,186 --> 01:20:42,776
And so he shares his experience
training for a world renewal ceremony.

1231
01:20:42,776 --> 01:20:46,566
And he describes the teaching
as teaching him to become a man

1232
01:20:46,566 --> 01:20:50,916
and how important it is to
take care of each other.

1233
01:20:50,916 --> 01:20:55,276
And through his cultural experiences,
he learned to help others and to build

1234
01:20:55,276 --> 01:20:57,516
and maintain relationships.

1235
01:20:57,516 --> 01:21:00,336
And so sometimes when we think
about something like a hike

1236
01:21:00,336 --> 01:21:03,966
into the high country, might not
understand all of the camaraderie

1237
01:21:03,966 --> 01:21:06,646
and all of the important
pieces that are connected

1238
01:21:06,646 --> 01:21:09,396
and attached to this process as well.

1239
01:21:09,536 --> 01:21:14,616
And so Peter describes his relationships
with his teachers from the community

1240
01:21:14,616 --> 01:21:16,776
and how influential they've
been in his life.

1241
01:21:16,776 --> 01:21:20,146
He talks about the role
of the Ancestral Guard,

1242
01:21:20,396 --> 01:21:23,146
which he explains is a
nonprofit organization

1243
01:21:23,146 --> 01:21:28,186
that emphasizes the food sovereignty and
advocacy for the natural environment.

1244
01:21:28,186 --> 01:21:30,826
And one of the tools that
Peter utilizes to cope

1245
01:21:30,826 --> 01:21:34,466
with difficult times is
relationship with people,

1246
01:21:34,976 --> 01:21:37,436
the natural environment,
and the culture.

1247
01:21:37,646 --> 01:21:44,256
And so he describes utilizing
singing and drumming.

1248
01:21:44,256 --> 01:21:49,806
He says that the square drum
is an amplifier from the heart

1249
01:21:49,806 --> 01:21:53,226
and we project our feeling and
our healing through the drum.

1250
01:21:54,186 --> 01:21:58,596
And so -- and he speaks of these
different protective factors.

1251
01:21:58,596 --> 01:22:03,976
He had so much information that
was in this short interview.

1252
01:22:04,266 --> 01:22:10,266
And one thing that he says is
that it's embedded in our DNA.

1253
01:22:10,266 --> 01:22:14,366
And he's talking about a
reference to fear and he says

1254
01:22:14,366 --> 01:22:15,496
that it's embedded in our DNA.

1255
01:22:15,496 --> 01:22:19,186
And what do you think he
means when he says that?

1256
01:22:19,616 --> 01:22:25,936
So this is from Peter's
perspective and thinking about fear.

1257
01:22:25,936 --> 01:22:28,716
He said that sometimes
people will hear a sound

1258
01:22:28,716 --> 01:22:31,576
and just kind of drop to the ground.

1259
01:22:31,576 --> 01:22:33,056
And that's embedded in our DNA.

1260
01:22:33,056 --> 01:22:36,076
And so this is a perspective,
an Indigenous perspective.

1261
01:22:36,076 --> 01:22:44,006
But it's also supported by the field
as well, that a study in the field

1262
01:22:44,006 --> 01:22:49,076
of stress physiology involved male
mice, and I mentioned this a couple

1263
01:22:49,076 --> 01:22:54,356
of modules ago, that were
conditioned to fear certain smells

1264
01:22:54,506 --> 01:22:57,906
by pairing scents with shock.

1265
01:22:58,196 --> 01:23:02,106
And Diaz and his colleagues
found that the offspring

1266
01:23:02,246 --> 01:23:07,566
of the odor fear-conditioned male mice
were extremely sensitive to the odor.

1267
01:23:07,676 --> 01:23:11,356
So despite never having --
ever had their family --

1268
01:23:11,356 --> 01:23:17,266
never having met their fathers and
never having been odor fear-conditioned

1269
01:23:17,266 --> 01:23:20,816
themselves, that even the grandchildren

1270
01:23:20,816 --> 01:23:25,266
of the fear-conditioned mice also
experienced extreme odor sensitivity.

1271
01:23:25,566 --> 01:23:29,896
So in other words, this fear
conditioning was actually passed

1272
01:23:29,896 --> 01:23:36,406
from grandfather to grandfather,
to father, to grandson.

1273
01:23:37,516 --> 01:23:43,006
And so this is, you know, important
when we're thinking about how that kind

1274
01:23:43,006 --> 01:23:48,246
of fear factor can be transmitted
into following generations.

1275
01:23:48,246 --> 01:23:54,076
And we think about, and going
back to the Module 5 and thinking

1276
01:23:54,076 --> 01:23:59,566
about the history of Indigenous
Californians and thinking about some

1277
01:23:59,566 --> 01:24:04,586
of the things that Indigenous
peoples have experienced

1278
01:24:04,636 --> 01:24:05,976
within the last five generations.

1279
01:24:06,166 --> 01:24:15,466
Looking at periods of genocide, looking
at massacres, slavery, boarding school,

1280
01:24:15,526 --> 01:24:21,576
relocation, all of these things
that could very well instill kind

1281
01:24:21,576 --> 01:24:27,296
of this sense of fear that could
potentially transfer for generations.

