In this interview published February 5, Senator Heitkamp (D-ND) specifically addressed trauma in the Native American community—both historical and individual—and says that the proposed Commission on Native Children must develop strategies based on new science related to brain development. The legislation, S. 246, to establish the Commission has bipartisan support. Dan Press who organized a Senate Roundtable on Toxic Stress along with Tami DeCoteau on November 20 is in the process of planning for another meeting on March 3.
U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), recently re-introduced their comprehensive bi-partisan plan to find solutions to the complex challenges facing Native American children throughout Indian country.
This legislation, which received unanimous support last year in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs yet did not pass through the Senate would create a national Commission on Native Children to conduct an intensive study into issues facing Native youth – such as high rates of poverty, staggering unemployment, child abuse, domestic violence, crime, substance abuse, and few economic opportunities – and make recommendations on how to make sure Native children are better taken care of and given the opportunities to thrive.
Excerpt from the interview related to trauma: The president certainly has shown his support for Native American youth. Do you feel as though you have alliance with the president’s intentions?
Absolutely, he gathered together the relevant cabinet members to talk about Indian education. That is not good enough because you can build the best educational system, but if that young person lives in a home where there is violence or addiction or 13 people sleeping in a two-bedroom house, doesn't have enough food to eat, doesn't have healthcare or hasn't had a good start because his or her mom did not have good prenatal care, the best school in the world can help but it certainly doesn't get to the root cause of the problem.
I think we are learning more and more about brain development, more and more about historic trauma and we are smarter about strategies that could be deployed that actually would lead to hope and change. I am anxious to see those strategies deployed and discussed by the commission.
We have been doing some work that I started in the Indian affairs committee on historic trauma building on the Department of Justice report and we have been looking at this from the scientific basis. We all know that when bad things happen to us it has an effect on our future – but what we are finding out in terms of brain research is that it actually changes the chemical makeup and the ability for the brain to function. There are different kinds of strategies and therapies that can be deployed to treat trauma – if we identify that and recognize it – whether it is historic trauma including cultural changes, or whether it is one-on-one trauma – we are really learning that Native languages and building back pride in your heritage – all of those things are going to have a huge impact as well.
We don't know it all. For too often in Washington what we have done is we keep doing the same thing over and over again and thinking that we solved the problem. For people who say why should we do this? I would tell you, No. 1 – every child has value and worth in America. Beyond that, we signed a treaty and we said we will help you with healthcare, we will help you with education and we will help you with opportunity.
We have not always been a good partner with sovereign nations so we are really looking forward to also having a discussion about building on most treaty rights so that we make sure that we are living up to our obligations.
[For more of this interview by Vincent Schilling, go to
http://indiancountrytodaymedia...tive-children-159032]
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