Native Heritage: Traditions Preserved and Renewed

Introduction

Reverence for tradition, for tribal elders, and for a Supreme Being have been fundamental to Native health and culture for generations. Sadly, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, U.S. government policies of removing and relocating Indian tribes, combined with the impact of missionaries and settlers, suppressed Native culture. Many ceremonies and traditional healing practices were banned outright. But traditional values such as loyalty and military service were kept alive. And in the last few decades, Native Peoples who have preserved their traditions are renewing the old ways and teaching them to the next generation.