Abstract
The experience of loss and death of traditions, family, language, culture, trust, hope, and life itself has been so familiar for American Indian populations that it has characterized these groups throughout recent centuries. Yet in the midst of this, American Indians have coped and are now forming new characterizations marked by the experience of restoration and rebirth. This chapter discusses the role of historical events in the development of the traumatic nature of death often experienced in the present for American Indians. The author reviews literature related to bereavement rituals, grieving, spirituality, and meaning of death for all groups in this population and presents (a) highlights of a past study conducted with individuals in the Muscogee Creek tribe (see Walker AC, Death Stud 32:123–141, 2008; Walker AC, Death Stud 59(4):351–367, 2009; Walker AC, Balk DE, Death Stud 31:633–652, 2007; Walker AC, Thompson T, Omega 59(2):129–146, 2009) and (b) preliminary data from interviews recently conducted with individuals associated with the Lakota Tribe. Given the vast diversity within the individuals, families, and circumstances around death experienced by the 573 federally recognized tribes, we must recognize that any generalizations made should be done with caution. The chapter addresses briefly the interplay of rituals and beliefs with historical trauma and concludes with what death means for some American Indians.
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
–Crowfoot (Blackfoot; see Exley 1997, p. 9)
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Walker, A.C. (2019). Death and Dying in American Indian Cultures. In: Selin, H., Rakoff, R.M. (eds) Death Across Cultures. Science Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Science, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18826-9_20
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