1282
01:24:27,296 --> 01:24:33,576
And so Peter's words here, and
speaking of this embedded in our DNA,

1283
01:24:33,576 --> 01:24:41,976
has actually some research that
can follow along with it as well.

1284
01:24:41,976 --> 01:24:46,246
And so he also speaks to
food sovereignty and fasting,

1285
01:24:46,246 --> 01:24:48,066
as well, as protective factors.

1286
01:24:48,066 --> 01:24:54,026
And there's also scientific evidence
that also looking into and studies

1287
01:24:54,106 --> 01:24:59,446
around fasting and how fasting
has positive effects on the body.

1288
01:24:59,956 --> 01:25:05,525
And so our next testimony
is from Ernie Albers,

1289
01:25:05,526 --> 01:25:09,806
Jr. And Ernie is Yurok, Hoopa, and Karuk.

1290
01:25:10,006 --> 01:25:11,396
He is a business owner.

1291
01:25:11,546 --> 01:25:15,876
A wellness promotion specialist, a
cultural bearer, and practitioner.

1292
01:25:15,916 --> 01:25:20,496
He has knowledge of local
ceremonies, village restoration,

1293
01:25:20,496 --> 01:25:24,716
traditional stories, along
with being a culinary chef,

1294
01:25:24,716 --> 01:25:26,806
and wellness and fitness coach.

1295
01:25:26,806 --> 01:25:31,886
And so we'll take a moment to listen
to the testimony of Ernie Albers

1296
01:25:31,886 --> 01:25:36,466
and his perspective of protective
factors from an Indigenous lens.

1297
01:25:37,546 --> 01:25:40,966
Aiyukwee, nek-new Ernie
Albers. Ne peechuas

1298
01:25:41,196 --> 01:25:43,275
weo Walt Lara.

1299
01:25:43,276 --> 01:25:45,146
Eci Nick Mercado

1300
01:25:45,316 --> 01:25:51,049
Eci awok Wilfred Albers
Ne kuechos weo Callie Lara

1301
01:25:51,049 --> 01:25:56,593
Eci awok Delores Mercado.
Eci awok Mimi Markussen.

1302
01:25:56,593 --> 01:26:00,286
Serper eci Hupa eci T-Bar maywa chok

1303
01:26:00,746 --> 01:26:02,896
Hello. My name is Ernie Albers.

1304
01:26:03,176 --> 01:26:07,326
I introduced some of -- who my
grandparents are and some of the places

1305
01:26:07,326 --> 01:26:10,626
that I come from, where
my blood comes from.

1306
01:26:10,626 --> 01:26:15,146
My first experience in ceremony
was when I was three years old.

1307
01:26:15,146 --> 01:26:17,216
I was battling asthma pretty bad.

1308
01:26:17,216 --> 01:26:20,496
And I had to go to the
hospital multiple times a week

1309
01:26:20,496 --> 01:26:23,206
and the doctors didn't really
have much they could do for me.

1310
01:26:23,596 --> 01:26:27,356
And my family decided that we
needed to have a brush dance

1311
01:26:27,356 --> 01:26:28,565
for me, a healing ceremony.

1312
01:26:28,566 --> 01:26:33,216
And so when I was three, we had a
ceremony out at Sue-Meg Village.

1313
01:26:33,216 --> 01:26:37,166
Throughout my life, I think
that ceremony has given me

1314
01:26:37,166 --> 01:26:41,636
and guided me a lot of the things
and priorities that I have.

1315
01:26:41,636 --> 01:26:45,196
When we're coming into ceremony, we
are -- I have some things written down.

1316
01:26:45,546 --> 01:26:48,176
When we're going into ceremony,
we're mindful, we're deliberate,

1317
01:26:48,176 --> 01:26:53,766
we're intentional, we're patient,
we're loving, we come from community,

1318
01:26:53,766 --> 01:26:57,386
we're able to be vulnerable, we're
connected to each other, to the land.

1319
01:26:57,766 --> 01:27:02,776
And when I take these different
points and put them into my life

1320
01:27:02,776 --> 01:27:06,006
and how I live my life
and approach my obstacles,

1321
01:27:06,066 --> 01:27:08,926
then it helps me become
very much a balanced person.

1322
01:27:08,926 --> 01:27:10,656
I feel like it makes me very rich.

1323
01:27:11,006 --> 01:27:16,386
With all this ceremony, I always
feel like it's a deeper connection.

1324
01:27:16,626 --> 01:27:22,836
It teaches us on how to put something
bigger than ourselves in the priority.

1325
01:27:23,056 --> 01:27:27,376
We all have to play our roles and to
contribute to something that's bigger.

1326
01:27:27,676 --> 01:27:32,626
So learning what your role is and how
to play that role and not to worry

1327
01:27:32,626 --> 01:27:33,826
about other people's role is.

1328
01:27:34,006 --> 01:27:36,626
I always tell people that, you
know, when we're in high dance,

1329
01:27:36,626 --> 01:27:39,436
there's a medicine woman and a
medicine man, and neither one

1330
01:27:39,436 --> 01:27:40,886
of them are in charge of each other.

