Cultural Competence with First Nations Peoples (Lum - Chapter 9)

April 24, 2008
SWK254N –Understanding Diverse Populations
Professor Mayra Lopez-Humphreys
Cultural Competence with First Nations Peoples (Lum - Chapter 9)

In order to establish a healthy and efficient client/worker relationship with First Nations people, it is essential for the social worker to be very sensitive, knowledgeable and familiar with their background and their cultures. The social worker should exercise self-awareness, patience, respect, a non-judgmental attitude, and an open-mind to help ease the hearts and the minds of these people. They are to remain mindful of the painful experiences that this group has suffered from the U. S. government who robbed them of their land, and stripped them of their indigenous culture. The social worker should also be aware that they too might possibly be perceived as an adversary who works for the government.
The U.S. enforced a policy with the sole intent to eradicate the indigenous culture. They took the children of the First Nations families and communities. Placed them into church boarding schools and homes of white families, where they were harshly disciplined and forced to learn the American culture. The children would be severely punished whenever they spoke in their indigenous language. This painful process of change forced the children to lose sight and value of their indigenous heritage. If and when they were to ever return home, they would no longer be able to identify with their culture.
Germ warfare was another means by which others tried to destroy this group of people. It did however unfortunately have a great impact in the First Nations community. It was reported that British and American people willfully spread measles, smallpox and cholera throughout the Native communities. These epidemics annihilated 95 to 99 percent of the indigenous population.
These incidents are a mere summary of the sufferings that First Nations people have experienced throughout the years, and in some states continues even to this day.
First Nations people had always managed to care for themselves and their communities. They never sought assistance from those outside of thier community. They governed themselves well, and survived off their own land. Nature is an essential element to this group of people and they faithfully and diligently labored to maintain their land. The land was very prosperous with rich and fertile soil.
The wicked mind and greedy hearts of those on the outside knew the value of their land and decided that they wanted it and would take it by any means necessary. Nevertheless, they discovered that this would not be an easy task, because First Nations people were a very strong, united and dedicated people. Therefore, they would need to find a way to weaken the Natives. As previously mentioned, they separated their children from them. They brought diseases in to eliminate the vast majority. They even found a way to confuse their minds, by introducing them to alcohol. And after forcing them to a point of vulnerability and inadequacy, they labeled them as incapable of governing themselves. Hence, taking advantage of this opportunity to come in and take full control of the people and their land.
How can a social worker assist a people who were robbed of their land and forcibly stripped of their dignity, identity and culture? Especially when even the social worker might be viewed by this people as the enemy. Answer: Hopefully, a social worker that is culturally competent can help in many ways. Because they are equipped with the knowledge that they have acquired about this particular group of people. They are prepared to provide them with as much information as possible. They have researched policies and agencies that can aide these people. They will support and join alongside them to fight for social justice. They will help them to discover ways to reconnect with their culture, and find ways to empower them and give them new hope. The worker will work with a sincere heart of concern and care and intentionally ensure the client that they are on their side and can be trusted.