Abstract
Intergenerational trauma as a means of understanding and informing the healing of Indigenous and Latinx Boys and Young Men of Colour (BYMOC) is a growing area of public health and scholarly interest. The escalation of violent, trauma-inducing anti-Latino, anti-immigrant racism, and catastrophic encounters with immigration authorities, police, and the justice system in the U.S. make it imperative to understand the extent and gravity of the trauma, and develop interventions that address its impact on BYMOC, particularly Latinx, Mexican American, Chicano, and Indigenous youth. This chapter introduces the conceptual framework for National Compadres Network’s La Cultura Cura approach and El Joven Noble youth development curricula for Latinx, Mexican American, and Chicano communities. We present recent agency data to show that deepening authentic cultural identity, intergenerational connectedness, and support could soothe adolescent stress and intergenerational trauma. This discussion has implications for refining our understanding of health and wellbeing, health practice, agency-level program design policy, and evaluation research for BYMOC.
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Notes
- 1.
Ri’taka’meh, a medicine man, was from a small community in the Sierra Madre Occidental. His “traditions” were handed down to him for his people. He shared them with us te’wari (outsiders) reluctantly and fully aware of his transgression. We are forever indebted to him and his family. Out of respect for him and his people, we share his Indigenous name only.
- 2.
People often associate the Méxica or Aztecs as representative of Meso-American culture and thought. While their contributions were undoubtedly important, many philosophical concepts have been traced back to and perhaps beyond the Olmeca, often considered the Mother Culture of Mexico. Many of the concepts we utilize are common from the Ra’ramuri and Yaqui of the north, Wirrarika and as far down as the Quiche people of the Yucatan.
- 3.
Duality is perhaps the most common theme in Indigenous, Meso-American philosophy. Examples of this are found in the Popul Vu, sacred book of the Maya narrates the exploits of the sacred twins as they recover the bones of their ancestors. Among the Tolteca, Quetzalcoatl was at once an actual person and title conferred to one that had integrated earth and sky, represented by a plumed serpent with a head at both ends. The main deity in the Nahua pantheon was Ometeotl, which translates very roughly as Two God.
- 4.
Susto literally translates as “fright” into English. It is often dismissed as a culture-bound condition, specific to Mexico and other Central American countries. While it is often dismissed, a careful study of the physical symptomology reveals that it is a different culturally rooted understanding of a condition very similar to PTSD. The condition is similar to other Indigenous formulations around the world. We recognize it as a valid and legitimate condition that has been devalued by researchers and practitioners with cursory understandings of its origins and associated practices.
- 5.
Sometimes seen as En Tloque Nahuaque, Tloque Nahuaque is from Nahuatl, one of the major Indigenous languages spoken by the people of Central Mexico. There is considerable debate as to the precise meaning of the term. Suggested possibilities include “the lord of the near and the nigh,” that which is far and that which is close or to one side. Others argue it is a name that refers to Mexica deities such as Ometeotl or Tezcatlipoca or an epithet that conveys the omnipresence of the ultimate deity.
- 6.
The term medicine is commonly used in Native American and other Indigenous conceptions of health. According to Merriam-Webster, the term has Latin origins and therefore calls for some discussion. According to most sources, medicine refers to treatment with great care and skill. It refers to the treatment and not so much a substance, as commonly understood in conventional language.
- 7.
While the colours, associated animals, symbols and even direction of movement may vary, the medicine wheel is common to virtually all Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Formed by the path of the sun across the surface of the earth, it can serve as an orienting tool that guides our movement through life.
- 8.
En lak’ech is a greeting from the Mayan Language that has gained widespread popularity of late. Literally, it translates as “you are my other me.” LCC uses the term to promote interconnectedness, respect and affection between people.
- 9.
A thorough discussion of the term “sacred” would take volumes and well beyond our scope. We respectfully offer the following definition: “Sacred refers to that which us set apart, cannot be completely understood nor explained and related with the ultimate source of life.”
- 10.
Ganas is a common term used in Mexican Spanish. It refers to both the willingness and energy to move – to accomplish something.
- 11.
Manualidad is a common term for a handicraft. The hand in Meso-American culture is the instrument through which we express the intentions of our heart. Manualidades result in hand made concrete outcomes, something participants can take pride in making.
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Escamilla, H., Vergara, R.B., Tello, J., Sánchez-Flores, H. (2023). La Cultura Cura and El Joven Noble: Culturally Rooted Theory and Practice Formulations for Healing Wounded Boys and Young Men of Colour in the United States. In: Smith, J.A., Watkins, D.C., Griffith, D.M. (eds) Health Promotion with Adolescent Boys and Young Men of Colour. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22174-3_10
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