Cultural Sensitivity

ByOpolahsomuwehs

(Imelda Perley)

(November 25th, 2011)

Cultural Sensitivity

A culturally sensitive person is one who is familiar with the values, beliefs, ideals and worldviews of a specific cultural group. The person may also reflect these values and worldviews in their actions, attitudes and thoughts.

Culturally Sensitive

Service Providers

• Have awareness and appreciation of the culture that they are serving

• Visible in the community that they are serving

• Aware of cultural protocol dealing with Elders, ceremonies and community events

• Learns the greetings in the community language

Culturally Sensitive

Service Providers

• Familiar with Elder Knowledge pertaining to traditional medicines and traditional healing practices

• Familiar with community health issues and concerns

• Understands and appreciates the values, beliefs, traditions and worldviews of the culture they are working with

Journey into Cultural Sensitivity

• Establish a relationship with community Elders

• Participate in the cultural activities organized by the community

• Make a genuine effort to integrate yourself into the community; social isolation leads to misunderstandings and misconceptions

Cultural Sensitivity

for Aboriginal People

• Speaker of their Ancestral language or committed to learning the language of his or her community

• Reflects traditional values and worldviews in his or her actions, attitudes and way of knowing

Cultural Sensitivity For

Aboriginal People

• Guided by Ancestral knowledge

• Familiar with traditional healing practices

• Participates and/or performs ceremonies

• Familiar with the history, stories, songs and Elder knowledge

Journey to Cultural Sensitivity

• Seek Elder knowledge, their wisdom, their teachings

• Learn their Ancestral language

• Participate in Ceremonies and Traditions

• Participate in community-based initiatives designed to revive, maintain and preserve language and culture

Chief Dan George

• Everyone likes to give as well as receive

• No one wishes only to receive all the time We have taken much from your culture…

• I wish that you had taken something from our culture…

• For there were some beautiful and good things in it.

Chief Dan George

• Already many of our young people have forgotten the old ways

• And many have been shamed of their Indian ways by scorn and ridicule

• My culture is like a wounded deer that has crawled away into the forest to bleed and die alone

Chief Dan George

• The only thing that can truly help us is genuine love

• You must truly love us, be patient with us and share with us

• And we must love you-with a genuine love that forgives and forgets. (My Heart Soars. 1974 pg.41)

‘Ciw Oluwikoneyak Weckuwapasihtit