The Seventh Generation: Native Students Speak About Finding the Good Path
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 472 385 RC 023 865 AUTHOR Bergstrom, Amy; Cleary, Linda Miller; Peacock, Thomas D. TITLE The Seventh Generation: Native Students Speak about Finding the Good Path. INSTITUTION ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, Charleston, WV. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. ISBN ISBN-1-880785-25-0 PUB DATE 2003-00-00 NOTE 205p. CONTRACT ED -99 -CO -0027. AVAILABLE FROM ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348 ($20). Tel: 800-624-9120 (Toll Free). PUB TYPE Books (010) Opinion Papers (120) -- Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Alaska Natives; *American Indian Students; American Indians; Canada Natives; Elementary Secondary Education; Ethnicity; Individual Development; Personal Narratives; *Resilience (Personality); Secondary School Students; *Self Concept; Social Support Groups; Spirituality; *Student Attitudes; *Student Experience; Student Motivation; *Values; Youth Problems ABSTRACT Many American Indian, First Nations, and Alaska Native cultures have prophecies about the "Seventh Generation"--young people who will have a spiritual and cultural awakening and lead the regeneration of the nations and the earth. This book honors the Seventh Generation. It draws on the words of 120 Native youth, interviewed in the United States and Canada, to share what can be learned from their stories of success, failure, growth, and resilience. Chapters focus on themes that emerged in these stories: glimpses into the lives of Native youth, factors that influence how youth develop a Native identity, things that make life and school difficult, ways that students handle difficulty, different intellectual gifts and how they may be used to help one's people, finding the help and motivation to succeed in school, and how students found the "good path" and where it has taken them. The final chapter, written especially for teachers and youth workers, provides information about how to help Native youth develop resiliency and gives more detail about the research methods used and the philosophy underlying this unusual project. Interspersed throughout the book are short fictional "teaching stories" meant to illustrate common dilemmas faced by Native youth and possible responses. Discussion questions are included to help youth use the stories as starting points for voicing their own concerns and experiences and for considering how they too might find the good path. (Contains 55 references and an index.) (SV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. eTh ' U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement ir^1 EDU ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproducedas ri received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions slated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. "N-e r . _. 411SIIINSLA. AT : , 1. L 'I 4.4. ii,C41.7. ; rKs 2 11 About the Authors Amy Bergstrom, a member of the Red Lake Nation (Anishinaabeg) is director of the American Indian Teacher Corps Program at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College and a faculty member in the Department of Education at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. She completed her bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota at Duluth and her master's in education from Harvard University. Linda Miller Cleary is a professor in the English Department at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. She completed her doctorate at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is the coauthor of Collected Wisdom with Thomas D. Peacock and the author of From the Other Side of the Desk, Children's Voices, and Linguistics for Teachers. Her research interests include the study of the interaction of affect and cognition during writing, literacy motivation, and the literacy of Indigenous people. Thomas D. Peacock, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Supe- rior Ojibwe, is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota at Duluth, where he teaches educational research and leadership and coor- dinates master's and doctoral programs. He completed his graduate study (M.Ed. and Ed.D.) at Harvard University. Peacock is the author or coau- thor of several books, including Collected Wisdom, with Linda Miller Cleary; A Forever Story: The People and Community of the Fond du Lac Reservation; Ojibwe: We Look in All Directions; and The Good Path, a book about Ojibwe history, culture, and philosophy written for middle school students. 3 NO-ii - The Seventh Generation Native Students Speak about Finding the Good Path by Amy Bergstrom Linda Miller Cleary Thomas D. Peacock ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Charleston, West Virginia 4 ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Ao- PO. Box 1348 Charleston, WV 25325-1348 © 2003 by AEL All rights reserved except for use by the government of the United States of America. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bergstrom, Amy, 1970 - The seventh generation : native students speak about finding the good path / by Amy Bergstrom, Linda Miller Cleary, Thomas Peacock p. cm. Summary: Native American youth discuss their lives, especially focusing on issues of ethnic identity, coping with problems, education, self-esteem, and finding their way to the "Good Path." Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-880785-25-0(alk. paper) 1. Indian youthNorth AmericaAttitudes. 2. Indians of North AmericaEducation. 3. Indians of North AmericaEthnic identity. 4. Indians of North AmericaSocial conditions. [1. Indians of North AmericaSocial conditions. 2. Indians of North AmericaEthnic identity.] I. Cleary, Linda Miller. II. Peacock, Thomas D. III. Title. E98.Y68 B47 2003 305 .897dc21 2002192764 ISBN 1-880785-25-0 Cover art by Michael Switzer, Design Works, Charleston, WV 00 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the AmericanNational Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools is operated by AEL and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. AEL is a catalyst for schools and communities to build lifelong learning systems that harness resources, research, and practical wisdom. Information about AEL projects, programs, and services is available on our Web site or by writing or calling us. AEL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improve- ment, U.S. Department of Education, under contract number ED -99 -CO -0027. The opinions ex- pressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI, the Department, or AEL. Fv110.-iv 5 To the Seventh Generation: Survive Keep hopes and dreams Take care of yourself Remember your spirit Be there for each other Respect courage Share knowledge Always keep learning Remember your true values Message from Native elders given at the "Strengthening the Sacred Circle: 2000 and Beyond" Conference of the National Indian Council on Aging V CorrrEwrs Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1. Introduction 1 The Story of Our Research 3 An Overview of the Book 3 Chapter 2. Stories, Stories, Stories 5 Maria's Story 5 What Are You Watching Us For? 6 Sunshine's Story 10 Live One Day with Me 10 North Star's Story 13 You Just Have to Go with the Program 14 Quoetone's Story 16 Instead of Just Pumping Gas 16 Sipsis's Story 20 We Consider Life Differently 20 A Message from Elders 24 Chapter 3. Just Be: Knowing Who You Are 25 What Is Identity? 26 A Coat of Armor 27 Some Challenges to a Healthy Sense of Self 29 Effects of Colonization and Oppression 29 Racism and Internalized Racism 29 Blood Quantum 30 Skin Color 30 Voices of Harmony and Balance 32 Spirituality 32 Culture Connection 34 Pride in Being American Indian, First Nations, or Alaska Native 35 Connection to Place or to a Healthy Person 36 Full Circle 37 Foll-vii2 Contents Chapter 4. When Life Gets Tough 39 Things We Have to Deal with in School 40 Gordee's Story 40 It's Coming from All Directions 44 Curriculum and Teaching Practices 44 Discipline Practices 45 Peer Harassment 46 Things We Have to Cope with in Our Communities and Families 47 Oppression 47 Contradictions 48 Community Problems 49 Dysfunction in Families 51 Coping When Things Get Tough 52 The Beads of the Eagle: A Teaching Story 55 When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Them into Lemonade 62 Chapter 5. Bouncing Back or Reaching a Breaking Point 63 Resilience 64 Jamie 65 Things That Can Lead to Giving Up on School 66 Absenteeism and Tardiness 66 Anger 67 Teen Pregnancy 67 Alcohol and Drugs 68 Sexism 69 Living Out the Low Expectations of Others 69 Things That Help Students Be Resilient 70 Strength in Culture 70 Turning Things Around 71 A Teaching Story 72 Season Spirits 72 Discussion Questions for "Season Spirits" 84 A Review 84 Questions for Educators 84 Full Circle 85 Chapter 6. Honoring Our Gifts 87 A Hunting Metaphor 87 Jeremy's Intelligence and How He Learned to Use It 89 In Jeremy's Own Words: "I Had Art Going for Me" 89 Fele- viii -Neel Contents So, What Are Your Gifts? 91 Intelligences That Lead to School Success 91 Linguistic (Language)-Verbal 91 Logical-Mathematical 92 The Other, Often Extracurricular, Intelligences 92 Bodily-Kinesthetic 92 Visual-Spatial 93 Musical 94 Interpersonal 95 Intrapersonal 95 Emerging Regard for Other Intelligences 96 Naturalist Intelligence 96 Spiritual-Existential Intelligence 97 The Interrelatedness of Your Gifts: Holistic Approaches 99 Cherishing Your Intelligences and Developing New Strengths 100 So, What's the Connection with Learning Styles? 100 Attention and Intelligences 101 You Can Develop Many Intelligences 102 Believing in Yourself: A Personal Story 104 A Quest: How to Use Your Intelligences to Chart Your Future 105 Chapter 7.