Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #120684

James La Belle, BA, MA Cand, National Resource Center for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Elders, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, 907-786-6522, afjwl@uaa.alaska.edu

Present day Alaska Native Elders experienced in their formative years being sent away from their families and home villages to distant boarding schools run by governmental or religious entities. In these institutions students were prohibited from speaking their native languages and other attempts were made to strip them of their cultural identities. Reports of physical and sexual abuse of children in these schools are now being made. Currently this same cohort is reliving the trauma of that early experience as they are again sent away from home for often terminal care in distant assisted living and nursing home facilities. Other factors which impact the well-being of Alaska Native Elders include laws restricting their rights to subsistence hunting and fishing and environmental disasters that inhibit their ability to enact culturally expected roles. These factors will be described in the context of institutional racism and human rights. Programs to promote healing from these experiences will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

Participants in this session will be able to
• Describe the historical and cultural trauma experience by Alaska Native Elders
• Describe the current impact of transportation to distant care facilities for Alaska Native Elders
• Discuss the impact of laws restricting subsistence hunting and fishing on Alaska Native Elders
• Discuss the human rights implications of the above issues

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.