Forward steps and missteps: What we’ve learned through the process of conducting CBPR research in rural Alaska.

Historically, research in Alaska has disregarded community input, creating mistrust among tribal communities toward researchers, and resulting in communities limiting their involvement in research projects. Over the past few years, tribal communities are becoming more involved in the research process; including developing their own tribal review boards and approval processes. This has resulted in the development of rigorous tribal approval processes that protect both the tribal communities and the researchers and can be time consuming. The communities are also taking a more active role in the research projects. This paper highlights some of the challenges we have faced while conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR) with tribal communities in Alaska and share lessons learned, including challenges with academic versus tribal community expectations, language translations and bilingual elders, and disagreement between researchers and communities. We conclude the paper with recommendations that can prepare other researchers interested in conducting research with Alaska Native communities or other tribal communities across the United States that will help establish rapport and strengthen the relationships between researchers and tribal communities

Tribal Communities and Opioids

American Indians/ Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) experience overdose rates higher than any other ethnic/ racial group in the US. In recent decades the opioid epidemic has had a particularly negative impact on AI/AN populations. To respond effectively to this issue, it is vital to understand its root cause. A range of factors are responsible, with some dating back hundreds of years. The main factors are the impact of colonization and exclusion; forced migration to peripheral areas; forced removal of children and attempts at cultural genocide; poor social environments; poverty and unemployment; adverse childhood experiences; and inadequate and under-funded Federal health services. Particular blame can be attributed to the pharmaceutical industry and its active over-promotion of opioid use. A number of strategies for tackling this scourge are outlined. &nbsp

Tribal Communities and Opioids

American Indians/ Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) experience overdose rates higher than any other ethnic/ racial group in the US. In recent decades the opioid epidemic has had a particularly negative impact on AI/AN populations. To respond effectively to this issue, it is vital to understand its root cause. A range of factors are responsible, with some dating back hundreds of years. The main factors are the impact of colonization and exclusion; forced migration to peripheral areas; forced removal of children and attempts at cultural genocide; poor social environments; poverty and unemployment; adverse childhood experiences; and inadequate and under-funded Federal health services. Particular blame can be attributed to the pharmaceutical industry and its active over-promotion of opioid use. A number of strategies for tackling this scourge are outlined. &nbsp

Conservation of Indigenous Tribal Culture at Tripura, India: A Proposed Model in E-Environment

The tribal communities (indigenous groups) of Tripura have their respective arts and cultures or folklores or folktales which are initially oral and passed down to the younger generations by the senior members from generation to generation. Due to the modernization and influx of migrated people from the neighboring country to Tripura, created threats among the tribal communities for maintaining their unique identity and traditional cultures. Their enriched culture is getting mix-up and they are wondering to save their culture for the next generation. The present study discusses the issues and challenges faced by tribal communities to maintain their enriched arts and culture by keeping in view the present condition of Tripura. To provide a platform where the tribal communities can preserve their arts and cultures or folklores, one model is proposed namely Indigenous Cultural Heritage of Tripura , which might preserve their unique traditional arts and cultures or folktales

Intertribal Food Systems: A National Intertribal Survey and Report

In every corner of Indian Country, tribal communities are reclaiming their food sovereignty to create healthier choices.Because for far too long, tribal communities have been separated from their lands and disconnected from traditional foods – putting their tribal culture and health in peril. A movement is happening to rewrite this history of inequity. Tribal communities are returning to traditional practices of the past to remedy problems of the present.The Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative profiles 40 tribal-led projects that are shaking up current food systems. These are just a snapshot of the exciting efforts improving the health of communities across Indian Country

Cross-Cultural Collaborations for Addressing Opioid Use Disorder in Utah

Cross-cultural collaboration allows for more effective interventions for opioid use disorder among tribal communities. Practicing cultural humility, incorporating Indigenous knowledge, and amplifying Indigenous voices are crucial to the cross-cultural collaboration process. This process can ensure that interventions that address opioid use disorder meet the needs of tribal communities

Determined by the Community: CBPR in Alaska Native Communities Building Local Control and Self-Determination

