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Native American beliefs and attitudes about disability

Tibik

I asked a friend who is a tribal member what the Abenaki word for "disabled" was.

She said "uh, we don't have one really, there is one we kind of use, but it's more about the person getting services than anything about them, or like, needing an adapted toilet…"

What followed was an interesting discussion. I do Native American storytelling and all the stories I know that include disability are positive and uplifting…

In many of the stories, the person is found to be "out of harmony" not because of whatever physical or mental impairment they might have, but because of the pressures others might have put upon them. A ritual would be undertaken to bring harmony- not to resolve the impairment, but to make the statement to the community (and the person) that they were central to the community. The ritual is about people encircling the individual and offering support and acceptance. Respect is very important- and respecting a person isn't based on a view of their worth- as all people are worthy.

Anyway… I will be posting some stories. I do talks for schools and organisations, and people are always so shocked that the focus of the stories are often either that the disabled person is gifted by their difference, or to be held in high regard for their perseverance and resilience, but never pitied or seen as "less".

One part of a story relates to a man with a badly scarred face due to being burned, he also had a stroke and moved in jerky motion. One woman, a beautiful wise woman, says she can see the world in his being, all his experiences, and asks him to tell her all he has learned… she marvels at his courage and strength. He is an exceptional weaver and makes beautiful, unique items that are in high demand because when his arm jerks, instead of seeing it as a mistake, he accepts it as beauty. In time, they become partners- and when a stranger asks why she as a beautiful woman has taken on such an imperfect man- she says "I see no imperfections, I see only evidence of a life lived fully, completely, and without surrender- how could I not love him?" It is not condescending… it's respect.

Attached is a really nice academic paper about how disability is viewed …
https://lewiscar.sites.grinnell.edu/HistoryofMedicine/uncategorized/everything-in-nature-goes-in-curves-and-circles-native-american-concepts-of-disability/

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Comments

Wibbles

I understand that Aboriginal cultures appreciate that Disabled people are just different and importantly they have an inclusive culture !!

MCMikey

I haveI have a passing interest in Native American history and found your article and the link very interesting.

An area the movies get wrong, and I have watched a number of movies where this occurs, is Native Americans leaving their elderly behind when they needed to move camp and travel long distances. I'm not saying this never happened due to extreme circumstances which we can barely imagine, but it did not ordinarily occur. The article would infer the same consideration applied to what we call disabled people as they were also respected as full and integrated members of the community.

Bringing the conversation back to present day Western culture, we often hear the term from the media "the people left behind" regarding various groups.

VIRGOSTAR

Interesting. I know nothing directly of their culture - a little about the one called the Great Mystery - but an ex friend of mine used to help on one Reservation explaining how the American government often restrict certain things we take for granted over here such as things like medication we can buy easily.

My ex friend explained how customs tear open packaging and remove things so things have to be addressed in a particular way.

The rest I cannot comment on other than they are very civilised and very spiritual by that I mean how they treat one another with respect and empathy. Not a throw away society for example.

As to other things I may like how elders on one Reservation tried to convince a younger man not to come to the UK because it was full of skinheads and other bad things and of course when he came here it was no such thing. Quite funny when you think about it but there again how much does Hollywood or others get wrong about it because of hearsay.

My ex friend also told me how they are treated in general by law enforcement and often locals but that's not for here or now only that I know things that don't get out into the public domain shall we say.

My ex friend also knew Russell Means.

Littlefatfriend

Interesting stuff, language is a funny old thing Tibik.

The vast majority of nouns and adjectives are essentially metaphors, in that they're just words created by people. At most such words may only sound like the thing they describe (clap, splash...).

Any word invented to mean "disability" is describing a potentially enormous range of different things. Some people consider ingrowing toenails or baldness to be a disability.

The word "handicap" has been borrowed from English by quite a few languages. You likely know it originates from the phrase "hand in cap," referring to a historical game of chance where participants would put their hands into a cap to settle bets. This evolved to encompass the idea of a disadvantage or unequal position, eventually applied to physical and mental conditions that create limitations. It's a metaphor.

In Thai culture, disability is sometimes linked to the Buddhist concept of karma, suggesting that disability is a result of past actions.

It's a funny old world and we make it what it is.

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