1331
01:27:40,886 --> 01:27:43,936
They just have -- they know that
the other one is doing their job.

1332
01:27:43,936 --> 01:27:47,096
They're not worried about what they're
doing, what the other person is doing

1333
01:27:47,096 --> 01:27:49,116
because they're worried about
their own job, their own role.

1334
01:27:49,426 --> 01:27:51,096
And if you're worried
about someone else's role,

1335
01:27:51,096 --> 01:27:54,386
you're not giving your
whole heart to your role.

1336
01:27:54,786 --> 01:27:57,646
And the more that we can
do something together,

1337
01:27:57,646 --> 01:27:59,976
the more powerful our ceremonies are.

1338
01:28:00,286 --> 01:28:05,446
Ceremony has definitely given me the
principles on how to live my life.

1339
01:28:05,556 --> 01:28:09,036
You know, what we say in
ceremony is that if you're not

1340
01:28:09,036 --> 01:28:11,666
in the right mind, then
you shouldn't come.

1341
01:28:11,666 --> 01:28:14,646
So whenever we go, there's -- you
know, they say if your enemy sits

1342
01:28:14,646 --> 01:28:17,216
down at the table, you got to feed him.

1343
01:28:17,336 --> 01:28:18,856
You know, you got to feed your enemy.

1344
01:28:18,856 --> 01:28:20,746
And not necessarily there's
enemies, but, you know,

1345
01:28:20,746 --> 01:28:22,576
any beefs that we have are all dropped.

1346
01:28:22,576 --> 01:28:25,926
You know, we come all together
to do something special.

1347
01:28:26,206 --> 01:28:30,556
So the lessons that I've learned in
ceremony and time spent with elders

1348
01:28:30,556 --> 01:28:34,956
and out at ceremony, I
directly relate them to my job.

1349
01:28:34,956 --> 01:28:35,596
I'm a coach.

1350
01:28:35,596 --> 01:28:39,516
I co-own LiFTED Arcata in Arcata.

1351
01:28:39,906 --> 01:28:45,006
It's a functional movement gym and we
specialize in human-specific training.

1352
01:28:45,616 --> 01:28:50,516
So a lot of times when I relate, I
have to relate everything to ceremony.

1353
01:28:50,516 --> 01:28:54,166
So when I relate movement to ceremony,
I always take those same principles

1354
01:28:54,166 --> 01:28:55,876
of being mindful, deliberate,
intentional,

1355
01:28:55,876 --> 01:28:58,126
and putting it into movement.

1356
01:28:58,126 --> 01:29:01,636
And so when we are moving correctly
and we're checking in with our body

1357
01:29:01,636 --> 01:29:04,976
and we're working on dysfunctions
and imbalances, you know,

1358
01:29:04,976 --> 01:29:08,076
we're paying our body respect.

1359
01:29:08,076 --> 01:29:11,556
And I feel like we're approaching it
in a ceremonial way, the right way.

1360
01:29:11,556 --> 01:29:15,726
And we don't have aesthetic
or sport-specific

1361
01:29:15,726 --> 01:29:19,146
or competition in the priority.

1362
01:29:19,146 --> 01:29:21,626
It's very healing.

1363
01:29:21,676 --> 01:29:22,456
It's wellness.

1364
01:29:22,456 --> 01:29:25,386
And we put wellness in the priority.

1365
01:29:25,386 --> 01:29:31,206
And so that all comes from the
priorities of ceremony, of, you know,

1366
01:29:31,206 --> 01:29:37,336
we all pitch in, we all do our part, and
we're all focusing on what's at hand.

1367
01:29:37,896 --> 01:29:43,096
And so as far as going with my
family and how it benefits my kids,

1368
01:29:43,096 --> 01:29:46,676
I always tell people that, you know,
we're in such a blessed time right now

1369
01:29:46,676 --> 01:29:49,026
because we have so many
ceremonies to go to.

1370
01:29:49,256 --> 01:29:53,466
You know, my grandfather's generation
did a lot of fighting for our rights

1371
01:29:53,466 --> 01:29:55,026
to be able to do a lot of ceremonies.

1372
01:29:55,026 --> 01:29:59,766
And my sons will always know a time that
there has been opportunities for them

1373
01:29:59,766 --> 01:30:03,976
to go and to be a part of
ceremony and super, super special.

1374
01:30:04,046 --> 01:30:12,036
So such a wonderful opportunity for
them to know community, to know love,

1375
01:30:12,036 --> 01:30:15,836
to know where they belong,
what they believe,

1376
01:30:15,976 --> 01:30:20,156
that they have a responsibility, they
have connection to places and people.

1377
01:30:20,516 --> 01:30:23,656
You know, those things are priceless.

1378
01:30:23,656 --> 01:30:27,056
I always say that when you have
somewhere that you know you belong,

1379
01:30:27,056 --> 01:30:28,766
that's the priceless thing.

1380
01:30:28,766 --> 01:30:33,596
Going back to LiFTED, I
like to say that with that,

1381
01:30:33,596 --> 01:30:36,146
I want to provide the
opportunity for people

1382
01:30:36,146 --> 01:30:38,306
to experience community and self-care.

