REPOR TRESUMES ED 012 669 RC 001 508 DISABLED NAVAJOINDIANS ANDREHABILITATION-AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL OVERVIEW. BY- KELLY, ROGER E. NORTHERN ARIZONAUNIV., FLAGSTAFF REPORT NUMBER NAVAJO-REHAB-PROJ-TR-2 PUS DATE EDRS PRICE 67 MF-$0.50 HC-$2.72 68P. DESCRIPTORS- CULTURE, CULTURAL BACKGROUND,CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, *ECONOMICFACTORS, EDUCABLE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, MINORITYGROUPS, *MEDICAL EVALUATION* MEDICAL SERVICES, MEDICALCASE HISTORIES,MENTAL RETARDATION, *NAVAJO, *PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED,PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT, PHYSICALHANDICAPS, *REHABILITATION, REHABILITATION PROGRAMS, VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION,AMERICAN INDIANS, FLAGSTAFF, NAVAJO REHABILITATIONPROJECT THE NAVAJO REHABILITATION PROJECTSTUDIED THE REACTIONS OF THE NAVAJO TO ILLNESSES AND DISABILITIES.THE PURPOSES OF THIS REPORT WERE (2) TO PROVIDE CERTAINFACTS AND VIEWPOINTS FOR REHABILITATION PROJECT WORKERS,(2) TO PROVIDE OF TYPICAL CASE SUMMATIONS HISTORIES,(3) TO SUGGESTAVENUES or FUTURE RESEARCH,(4) TO ILLUSTRATE THAT COOPERATIVEEFFORT CAN BRING SUCCESS IN THE SOLUTION OF DISABILITYPROBLEMS, AND (5)TO ASSEMBLE A PRELIMINARY SYNTHESIS FOR FUTURERESEARCH. DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM CASE FILES OF THENAVAJO REHABILITATION PROJECT, OBSERVATIONS AND NOTES OF THESTAFF, COMMUNICATIONS WITH ANTHROPOLOGISTS, AND PUBLICIZEDSTUDIES. THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT (1) DISABLED NAVAJO INDIVIDUALSHAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY VALUED, SINCE SUCH PERSONSARE THE OPPOSITE OFTHE IDEAL, HIGHLY-VALUED NOTION OF THE NAVAJOSELF-IMAGE, (2) A MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDE IS EMERGING DUE TOCHANGES IN THE DISABLED INDIVIDUAL'S ECONOMIC ROLE,(3) THERE IS A CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT HIERARCHY OF DISABILTIY,SEVERITY, AND RESULTANT CEREMONIAL CONNOTATIONS, AND (4)SOME ATTITUDES TOWARD THE NAVAJO DISABLED ARE NOT TOODIFFERENT FROM ANGLED ATTITUDES. CASE STUDIES, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURERESEARCH, AND APPENDIXES AREPRESENTED. (SF) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF YEW GR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. DISABLED NAVAJO INDIANS AND REHABILITATION: AN 41mAnwmnelTrat nvalmTmw Navajo Rehabilitation Project TechnicalReport No._2 Roger E. Kelly Department of Anthropology Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona 1967 This investigation was supported, in part, by Research and Demonstration Grant No. RD-1213-G from the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, Department of Health,Edu- cation, and Welfare, Washington, D.C., 20201. o The Navajo, except perhaps those around Fort Defiance, are a healthy tribe. The country they inhabit is among the most salubrious regions in the Southwest. Ales Hrdlicka (1908:179) ZiataxaQ11-04290aita1041: Blind Navajo man husking corn in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona. Photo courtsey: Ray Manley, Tucson *mortommesiMeirro..."-- tii %6V1110:41MMOVAillaiThi".iiiRZT:44:-.41017r" ' vii PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It has been stated by modern medical and anthropolo- gical researchers that: By the time the fNavajoJ child arrives at school at five or six years of age, much of what is going to happen (with respect to personal healthj has already happened and he is a "veteran" of human disease. He may be infected with tubercle bacilli, may be deaf from streptococcal infections of the ear, may have some visual difficulties because of trachoma, and may have been walking since infancy with a congenitally dislo- cated hip (McDermott and others 1960:281-2). If such a child achieves adulthood with a similar combination of physical difficulties, he will be one of a large but unde- scribed group of disabled Navajo individuals. While Navajo culture has received considerable atten- tion from anthropologists and others, one aspect, that of the disabled in Navajo life, has not.The recent establish- ment of the Navajo Rehabilitation Project on the campus of Northern Arizona University (formally Arizona State College) has been one attempt to deal with the Navajo disabled in terms of rehabilitation with an assumed goal of integrating them into modern American society, This Project and its allied components were direct efforts toward the economic and self- image rehabilitation of Navajo c9.sabled individuals and in- volved eValuationof skills, psychometric testing, training in work situations, and other procedures (see Peterson, 1963, 1964; Anonymous 1965). As part of Program research, a brief study of disabled individuals was begun in 1964 by the author and Dr. William Griffen, both part-time Research Anthropologists of the staff. We were also members of the Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University. Prior to this time, Dr. Ralph Luebben, (now a member of the Department of Anthropology, Colorado State Women's College), and Mr. Charles C. Case, (Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University), held similar positions and initiated anthropological research -.4.