Indian Counselors, Indian Culture

Consider Chief Sitting Bull’s response to the American policy of assimilation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man, he would have made me so in the ?rst place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in His sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.

Cultural decimation and assimilation still have direct counseling rami?cations, especially if the counselor represents White European culture. While genocidal policies in the 376 Interviewing Special PopulationsUnited States are now mainly historical, contemporary struggles regarding land use and impingement on tribal sovereignty are relics of the same policies. White European counselors bear little responsibility for past events. However, they can still be perceived as representative of a dominant culture encroaching on the rights of Indian people. From a relationship building perspective, establishing trust may require extra sensitivity.

The danger of overgeneralization notwithstanding, here are a few speci?c cultural variables that can be used to help orient an interviewer working with Indian clients.

Tribal Identity

Asking an Indian client about his or her tribe is an important component of an initial interview. The client may choose not to tell you very much, but nearly all Indian people identify themselves as belonging to a tribe, band, or clan . Although it may reveal your unfamiliarity with the tribe named, interviewers should not be shy about asking for the correct pronunciation and spelling. Even Indian counselors do not know the names and practices of every existing tribe . No matter how much or how little tribal identity exists in a given individual, it is an important component of Indian culture . Asking about tribal af?liation and identity begins an important process between the counselor and the Indian client. After clients identify their tribes, an easy follow up question is: “Tell me the things you value most about being Assiniboine.” When non Indian interviewers pretend to know too much about Indian life or tribal issues, they risk damaging rapport with Indian clients. Respectful questioning about tribal af?liation is more appropriate and much less presumptive.