1383
01:30:38,306 --> 01:30:41,306
But I always like to say
it's a sneaky way of saying,

1384
01:30:41,416 --> 01:30:46,436
have them experience culture
and community and ceremony.

1385
01:30:46,436 --> 01:30:51,116
It's the same thing of needing
one another and doing things

1386
01:30:51,116 --> 01:30:56,276
that are strenuous and uncomfortable,
taking yourself out of your comfort zone

1387
01:30:56,276 --> 01:30:58,186
and being able to be
vulnerable with each other.

1388
01:30:58,416 --> 01:31:02,636
All those things are definitely
aspects of ceremony when we're hiking

1389
01:31:02,636 --> 01:31:08,556
or when we're packing stuff up or when
we're staying up all night or dancing.

1390
01:31:08,766 --> 01:31:12,716
You know, all these things are very
strenuous, physical strenuous things,

1391
01:31:12,716 --> 01:31:17,336
but they're also very mentally strenuous
when we're fasting and we're exhausted.

1392
01:31:17,336 --> 01:31:22,206
And, you know, there's all kinds of
physical and mental challenges that come

1393
01:31:22,546 --> 01:31:24,456
with being a part of ceremony.

1394
01:31:24,716 --> 01:31:28,476
And through it, through all
that sacrifice, you gain,

1395
01:31:28,476 --> 01:31:35,326
you gain so much strength, so much
knowledge and wisdom and love.

1396
01:31:35,326 --> 01:31:40,426
And that's definitely set me on
the course that I want to walk,

1397
01:31:40,426 --> 01:31:46,746
that I want to be a good example of what
wellness looks like and what wellness

1398
01:31:46,996 --> 01:31:53,976
and happiness looks like, I guess I
would say, from a ceremonial aspect.

1399
01:31:54,476 --> 01:31:59,276
Growing up, growing up Native
around a lot of non-Native people,

1400
01:31:59,496 --> 01:32:04,036
there were definitely challenging
times and times that I didn't want

1401
01:32:04,036 --> 01:32:05,336
to be different or I didn't want to --

1402
01:32:05,336 --> 01:32:08,426
you know, everybody wants
to fit in with the in crowd

1403
01:32:08,426 --> 01:32:09,676
and do what everybody else is doing.

1404
01:32:09,676 --> 01:32:14,816
You know, for me, so it was challenging
to have to go to ceremony a lot,

1405
01:32:14,816 --> 01:32:18,616
to go and spend time away from my
friends and away from this world

1406
01:32:18,616 --> 01:32:22,326
and go be with my grandpa
and my grandma and my aunties

1407
01:32:22,326 --> 01:32:24,526
and go be a part of these ceremonies.

1408
01:32:24,726 --> 01:32:27,536
And as a kid, I didn't
necessarily appreciate them as much.

1409
01:32:27,536 --> 01:32:33,166
But now, looking back, how much it
has shaped who I am and how awesome

1410
01:32:33,166 --> 01:32:40,626
of an opportunity I had to be a part
of ceremony and to have something

1411
01:32:41,136 --> 01:32:45,516
that makes me feel good about being
me, makes me -- gives me purpose.

1412
01:32:45,516 --> 01:32:54,416
And I always tell people with being --
living where you come from, you know,

1413
01:32:54,416 --> 01:33:00,456
it's such an opportunity to live where
your people have lived for thousands

1414
01:33:00,456 --> 01:33:04,556
of years and do the ceremonies that your
people have been doing for thousands

1415
01:33:04,556 --> 01:33:07,516
of years and you know what you
believe, you know why you're here.

1416
01:33:07,516 --> 01:33:09,206
And like I said, you
have responsibility.

1417
01:33:09,206 --> 01:33:12,476
It's, it's very -- it's fulfilling.

1418
01:33:12,476 --> 01:33:14,626
And, you know, as you become an adult,

1419
01:33:14,626 --> 01:33:16,536
you realize how many
people don't have that.

1420
01:33:16,926 --> 01:33:23,246
And so growing up in it and having that,
it was always like, it was always there.

1421
01:33:23,246 --> 01:33:28,026
It was always the backbone of who
I am and why I'm being healthy

1422
01:33:28,026 --> 01:33:32,576
and why I'm making the decisions that I
make to keep myself in the right mindset

1423
01:33:32,576 --> 01:33:36,926
and the right place to participate
in ceremony and go to ceremony.

1424
01:33:36,926 --> 01:33:40,966
Whenever I wasn't acting
right, my mom would say,

1425
01:33:41,326 --> 01:33:42,706
do I need to call your grandpa?

1426
01:33:42,706 --> 01:33:46,206
And that was like the
worst, worst threat.

1427
01:33:46,206 --> 01:33:47,866
I would straighten up real fast.

1428
01:33:47,866 --> 01:33:52,326
Like, no, I don't want grandpa
to know if I'm acting out.

1429
01:33:52,326 --> 01:33:58,406
Other things that helped me outside of
ceremony is definitely culture related.

1430
01:33:58,406 --> 01:34:03,976
I was involved in a lot of different
youth opportunities, youth groups.

