Supporting Cultural Connections

Culture is a strong protective factor. Tribal customs strengthen resilience and, post-trauma, help the individual recover. Though the armor may be pierced, the individual does not fall. In this YouTube video, Shannon Crossbear talks about the role of culture as a protective factor in tribal communities.

Eaglemapping – adapted from ecomapping – provides an eagle’s view of key tribal child welfare relationships, both organizational and at the case level. The visual depiction helps to show where there are strong connections and where growth needs to happen.

State refers to the internal condition of the body. What part of the brain will be activated depends on an individual’s state. Abstract thinking, activates the cortex, the most complex part of the brain, fear activates the most basic part of the brain, resulting in a lack of futuristic thinking . Children in care frequently have a sensitized stress response, where a minor challenge results in overly reactive behavior.

The brain is organized in a hierarchical fashion, from the lowest and simplest part to the highest and most complex. Fear or threats trigger the lowest or simplest part of the brain resulting in the child processes the present as if it was the past.