Objectives: Past research conducted with Alaska Native communities involved researchers entering the community to gather data then leaving with that data never being returned or presented or the researchers to be heard from again. The communities were not made aware of the findings, how the data was used, or where the information was published. This method of research resulted in significant mistrust of researchers by tribal communities. This article will briefly describe the context and history of research with Alaska Native people; provide an overview of the complex approval process for research through two case studies; highlight the relevant principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) when working with tribal communities; and our own experiences with the tribal approval process. Methods: Using a case study format, the authors provide a guide to the complex approval process in working with tribal communities and the relevance of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). This is based on their experiences with the approval processes in a dissertation study and a community-based Elder Needs Assessment project. Results and Conclusions: Drawing from their personal experiences and understanding of the tribal approval process, the authors discuss the benefits and challenges associated with conducting research with tribal communities in rural Alaska. They also provide recommendations for future researchers on how to work effectively with tribal communities, from entry into the community through dissemination and publication of information

To the Very Last Mile: Improving maternal and child health in tribal communities - Part 2

Tribal communities lag behind the national average on several vital public health indicators, with women and children being the most vulnerable.Across the continuum of care, women in tribal communities have poorer access to adequate maternal health services than the rest of the country. For instance, only 10% of tribal women meet the recommended protocol of four antenatal visits and 18% have institutional deliveries. As a result, more than half of all maternal deaths in India occur in tribal communities. Similarly, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) among tribal children is 30% higher than the national average and 61% higher for tribal children under-five.As India increasingly focuses on improving the status of its mothers and children, addressing the needs of tribal women and children will be indispensable to moving the needle on any national and global health indicators. Dasra's report, To The Very Last Mile, discusses the challenges faced by tribal communities in their quest for adequate and accessible maternal and child healthcare. It also presents solutions to overcoming these challenges, alongside the work of 8 high-impact non-profits for funders' consideration

Identifying Dimensions of Montana Tribal Community Capacity in Relation to the Funding Application Process

Foundations and government agencies have historically played a critical role in supporting community-based health promotion programs (Easterling, Gallagher & Lodwich, 2003). Despite availability of federal and state funding for health promotion efforts within American Indian reservation communities in Montana, tribal communities in the state are less likely than non-tribal communities to successfully apply for funding for health and social services (Lonsdale, T., personal communication, April 1, 2011). Increased access to health promotion funding may help address significant health issues existing within American Indian communities such as childhood obesity, diabetes type 2, and cardiovascular disease (Ogden, Flegal, Carroll & Johnson, 2002; Brown, Noonan, Friede & Giroux, 2008; Cooper, Andersen, Wederkopp, Page & Frosberg, 2005; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2009). Understanding the relationship between the capacity of American Indian (AI) communities to successfully apply for and receive funding and the capacity of funding agencies to effectively receive applications from and partner with tribal communities may serve to increase resources for health promotion efforts within tribal communities in Montana. This exploratory qualitative study completed 17 semi-structured interviews across three AI reservations in the state of Montana. Dimensions of community capacity within the context of the funding application process and funding partnership with funding agencies were identified, including resources, leadership, community need, networks, and relationship with the funding agency. Dimensions of tribal community capacity were then used to suggest potential capacity building strategies for improved funding partnership between tribal communities in Montana and funding agencies. Capacity building strategies such as strategic planning for organizational change by leadership and community-based organizations, increased opportunities for community member participation and inclusion in expressing needs and concerns, and a monthly meeting for community grant seekers to raise awareness about and prioritize funding opportunities were suggested for tribal communities, while strategies such as the provision of consistent technical assistance, a focus on relationship-building, and making available funding opportunities for the specific purpose of tribal community capacity in the funding application process are examples of changes for on the funding agency side. These strategies could be further developed in an attempt to build the capacity of tribal communities to secure more funding for local health promotion efforts

Native American education between assimilation and self-determination - Schooling in tribal communities in the state of Arizona

The paper explores the situation of education of Native American students in Arizona, USA. This entails an attention to some historical and to current developments. Focusing on certain school types in tribal communities and on the understanding of education from a native perspective, the aim is to show the dichotomy between self-determination and assimilation in educational processes and the challenge for the tribes to find own forms of schooling to prepare the young generations for future developments that benefit them and their tribes. The four school types, which are presented in the ... text, the author investigated on the Hopi and the Navajo reservation and in a Tohono O\u27odham community in Arizona in 2006. The intention of the field study was to capture a range of current schooling possibilities. Therefore schools were chosen that present the common types of today\u27s native institutions as well as their use by different tribal communities. In addition to half-standardized interviews with teachers of the schools the method of open observation in classrooms and in community events as well as print media analysis were used. (DIPF/Orig.