1431
01:34:04,306 --> 01:34:06,936
I was a part of TAG, it's
a teen advisory group.

1432
01:34:06,936 --> 01:34:08,796
And I have something
separate down for them.

1433
01:34:09,016 --> 01:34:12,656
Through TAG, different skills
that we were able to learn,

1434
01:34:12,656 --> 01:34:16,246
I learned was taking job
interviews, doing budget planning,

1435
01:34:16,586 --> 01:34:20,966
even just traveling, being able to
have the opportunity to go into check

1436
01:34:20,966 --> 01:34:24,226
in to hotels, experience
different cities outside

1437
01:34:24,226 --> 01:34:27,036
of where I live, making money.

1438
01:34:27,566 --> 01:34:30,216
There's different committees,
planning events,

1439
01:34:30,216 --> 01:34:32,286
writing newsletters, facilitating.

1440
01:34:32,536 --> 01:34:38,336
All those skills directly involve what I
do, especially the facilitating skills.

1441
01:34:38,756 --> 01:34:41,886
What I do on a daily
at my job as a coach,

1442
01:34:41,886 --> 01:34:45,376
as a fitness trainer, as a presenter.

1443
01:34:45,686 --> 01:34:51,836
All these things, public
speaking, confidence building.

1444
01:34:52,186 --> 01:34:54,776
And I was also a part of
some groups called POWER,

1445
01:34:54,776 --> 01:34:58,806
it's Peers Offering Wisdom,
Education, Respect.

1446
01:34:58,806 --> 01:35:00,326
The Yurok Tribe Youth Council.

1447
01:35:00,326 --> 01:35:04,536
I've been to a lot of
different UIHS summer camps.

1448
01:35:04,976 --> 01:35:15,036
And all this exposure to culture, kids
my own age, and opportunity to learn,

1449
01:35:15,036 --> 01:35:18,936
it was all just things to do
and fun as I was growing up.

1450
01:35:18,936 --> 01:35:25,186
But as an adult, looking back, knowing
that I was learning and, you know,

1451
01:35:25,186 --> 01:35:30,586
really paving the way to what I'm
supposed to be doing, what I want to do,

1452
01:35:30,586 --> 01:35:37,316
and just building the confidence
to do that really, really helped.

1453
01:35:37,316 --> 01:35:42,676
I feel like all those different programs
helped give me that confidence to know

1454
01:35:42,676 --> 01:35:47,296
that I have a voice and that I can
speak and that I can go places.

1455
01:35:47,296 --> 01:35:50,736
And, you know, people will
respect me and I'm not --

1456
01:35:50,736 --> 01:35:55,526
you know, I don't need
to be mean or, you know,

1457
01:35:55,526 --> 01:35:58,976
be intimidating to have respect.

1458
01:35:59,526 --> 01:36:04,556
And as well as, you know, I don't have
to come from money or I don't have to,

1459
01:36:04,556 --> 01:36:09,136
you know, do things the wrong way to
be successful, you know, through work

1460
01:36:09,136 --> 01:36:13,196
and sweat and ceremony,
culture, all those things,

1461
01:36:13,196 --> 01:36:17,556
I feel like helped me
be to where I am today.

1462
01:36:17,696 --> 01:36:18,566
Business owner.

1463
01:36:18,876 --> 01:36:20,796
I do presentations.

1464
01:36:20,796 --> 01:36:24,986
Talk a little bit about movement
and about ceremonial movement.

1465
01:36:24,986 --> 01:36:29,246
And so I'm a functional
movement system certified FMS.

1466
01:36:29,246 --> 01:36:35,796
And so I do a lot of correctives and
a lot of helping people get better

1467
01:36:35,796 --> 01:36:39,846
from their injuries or injury
prevention, start their fitness journey,

1468
01:36:39,846 --> 01:36:43,286
have programs that are
specified for them.

1469
01:36:43,646 --> 01:36:47,456
And with ceremony, I've
always said that ceremony

1470
01:36:47,456 --> 01:36:51,806
and traditional living made us fit
by byproduct of our way of life.

1471
01:36:51,806 --> 01:36:56,196
You know, I'm teaching people these
foundational developmental postures

1472
01:36:56,196 --> 01:36:57,276
and movements.

1473
01:36:57,276 --> 01:36:59,806
And they're all things
that we do in ceremony.

1474
01:36:59,806 --> 01:37:04,286
You know, we're -- I always relate
on half kneeling and deep squats

1475
01:37:04,286 --> 01:37:09,846
and rotational split stances, crawling,
lunging, all these things that we do

1476
01:37:10,136 --> 01:37:13,066
in ceremony and in traditional life.

1477
01:37:13,066 --> 01:37:16,596
They're things that teach people
how to do at the gym on the daily.

1478
01:37:17,106 --> 01:37:22,636
And, you know, to have that connection
of our people knowing how to be fit

1479
01:37:22,636 --> 01:37:26,806
and how to be healthy is, it's a key.

1480
01:37:26,806 --> 01:37:30,276
I mean, that the more
that we almost de-evolve

1481
01:37:30,276 --> 01:37:37,535
to who we were before this society
is the key for me I feel like.

1482
01:37:37,536 --> 01:37:38,776
A woman named Carrie.

