Page 6
April 18, 1996 - SMOKE SIGNALS
Values of Native American people
Here are some examples of how the Native American value
system differs from the values of mainstream society.
EXTENDED FAMILY
Indian cultures consider many individu
als to be relatives. Aunts are often con
sidered to be "mothers." Uncles are of
ten called "fathers," and cousins are
brothers and sisters of the immediate fam
ily. Clan members are also considered
to be relatives.
AGE
Elders are respected. Experience is felt
to bring knowledge. The older one is,
the more knowledgeable heshe is. No
effort is made to conceal white hair or
other signs of aging.
GIVING
The respected member of many Indian
communities is the one who shares and
gives all of hisher wealth to others. As
resources are available, the virtue is to
share them and use them.
ROLES AND STATUS
Attitudes toward a person are not usu
ally contingent upon that person's role or
status the community, or the fact that a
person holds a title or is considered by
others to have power, authority, or influ
ence in a private or government organi
zation. COMPACT LIVING
Several people living in close quarters
provides each person with a spiritual
source of world security. One can live
modestly and comfortably in close quar
ters. HUMANS WALK IN BALANCE
WITH MOTHER EARTH
The earth and all the creatures dwelling
upon it are here to respect and enjoy. If
humans accept this world as heshe
should, there will be balance and har
mony and an abundance of food to sus
tain good health.
PATIENCE
To have much patience and to be able to
wait is considered to be a good quality.
Decisions are made after much thought,
contemplation, and advice from elders.
FEW MATERIAL THINGS
Timeliness and grace of giving are vir
tues to be admired. Members of tribes
are often suspicious of individuals who
collect many material possessions. Some
tribes hold celebrations and give away
most of their possessions to others as
"love gifts" or "honor gifts."
TODAY CONCEPT
Indian people generally live each day as
it comes. Plans for tomorrow are left until
the future becomes the present. To be
occupied with things and events too far
into the future is to invite trouble and
threatening influence for those future
plans.
NON-COMPETITION .
What one is going to do or'have in life
is usually not an issue in the Indian home.
Tribal cohesion, tribal solidarity, and
tribal prosperity are ideals which all work
together. There is a decided "us," "we,"
and "our" orientation to possessions and
success. Indian people, however, are very
competitive in sports. Sports are games.
Life is not a game.
SHAME
Personal actions are based upon what re
wards behavior will invite., No guilt is
experienced over the act of wrongdoing
itself. Disciplinary actions among Indian
groups often include shaming an indi
vidual, but once this is done, no guilty
feelings are held by an individual, and
the group forgets the transgression. The
personal shame and public ridicule aris
ing from the negative fruition of poor
behavior andor poor judgement com
prises the punishment.
TIME IS UNIMPORTANT
Time is a very relative thing. Clocks
are not watched. One does the things that
need to be done. "Indian Time" means
the time when everyone gets there. If a
community meeting is set for 1p.m.,
people will come as near to that time as
they wish. So the meeting may actually
begin later, and this bothers no one.
There will always be time in which things
can be done, so pressure to do things at
specific times is a foreign concept to
many Native peoples. The concept of
"wasting time" is not understood (i.e., as
long as a person is breathing, living, and
occupying space in the physical world,
that person is not wasting time).
Reprinted from "The Indian Child Welfare
Act" produced by the Indian Child Welfare
Consortium in Escondido, California.
CHS billing questions
are answered
Just a reminder to all tribal members that
if you are Contract Health Services eligible,
you need to call in your appointments for
authorization, and speak with Jackie or
Julie. You must do this regardless of
whether you have other health insurance,
otherwise you may receive a warning or
denial letter for that appointment, and held
responsible for all the charges incurred from
that visit to your physician. All doctor vis
its must be pre-authorized, and all emer
gency room visits need to be reported to us
within 72 hours.
Also, CHS is having some billing prob
lems with Laboratory Corporation of
America. CHS is working out the problems
with LabCorp. If you receive any corre
spondence from them please send CHS a
copy, and DONT PANIC! Contract Health
Services would like to apologize for any
inconvenience this has caused tribal mem
bers. LabCorp has double-billed many ac
counts, and the CHS staff has caught them.
The Tribe is no longer doing business with
this company, and the staff is working hard
to get these accounts cleared up. Your pa
tience is appreciated."" ...
Smoke Detector Month
April is "Check Your Smoke Detector
Month." Smoke inhalation is the number
one killer of victims of home fires!
Please take a moment this month to check
the smoke detector in your home, replace
the batteries, and make sure the beeper is
loud enough. Your family's lives may de
pend on it!
If your smoke detector is wired into the
electrical system of your home, just press
the button. If it beeps, then it is okay. If
not, then you need to have it checked by an
electrician or replaced with a battery oper
ated one.
Blue Ribbons from TFAP
April is National Child Abuse and Neglect
Awareness Month, and the Tribal Family
Action Program is sending blue ribbons to
tribal members and employees a blue ribbon
to tie to car antennae in support of the Blue
Ribbon Campaign, sponsored by the tribal
programs of Foster Home Care, Domestic
Violence, and Indian Child Welfare.
Please join TFAP in recognition and pre
vention of child abuse and neglect. Tie your
blue ribbon to your car or other display, area,
and let people know what it represents!
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