This site exists to begin a collaboration of community, advocates, teachers, and students of historical trauma. What is historical trauma? Historical trauma is cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma.

Our purpose is to heal from the historical unresolved grief that many indigenous individuals and communities are struggling with. Historical unresolved grief is the grief that accompanies the trauma. (Brave Heart, 1995,1998, 1999, 2000) The historical trauma response is a constellation of features in reaction to massive group trauma. This response is observed among Lakota and other Native populations, Jewish Holocaust survivors and descendants, Japanese American internment camp survivors and descendants. (Brave Heart, 1998, 1999, 2000)

We offer to you an opportunity to learn or to share your learning of historical trauma education, intervention, healing, and experiences. Research of the historical trauma intervention approach has shown significant reduction in anger, sadness, guilt, and shame. (Brave Heart, 1996-1998)

Here are some of our great leaders of the past. These brave Native leaders who did everything humanly possible in the face of the ongoing march of European-American colonists across their land to protect their people and their way of life, but sadly to little or no avail. They eventually saw countless violent acts perpetrated on their people and lands. Descendants of these early leaders to this day suffer the adverse effects of historical trauma grief.

What is Historical Trauma? The collective emotional and psychological injury both over the life span and across generations, resulting from a cataclysmic history of genocide.

The effects of historical trauma include: unsettled trauma, depression, high mortality, increase of alcohol abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.

Sitting Bull, Lakota Chief and Spiritual Leader Wikipedia Link	Ouray and Chipeta, Ute Wikipedia Link
Sequoya Wikipedia Link	Osceola Wikipedia Link
Red JacketWikipedia Link	TuskaloosaWikipedia Link
Chief Agueybana, TianoWikipedia Link	Yaqui 1910Wikipedia Link
Bororo YouthWikipedia Link	Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, sons of the IntiWikipedia Link

Understanding the experiences of a community is important towards beginning the healing process. Genocide, imprisonment, forced assimulation, and misguided goverance has resulted in loss of culture and identity, alcoholism, poverty, and despair. We offer the historical trauma intervention model, which includes four major community intervention components.

First is confronting the historical trauma.
Second is understanding the trauma.
Third is releasing the pain of historical trauma.
Fourth is transcending the trauma.

We offer 3 major hypotheses for the intervention model:
1. Education increases awareness of trauma,
2. Sharing effects of trauma provides relief,
3. Grief resolution through collective mourning/healing creates positive group identity and commitment to community,

Six Phases of Historical Unresolved Grief
1. 1st Contact: life shock, genocide, no time for grief. Colonization Period: introduction of disease and alcohol, traumatic events such as Wounded Knee Massacre.
2. Economic competition: sustenance loss (physical/spiritual).
3. Invasion/War Period: extermination, refugee symptoms.
4. Subjugation/Reservation Period: confined/translocated, forced dependency on oppressor, lack of security.
5. Boarding School Period: destroyed family system, beatings, rape, prohibition of Native language and religion; Lasting Effect: ill-prepared for parenting, identity confusion.
6. Forced Relocation and Termination Period: transfer to urban areas, prohibition of religious freedom, racism and being viewed as second class; loss of governmental system and community.

Spanish Colonization Wikipedia Link	In late 19th century estancieros and gold prospecters launched a campaign of extermination against the indigenous peoples of Tierra del FuegoWikipedia Link
Manifest Destiny Wikipedia Link	Indian Removal 1800'sWikipedia Link
Indian Wars Wikipedia Link	The Kingdon of HawaiiWikipedia Link
1900 Boarding SchoolWikipedia Link	Dawes Act, emphasized Indian individual land ownershipWikipedia Link
Indian Reorganization Act (Numaga, Paiute Chief)Wikipedia Link	Indian Termination 1950'sWikipedia Link

Please sign the Guestbook below, provide ideas to improve this web site, share your stories, and network. This information will be kept for our use only and not given to anyone else. Many thanks.

TRAINERS   TRAINING   REFERENCES   INTERVENTIONS   LINKS

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--> For more information, please contact:

Dr. Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, PhD
Columbia University
New York City
historicaltrauma@gmail.com

Raymond Daw, M.A.
raydaw@aol.com
Cell; (505) 409-4893

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