1483
01:37:38,776 --> 01:37:42,376
And I have two beautiful
sons named Caleb Nickwich

1484
01:37:42,436 --> 01:37:43,846
and Elijah Chereri.

1485
01:37:44,426 --> 01:37:46,266
One's seven and one's one.

1486
01:37:46,656 --> 01:37:51,616
And I couldn't do an interview
or tell you about who I am

1487
01:37:51,616 --> 01:37:54,486
without introducing my family as well,

1488
01:37:54,486 --> 01:37:56,966
because they're definitely,
definitely my why.

1489
01:37:56,966 --> 01:38:03,146
And, you know, like I said, having my
sons be able to have opportunity to be

1490
01:38:03,336 --> 01:38:08,976
in ceremony around ceremony,
that's very, very special to me.

1491
01:38:09,046 --> 01:38:14,286
And the more you understand them, then
you're able to help them in a better way

1492
01:38:14,426 --> 01:38:18,016
and come from a different place,
a place of respect and love.

1493
01:38:18,476 --> 01:38:20,736
And, you know, place of ceremony.

1494
01:38:21,936 --> 01:38:28,886
>> OK. So that's Ernie Albers, Jr.
And so we'll do the share screen again

1495
01:38:28,886 --> 01:38:32,416
so you can all see that the PowerPoint.

1496
01:38:32,586 --> 01:38:39,316
And so Ernie describes how ceremony has
guided his life and given him purpose.

1497
01:38:39,316 --> 01:38:43,446
And so he identifies the brush
dance and the healing ceremony.

1498
01:38:43,446 --> 01:38:47,346
He shared that when he was three
years old, that he had asthma.

1499
01:38:47,346 --> 01:38:51,536
And so he had a healing
ceremony at that age.

1500
01:38:51,536 --> 01:38:55,036
That he talks about ceremony
as being mindful,

1501
01:38:55,036 --> 01:38:57,506
deliberate, intentional, and loving.

1502
01:38:57,816 --> 01:39:01,196
These are all things that he
identifies as protective factors.

1503
01:39:01,196 --> 01:39:06,676
And remember, protective factors are
tools that interrupt toxic stress.

1504
01:39:06,676 --> 01:39:11,246
And so despite ACE high scores or
despite intergenerational trauma

1505
01:39:11,246 --> 01:39:15,096
or intergenerational transmission
of adversity, that these are tools

1506
01:39:15,096 --> 01:39:17,736
that interrupt toxic stress.

1507
01:39:17,736 --> 01:39:21,716
And so -- and kind of prevent
the types of health disparities

1508
01:39:21,716 --> 01:39:23,776
that could potentially develop.

1509
01:39:23,916 --> 01:39:28,236
He also describes time with
elders, with his grandparents.

1510
01:39:28,236 --> 01:39:33,566
He talked about paying the body respect
and this is in relation to self-care.

1511
01:39:33,566 --> 01:39:36,846
And we learn these things
through culture

1512
01:39:36,846 --> 01:39:40,636
and through ceremony is how
to take care of ourselves.

1513
01:39:40,906 --> 01:39:46,086
He also talked about belonging to place
and having this connection to homeland,

1514
01:39:46,086 --> 01:39:49,996
which we've spoken about
in previous modules.

1515
01:39:49,996 --> 01:39:53,786
But knowing the place that
your people have always been.

1516
01:39:53,786 --> 01:39:58,976
He talks about hiking and ceremony
and about how ceremony can be work.

1517
01:39:59,046 --> 01:40:02,986
But when you work together as a
community, that it can be so rewarding

1518
01:40:02,986 --> 01:40:06,086
and it helps to establish
its strength and such growth.

1519
01:40:06,086 --> 01:40:12,596
He talked about body movement, the
movements of dancing and ceremony.

1520
01:40:12,596 --> 01:40:17,686
And there's also studies about the
movement and how it affects the brain

1521
01:40:17,686 --> 01:40:19,696
and how it affects development

1522
01:40:19,836 --> 01:40:24,336
that really validates dancing
and movement in ceremony.

1523
01:40:24,846 --> 01:40:27,216
He also talked about fasting.

1524
01:40:27,216 --> 01:40:30,256
That although fasting can be
something that's very challenging

1525
01:40:30,256 --> 01:40:33,946
and also can be the best
times of a person's life.

1526
01:40:33,946 --> 01:40:37,206
And then the youth support
groups that he was a part of,

1527
01:40:37,206 --> 01:40:39,836
that he felt were protective factors.

1528
01:40:39,986 --> 01:40:43,416
The different programs that
taught him skills, that helped him

1529
01:40:43,416 --> 01:40:47,506
to identify himself as a
young man in the community.

1530
01:40:47,506 --> 01:40:53,786
And so we see this diagram again, which
we talked about earlier in this module

1531
01:40:53,786 --> 01:40:57,596
and then also in modules previously,

1532
01:40:57,596 --> 01:41:01,086
is looking at these types
of resilience tools.

1533
01:41:01,086 --> 01:41:04,216
And so when we talk about
interrupting toxic stress and we look

1534
01:41:04,216 --> 01:41:06,766
at protective factors from
an Indigenous perspective,

1535
01:41:06,766 --> 01:41:10,506
that these are some of
the protective factors.

