Summary Existing studies characterizing gut microbiome variation in the United States suffer from population ascertainment biases, with individuals of American Indian ancestry being among the most under-represented. Here, we describe the first gut microbiome diversity study of an American Indian community. We partnered with the Cheyenne & Arapaho (C&A), federally recognized American Indian Tribes in Oklahoma, and compared gut microbiome diversity and metabolic function of C&A participants to individuals of non-native ancestry in Oklahoma (NNI). While the C&A and NNI participants share microbiome features common to industrialized populations, the C&A participants had taxonomic profiles characterized by a reduced abundance of the anti-inflammatory bacterial genus Faecalibacterium, along with a fecal metabolite profile similar to dysbiotic states described for metabolic disorders. American Indians are known to be at elevated risk for metabolic disorders. While many aspects of this health disparity remain poorly understood, our results support the need to further study the microbiome as a contributing factor. As the field of microbiome research transitions to therapeutic interventions, it raises concerns that the continued exclusion and lack of participation of American Indian communities in these studies will further exacerbate health disparities. To increase momentum in fostering these much needed partnerships, it is essential that the scientific community actively engage in and recruit these vulnerable populations in basic research through a strategy that promotes mutual trust and understanding, as outlined in this study.

Sexual activity over the life course is strongly associated with better health and greater personal happiness, yet the sexuality of aging adults has been a neglected topic. There is a lack of research on those with a consensually non-exclusive sexual relationship style regardless of age. This research examines whether such an orientation has positive effects on sexual frequency, health and personal happiness, and how this might inform counselors and therapists providing services to older adults. The authors collected 502 responses via an online survey from individuals aged 55 and older residing in the United States who engage in consensually non-exclusive sexual relationships. Self-reported health and happiness, number of sexual partners, and sexual frequency were compared with 723 similar respondents from the nationallyrepresentative 2012 United States (US) General Social Survey. Key findings were: irrespective of formal relationship status, the non-exclusive sample reported significantly more sexual partners, more sexual frequency, better health, and were much more likely to have had an HIV test than the general US population; the nonexclusive sample also reported being significantly happier than the general population, with the exception of married men, who reported being as happy as the general population sample; and regression analyses suggest that the factors which predict better health and happiness differ between the general population and those who participate in consensually non-exclusive sexual relationships. In summary, this study examines sexuality among the healthy aging population. Participation (or interest in participation), in consensual non-exclusive sexual relationship styles can be rewarding and contribute to personal health and happiness, as much as or more than monogamous marriages.

Oklahoma's history books make little mention of the sociocultural significance and impact of all‐Black towns within the state. There is scant information in Oklahoma's historical and archaeological records that discuss the roles of women in all‐Black communities. The town of Dorason was an all‐Black town settlement in Western Oklahoma. It was nestled between two all‐Black towns within an American Indian tribal district. Miles away, the bustling railroad town of Elwat would later become home to many descendants from the all‐Black towns we discuss in this chapter. Very little remains in these mostly forgotten spaces and places. Through a process of ethnohistorical investigation and several trips to field sites, our research places descendant community narratives within Black Feminist archaeological scholarship. Our purpose in privileging narratives is two‐fold: 1) to fill in the gaps between the archaeology of storytelling and space and place literature; and 2) to illustrate the ways in which storytelling situated within archaeological frameworks is empowering. The inclusion of these narratives creates an understanding of empowerment through all‐Black town space and placemaking. We argue that intimate space, storytelling within spaces, and strong social networks are and were critical elements of self‐empowerment and emancipatory practices in contentious spaces.

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Background: American Indians experience disproportionally high rates of diet-related metabolic disorders. Suboptimal retail food environments make obtaining healthy food difficult, particularly for rural American Indians, and contribute to ill health. Objective: This project examined food availability in food stores within a tribal community. Design: Audits were conducted of all retail stores that sell food within nine communities within the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Jurisdictional Area.Main Measures: Freedman Grocery Store Survey and the Healthy Food Assessment Survey.Key Results: Local populations were often reliant on convenience and dollar stores that prominently featured alcohol, tobacco, and ultra-processed food—and offered very little fresh produce. Convenience stores comprised more than half of all area food stores and were the only source of food in one-third of the communities. Only larger communities had supermarkets that sold fresh produce as well as ultraprocessed food. Dollar stores stocked primarily alcohol, tobacco, and ultraprocessed foods, and were rapidly displacing local markets that sold fresh produce. In general, alcohol and tobacco were far more available than vegetables and fruits in food stores. Conclusions: The limited availability of healthy food helps to explain our previous findings on dysbiotic microbiomes in Cheyenne & Arapaho individuals. The predominance of convenience stores and the growth of dollar stores in the tribal jurisdictional area contributed to a suboptimal food environment.