-4 -4.-- .4 viii on other topics. These men developed anacculturation questionnaire, similar to Appendix C,which was administered to some clients. While their work was notcarried to conclu- sion, it has provided a basefor other studiessuch as that reported here. The present paper is a reportof research completedby the author, since Dr. Griffendiscontinued hicactivities with the Program. While he has notparticipated in the pre- paration of this report, muchof the basic datagathering and research design was greatlyaided by his efforts. Dr. Grifien and those persons mentionedbelow, however, are notto be held responsible for statements, opinions,and interpretationswith- in this report. Grateful acknowledgementis made to thefollowing persons fortheir interest, efforts, andcooperation: Dr. Jerold Levy Mr. Lawrence Powers Mr. David M. Brugge Mrs. Lisbeth Eubank Mr. Charles C. Case To other staff members,Navajo clients, andcolleagues, thanks must be extended fortheir insights, observations;and state- ments. R.E.K. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE FOREWORD . FRONTISPIECE PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION Purpose of Report Sources and Limitations of Data Methodology and Or',anization of Report II. ILLNESS AND DISABILITY IN NAVAJO CULTURE Supernatural Etiologies Non-Supernatural Etiologies. Navajo Categories and Descriptions of State of Illness Navajo Mythology and the Disabled Impact of Modern Medicine Historical Perspectivei regarding the Navajo Disabled III. THE DISABLED CLIENT: SOME CASE HISTORIES 19 Cured Disabling Conditions Multiple Disabilities Mentally Retarded and Emotionally Disturbed s-age-. III. THE DISABLED CLIENT: SOME CASE HISTORIES (continued) PAGE Impaired Communication )1..! Disabilities of Locomotion and Manipulation Epilepsy-Cerebral Palsy Reaction to Disability Comparative Data Client and Family Reaction To Disabilities Cured Conditions Multiple Disabilities Mentally Retarded and Emotional Disturbance Impaired Communication Locomotion - Manipulation Epilepsy-Cerebral Palsy Behavior of Clients While In Rehabilitation IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 38 Discussion of Research Hypotheses Suggestions for Future Research APPENDIX A. Navajo Ceremonials; Groupings, AssOciations, and Features . 42 APPENDIX B. Communications from Observers 45 . APPENDIX C. Acculturation Questionnaire 50 APPENDIX D. Navajo Sobriquets 52 REFERENCES 53 xi LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I. Categories of Disabled NavajoClients 6 II. Reported Disabling Condit!..onson the Navajo Reservation; Fiscal Years1963, 1964 14 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Map of Navajo Reservation 7 s CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Even though the ethnographic dataabout the Navajo Indians of north-eastern Arizonaand north-western New Mexico is volumi- nous, little research has been accomplishedregarding the social role, treatment, and personalcharacteristics of the Navajo dis- abled. Certainly students of Navajo culturehave stated that disabled Navajo individualsare negatively valued since such per- Ions are the opposite of the ideal, highly-valuednotion of Navajo self-image. As the Leightons statedover twenty years ago: In general, Navahos havean uneasy feeling about people who show some physical deformity. This may be related to their fear of witchcraft and resultin their thinking that since such aparson cannot do very much because of the de- formity, he may try to exertpower or gain riches in an ab- normal way.Their fear is probably in part dueto feeling that since the deformedare out of harmony with the forces of nature, contact with themmay bring disharmony to one's own life? according to the general principleof contagious magic,,..Their uneasiness is doubtlessalso linked with their admir%tion of physical perfection,a point of view said to have "-seen dictated by the HolyBeings (1944:61). Physical deformityor disability may be accompanied by poverty, a negative personality,and low social prestige. The effect of these physical and non-physicaldisvalued characteris- tics on Navajo life has been describedby Albert as follows: deformity or ugliness with theconsequent likelihood of sexual and social rejection, clothesso poor that one would not want to be seen ata sing, and a bad temper which alien- ates friends, are both misfortunesor vices, closing off the channels which lead to the realizationof the good life (1956:246). &MR 2. Such comments can be found in the literature of Navajo ethnography, but rarely are individuals discussed, disabling conditions de- scribed, ors. status and role positions compared. 2.11IMULQ...QLait9S2Lt. This report, as a presentation of limited data