1536
01:41:10,506 --> 01:41:15,196
Which ironically, in the study were also
things that when parents were asked,

1537
01:41:15,196 --> 01:41:18,586
what are the five most important
things to teach to your children?

1538
01:41:18,586 --> 01:41:21,306
These are the things that Yurok, Hoopa,

1539
01:41:21,376 --> 01:41:25,526
Karuk parents identified
as being important.

1540
01:41:25,526 --> 01:41:29,546
Well, these can also be resilience
tools, protective factors.

1541
01:41:29,546 --> 01:41:34,046
Things like participating in
ceremony, singing, fasting, dancing,

1542
01:41:34,046 --> 01:41:37,726
hiking on ceremonial
trails, gathering, fishing,

1543
01:41:37,976 --> 01:41:41,836
relationships with the natural
environment, connections to teachers

1544
01:41:41,836 --> 01:41:44,966
and elders, basket-making, running.

1545
01:41:44,966 --> 01:41:49,546
These are things that can
all interrupt toxic stress

1546
01:41:49,546 --> 01:41:51,726
from an Indigenous perspective.

1547
01:41:51,726 --> 01:41:53,586
And likewise, Yellow Bird,

1548
01:41:53,776 --> 01:41:56,876
Michael Yellow Bird has done
research on neuro decolonization.

1549
01:41:57,086 --> 01:42:00,706
And his research suggests that
these activities can heal the body

1550
01:42:00,706 --> 01:42:05,676
from the effects of intergenerational
trauma and ongoing oppression.

1551
01:42:05,676 --> 01:42:08,096
And another study on
Indigenous youth found

1552
01:42:08,096 --> 01:42:10,546
that cultural affinity
promotes self-esteem.

1553
01:42:10,546 --> 01:42:16,266
And that cultural identity combined with
high self-esteem is a protective factor

1554
01:42:16,266 --> 01:42:18,766
against alcohol and substance abuse.

1555
01:42:18,906 --> 01:42:23,816
And so just looking at that
again and kind of processing

1556
01:42:23,816 --> 01:42:29,016
that information again, is that this
cultural affinity promotes self-esteem

1557
01:42:29,016 --> 01:42:30,586
and cultural identity.

1558
01:42:30,586 --> 01:42:34,696
And combined with high
self-esteem is a protective factor

1559
01:42:34,696 --> 01:42:37,106
against alcohol and substance abuse.

1560
01:42:37,266 --> 01:42:41,416
And so these pieces that have been
a part of Indigenous knowledge

1561
01:42:41,416 --> 01:42:45,556
and have been a part of K'am-t'em,
the treasures of the people,

1562
01:42:45,886 --> 01:42:49,216
are also tools from an
Indigenous perspective

1563
01:42:49,216 --> 01:42:52,226
that can interrupt toxic stress.

1564
01:42:52,366 --> 01:42:56,196
So when a child experiences
trauma, the architecture

1565
01:42:56,196 --> 01:43:00,066
of the developing brain can
be impacted in multiple ways.

1566
01:43:00,066 --> 01:43:06,086
And so as a result, a person's emotional
regulation, their attention span,

1567
01:43:06,086 --> 01:43:09,406
their memory can be affected
by these traumatic events.

1568
01:43:09,406 --> 01:43:12,566
And so the brain, however, is malleable.

1569
01:43:12,756 --> 01:43:14,726
And that means that the brain can heal.

1570
01:43:14,806 --> 01:43:18,876
And the healing occurs when
the brain is stimulated.

1571
01:43:18,876 --> 01:43:21,896
And according to Yellow
Bird, stimulation transpires

1572
01:43:21,896 --> 01:43:25,716
when an Indigenous person is
engaged in regalia-making,

1573
01:43:25,716 --> 01:43:28,456
basket-making, singing, and ceremony.

1574
01:43:28,776 --> 01:43:35,496
And so at this moment, a person has a
sense of well-being when they're working

1575
01:43:35,496 --> 01:43:38,146
on baskets or when they're
singing in ceremony.

1576
01:43:38,146 --> 01:43:42,496
That the temporo-parietal junction
of the brain becomes activated

1577
01:43:42,496 --> 01:43:48,196
and the individual transcends to a
level of happiness, joy, and optimism.

1578
01:43:48,246 --> 01:43:50,436
In other words, the act of participating

1579
01:43:50,436 --> 01:43:54,286
in cultural activities stimulates
the brain and releases feelings

1580
01:43:54,286 --> 01:43:56,826
of positivity, which
can lead to healing.

1581
01:43:57,176 --> 01:44:02,796
And so it's important to follow
up with this type of research.

1582
01:44:02,966 --> 01:44:06,486
Michael Yellow Bird, his
book Decolonizing the Mind,

1583
01:44:06,486 --> 01:44:09,926
Healing Through Neurodecolonization
and Mindfulness.

