Examining American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) resilience using the
life course framework could inform public health strategies that support
favorable health outcomes, despite adversity (e.g., discrimination, historical
loss, comorbidity). A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published
from 1970 to 2015 yielded eight articles on AI/AN life course and resilience. A
content analysis identified three themes. AI/AN resilience is 1) an ongoing,
dynamic process, 2) evident within linked lives and life transitions, and 3)
accessed through cultural knowledge and practice. Resilience research could
change the paradigm of AI/AN health research to guide asset-based approaches
across the life course.
Purpose: Hózhó is the cultural wisdom that guides the Diné lifeway. This study examines understanding of cultural wisdom (CW) across three generations: elders, adults, and adolescents. Method: A focused ethnography was conducted on the Navajo Nation. Twenty-two Diné (Navajo) were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected via two semistructured interviews and photovoice methods. Data were analyzed using content analysis, thematic analysis, and participatory visual analysis of photos. Results: The Diné elders embodied the greatest in-depth understanding of CW followed by the adolescents. An unexpected finding was the scarcity of understanding of CW among the adults. Conclusion: The Diné understanding of CW is transferred through discussion with elders, listening to and speaking traditional language, cultural preservation activities, and participation in cultural practices. The Diné believe cultural wisdom is a health sustaining protective factor, therefore strategies to restore, promote, and support the intergenerational transfer of cultural wisdom remains a tribal priority.
Young people can be valuable motivational resources for health promotion. A project implemented from 2009 through 2013 in a small American Indian community in northwest Arizona recruited American Indian young people aged 10 to 21 as agents of change for health promotion through radio programming. Thirty-seven participants were recruited and trained in broadcasting and creative writing techniques; they produced and aired 3 radio dramas. In post-project evaluation, participants were confident they could influence community behaviors but thought that training techniques were too similar to those used in school activities and thus reduced their drive to engage. Effective engagement of young people requires creativity to enhance recruitment, retention, and impact.
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