Laughing It Up: Native American Humor as Spiritual Tradition

Garrett, Michael Tlanusta; Garrett, J. T.; Rivera, Edil Torres; Wilbur, Michael; Roberts-Wilbur, Janice

doi:10.1002/j.2161-1912.2005.tb00016.x

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A final subset of items transcended multiple theoretical models integrated in Ponterotto (2010a). For example, the construct of humor is emphasized in the model of the tolerant personality (Allport, 1979) and in the worldview and cultural adaptability perceptions of many indigenous peoples (Garrett, Garrett, Torres-Rivera, Wilbur, & Roberts-Wilbur, 2005;Jones, 2003;Vereen, Butler, Williams, Darg, & Downing, 2006); and the construct of social activism is central to the models of cultural flex theory and highest levels of racial identity development Ramirez, 1999b). All Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI) items were newly written and not extracted from previous measures.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Development and Initial Validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI)

Ponterotto

Fietzer

Fingerhut

et al. 2013

Journal of Personality Assessment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two studies summarize the development and initial validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI). In Study 1, the 115-item prototype MPI was administered to 415 university students where exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 70-item, 7-factor model. In Study 2, the 70-item MPI and theoretically related companion instruments were administered to a multisite sample of 576 university students. Confirmatory factory analysis found the 7-factor structure to be a relatively good fit to the data (Comparative Fit Index =.954; root mean square error of approximation =.057), and MPI factors predicted variance in criterion variables above and beyond the variance accounted for by broad personality traits (i.e., Big Five). Study limitations and directions for further validation research are specified.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Development and Initial Validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI)

Ponterotto

Fietzer

Fingerhut

et al. 2013

Journal of Personality Assessment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Hirch (2005) argued that the stereotypical perception of Aboriginal people has been one of the humorless "stoic Indian" despite the fact that humor and laughter has been, and continues to be, an integral part of Indigenous life (Garrett et al, 2005). The use of humor within Aboriginal communities has been used to help individuals survive colonization (Hayden Taylor, 2005;Spielmann, 2009) and to also maintain hope for the future (Hirch, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In contrast to its history in Western culture, humor within Indigenous societies is rooted in ways of coping and healing, maintaining a sense of community and is used as a teaching tool (Garrett, Garrett, Torres-Rivera, Wilbur, & Roberts-Wilbur, 2005). Hirch (2005) argued that the stereotypical perception of Aboriginal people has been one of the humorless "stoic Indian" despite the fact that humor and laughter has been, and continues to be, an integral part of Indigenous life (Garrett et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Use of Humor to Help Bridge Cultural Divides: An Exploration of a Workplace Cultural Awareness Workshop

Rocke

2015

Social Work with Groups

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Humor can be used to ease tensions and create a safe place to dialogue across cultural differences in educational initiatives that seek to address social inequality. Little is written however on the appropriate use of humor within these educational programs. This article explores how group facilitators utilized specific types of humor to challenge ill-informed or intolerant statements while still maintaining a safe space to dialogue across difference. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal worldviews on the understanding and use of humor are contrasted to help inform group facilitators on the knowledge and skills needed to appropriately utilize humor within their work.On September 21, 2008, Brian Sinclair died in the emergency room of a large urban hospital after waiting 34 hours for treatment of a bladder infection. Brian Sinclair was a 45-year-old homeless Aboriginal 1 man who was well known to hospital staff. He was also a double amputee after losing both his legs to frostbite and had suffered from a speech impediment since childhood. Brian would have survived his infection if he had been treated with antibiotics in a timely fashion. The death of Brian Sinclair set off a firestorm of criticism of the treatment of Aboriginal people within the health care system. Questions were immediately raised about whether racism played any role in the death of Brian Sinclair. An Aboriginal leader commented in the

show abstract

“…(Berglund 2016, 10) Contrary to the stereotype according to which Indians are solemn and stoic, Native American people actually love to laugh. It is a spiritual tradition which releases stress and fosters connectiveness, as well as a political healing force, created in order to survive the countless attempts of cultural genocide, while showing a form of control of one's narratives (Tlanusta Garrett and Torres-Riviera 2005). Besides, Indian humor has historically worked as an 'ethnic glue' which mirrors 'red-white' intercultural exchanges, the use of jokes being a powerful instrument to decenter the certainties of 'structures' (Lincoln 1993).…”

Section: Playing With Visuality On Youtubementioning

confidence: 99%

Decolonizing vision: Native Americans, film and video activism

Sonza

2018

Video J. of Educ. and Pedagogy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article provides a critical reflection on, and some key examples of Native American media activism, in particular film and video making. The aim of the article is to discuss the reasons why such activism is important, consider its strength and challenges, as underpinned by the work of critical media scholars, such as Stuart Hall and other prominent scholars. To do so, it provides relevant examples and cases which point at the role of and issues surrounding image, representation, (in) visibility, access, recognition, dissemination, censorship and identity, in relation to video activism. The main findings are that video activism can be a helpful tool in the frame of Native Americans' struggles for self-making and sovereignty, reversing the trend established historically first by the European settlers, and then by the American 'mainstream' population, whose aim was to erase and assimilate Indigenous peoples. However, although we pinpoint the fact that indigenous media, such as Fourth Cinema or video productions broadcast on platforms like Youtube, are used as political tools by Native Americans, the essay also means to highlight the limits of such tools, whether the latter are theoretical, or practical. In summary, this article considers traditional indigenous media in self-making processes, mainly through the importance of filmmaking. Furthermore, it emphasizes how resistance, resurgence and sovereignty are pursued with the utilization of digital Indigenous media. It also tries to underline the limits of those methods which should be taken into account to strengthen Indigenous activism. Finally, even if these points are related here to Native American activism, they seem relevant to any kind of activism. It is hence key to highlight that the critical arguments and example provided here can support teachers' work related to social justice. Teachers can use the examples and points made here as a reflection trigger with students in higher education across disciplines and high school, within and beyond the fields that tackle media, culture, sociology, and history.

show abstract

Laughing It Up: Native American Humor as Spiritual Tradition

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Development and Initial Validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI)

Development and Initial Validation of the Multicultural Personality Inventory (MPI)

The Use of Humor to Help Bridge Cultural Divides: An Exploration of a Workplace Cultural Awareness Workshop

Decolonizing vision: Native Americans, film and video activism

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About