1584
01:44:10,896 --> 01:44:16,786
Also, Bruce Perry, a senior
fellow of the Trauma Academy

1585
01:44:16,786 --> 01:44:19,276
and a leading practitioner
of children's mental health,

1586
01:44:19,276 --> 01:44:24,116
he states that key aspects of healthy
child development already exist

1587
01:44:24,116 --> 01:44:26,136
in healthy Indigenous cultures.

1588
01:44:26,406 --> 01:44:31,456
And so he says they already exist
in Indigenous healthy cultures.

1589
01:44:31,456 --> 01:44:36,806
So for example, Indigenous cultures
are wealthy in relationships

1590
01:44:36,806 --> 01:44:40,226
with grandparents, extended
family, and community.

1591
01:44:40,226 --> 01:44:44,576
And these communal interactions with
children help to nurture physical,

1592
01:44:44,576 --> 01:44:46,656
social, and emotional health.

1593
01:44:46,716 --> 01:44:51,296
And so for Indigenous families that
are out of balance due to trauma,

1594
01:44:51,296 --> 01:44:57,596
oppression, colonialism, it's important,
in his words, Dr. Bruce Perry's words,

1595
01:44:57,596 --> 01:45:02,766
to reweave the social fabric
and recapture the old ways.

1596
01:45:02,766 --> 01:45:05,786
And in recentering and
reclaiming Indigenous knowledge,

1597
01:45:05,786 --> 01:45:08,966
children build an anchor
in their own home culture

1598
01:45:08,966 --> 01:45:11,046
that gives them the strength to cope

1599
01:45:11,046 --> 01:45:13,906
with marginalization
by mainstream society.

1600
01:45:14,616 --> 01:45:19,766
And so the testimonials that are shared
in this module highlight perspectives

1601
01:45:19,766 --> 01:45:22,796
of protective factors
that mitigate stress.

1602
01:45:22,796 --> 01:45:28,376
And so this diagram here, once again,
highlights some of these things

1603
01:45:28,376 --> 01:45:32,446
that are mentioned and resilience
tools or protective factors

1604
01:45:32,446 --> 01:45:36,096
from an Indigenous perspective
are identified.

1605
01:45:36,096 --> 01:45:41,436
And once again, all of these pieces, the
relationships with the human, natural,

1606
01:45:41,436 --> 01:45:44,366
spiritual realms, the
cultural values, their value --

1607
01:45:44,366 --> 01:45:47,556
cultural skills and values,
they're all connected

1608
01:45:47,556 --> 01:45:50,816
through this common thread
which is language.

1609
01:45:51,076 --> 01:45:58,976
In looking at strategies for
regulating the toxic stress response.

1610
01:45:59,076 --> 01:46:04,086
So as Peter Gensaw stated,
in his testimony,

1611
01:46:04,086 --> 01:46:07,646
he said that brain science
is just now catching

1612
01:46:07,646 --> 01:46:10,866
up with the teachings
that come from our people.

1613
01:46:10,866 --> 01:46:13,376
And many of these evidence-based
strategies

1614
01:46:13,376 --> 01:46:17,296
to mitigate the toxic stress response
mirror many Indigenous teachings

1615
01:46:17,296 --> 01:46:21,866
around family relationships and
connections to the natural environment.

1616
01:46:21,866 --> 01:46:26,016
And so when we're screening for ACEs,
ACE-associated health conditions

1617
01:46:26,016 --> 01:46:30,316
and protective factors, that we have
to really think about what is it

1618
01:46:30,316 --> 01:46:33,406
that we want to know and what
do we need to know to heal,

1619
01:46:33,406 --> 01:46:36,736
or in other words, to
treat toxic stress.

1620
01:46:36,736 --> 01:46:43,876
And so these seven areas, when we look
at quality sleep, balanced nutrition,

1621
01:46:43,876 --> 01:46:48,676
physical activity, mindfulness
practices, experiencing nature,

1622
01:46:48,676 --> 01:46:53,096
mental health care, supportive
relationships.

1623
01:46:53,096 --> 01:46:59,376
And so one thing, and if you
see one thing from this slide,

1624
01:46:59,376 --> 01:47:02,796
that toxic stress is treatable.

1625
01:47:03,306 --> 01:47:08,956
And we have tools and strategies to
help people heal their physiology.

1626
01:47:14,056 --> 01:47:15,976
And so now that we've heard
the testimonials from members

1627
01:47:15,976 --> 01:47:19,606
of the Indigenous community,
how has your view

1628
01:47:19,606 --> 01:47:22,686
of trauma-informed care evolved?

1629
01:47:22,686 --> 01:47:27,956
What are some important factors to
consider to establish trust, safety,

1630
01:47:27,956 --> 01:47:29,596
and collaborative decision-making?

1631
01:47:29,666 --> 01:47:34,346
And we've kind of been talking about
this throughout the entire presentation,

1632
01:47:34,426 --> 01:47:35,886
but what are some of the ways

1633
01:47:35,886 --> 01:47:42,796
that we can support trusting
relationships, a safe environment?

1634
01:47:42,796 --> 01:47:47,646
And how does the content of the
module impact screening for ACEs

1635
01:47:47,646 --> 01:47:49,546
and treatment of toxic stress?

1636
01:47:49,546 --> 01:47:54,956
So these are things to kind of think
about as we have these discussions here.