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... Some of these aspects
that different ethnic groups have brought to this country are their culture, religious beliefs, social
and economical beliefs, language and traditional values. ... How do they
respond to the American way of health care versus their traditional beliefs of care and treatment?
One particular ethnic group within the Native American culture who are faced with this cultural
clash of bio medicine versus traditional healing and beliefs are the Navajo Indian tribe. Some of
the issues to further evaluate the influence of this dilemma are the Navajo religious and spiritual
beliefs, the Navajo etiology of disease, health care utilization by the Navajo tribe and the
combination of their traditional medicine with modern medicine.
First let us take a closer look at the Navajo religious and spiritual beliefs. In spite of the
enormous diversity in tribal cultures, languages, and religious beliefs of the almost 300 American
Indian tribes living within the United States, these tribes including the Navajo share a number of
fundamental health illness and illness prevention beliefs. There are three predominant religion that
most influence the modern Navajo: Their native cultural religion, the Native American Church
(the Peyote way), and Christian/Catholic evangelism. Navajos however, are some times said to
have no traditional religion because their religious practices are so integral to all of life (Charlene
Avery 1991). The Navajo traditional religion today is carried out by the Medicine men also
know as the Hatali or singers. ... The family will then enlist the services of a medicine man who is
trained in that particular ceremony (Luckert 1979). The medicine man communes with the spirit
to help the person into harmony with nature; also know as Hozho. Some tools used by he
medicine man during this healing process are sand paintings depicting scenes from Navajo
creation stories, feathers, herbs, canes, and medicine bundles. These medicine bundles have a
significance in the healing methods of the medicine man. The medicine bundles or pouches are
also know as Jish. ... Frisbe (1987) found that the preventive and curing ceremonies in
traditional Navajo religion require a particular assembling of the ritual equipment for correct
performance, the contents of the Jish vary according to its ceremonial affiliation (p46). ... Healing remains
one of the foremost concerns of the Navajo, where physical healing is not so important as
bringing the patient into a strong symbolic relationship with is or her social, cultural and natural
environment.
In addition to these religious and spiritual beliefs of the Navajo tribe, Emic and Etic views
of both culture, American bio medical views versus the Navajo traditional healing views become
more evident. Navajo view on medicine and healing would most likely be referred to as the Emic
view versus the American view of medicine and healing which would more represent the Etic
view point.
Approximate Word count = 2278
Approximate Pages = 9.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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