Our overall task: Through the dynamics of active listening, to bring various stakeholders from diverse backgrounds together to learn about corsss cultural issues that Native American People face as they move into the new milleninium.

Social Issues This week was the most intense week of my life. I have learned so many things this week from the diversity among the Burns and Paiute community, to the diversity among my classmates.  Everyone is so different in culture, but if you all pull together and try hard, you can make anything happen.

    In our presentation on social issues, we made up a circle of hope.  Bad economy led to unemployment, which led to poverty, then to poor living conditions and drug and alcohol abuse which in turn lead to domestic violence, child abuse and suicide.  The viscious cycle continued on to lack of educaion, which lead to poor job skills, which then went back to bad economy and then started over.

-Kelley Neeley-

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         Social problems for the Paiute people are the result of a continual cycle, the beginning of which is as controversial as the chick-or-the-egg argument.  The Paiutes are isolated in eastern Oregon, in a county of .75 people per square mile.  Within the community, the tribe is also isolated from the greater community of Burns.
         The poor economy causes unemployment rates to swell to up to 80% at times, among the Indian community.  Unemployment results in poverty, which in turn leads to Alcohol and drug abuse.  Although the Paiute Reservation is dry, some choose to walk the two miles from the Bars in Burns back to the Reservation.  Drug abuse leads to high percentages of domestic violence and child abuse, and suicide.  Harney County has the highest suicide rate in the state.
         Children growing up in families struggling with substance and physical abuse, have a harder time focusing on academics.  Coupled with family struggles is the lack of encouragement Native American children get from educators.   The result is young adults graduating with limited job skills.  The graduates face an economy that is transferring from resource to service-based and therefore are not competitive in an economy where applicants are grappling for limited jobs.
          Social services and projects have been created in Harney County to alter this sad cycle.  The Harney Count Commission on Children and Families lists associations and programs in their “Phase Two” plan.  The commission can be reached at PO Box 152, Burns, Or. 97720.

-Katie Willson-

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Over the four days of our interviews, it became apparent that the model given us initally by Jack Scruggs could be considered the armature for generating solutions to the problems we found.  Nothing could be done about the problems until people were willing to change their behviors.  His diagram suggested that before this would happen, the perception the Paiutes and the Anglos in Harney County have of one another and, consequently, their values must change.  This, he presented as a function of time and space. Indeed, as one assesses the information in our interviews, the literature we've read, the Harney County Commission Report and our personal experiences, much becomes apparent. Although much emphasis has been placed on land, resources and economy, the gaps and barriers to effect change center around these three parameters: behavior, values and perception.

Consider some of the Gaps and Barriers mentioned county report:
· Lack of understanding
· Racism
· Reverse racism
· Benevolent racism
· Sexist norms
· Chauvinism
· “…those who don’t want help.”
· False perception
· Cultural insensitivity
· Community awareness
· Lack of interest/focus
· Reluctance to Talk

Then consider the dynamics of the Success Stories from the same report:
· “New contract”
· Collaboration
· Unified services team
· Pro-activity
· “Melding of many funding sources…”
· Improved county tribal relations
· Joint county/tribal collaborations
· Consolidation

We learned from our interviews of and discussions with two men, Jim St. Martin (Tribal Administrator-interviewed at left) and Judge Steve Grasty (Harney County Commissioner-interviewed at right), that the potential for two communities coming together may be ideal, but difficult, at best.  So much rests on the attitudes of the two cultures toward unity.  At the end of our presentation we saw what might be a hint that a crucial dialogue may be possible.

-George Welch-

The American Indian Page: Demographic, social and economic data

Administration for Native Americans

Native American Resources: social services

Native Web: resources for indigenous cultures around the world

Other Web Site links:

Harney County

Paiute History

Burns Oregon

Page constructed by
George Welch, Kelley Neeley & Katherine Wilson