Trauma Across Culture: A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Historical Effect of Colonialism, Genocide, and Resilience on Descendants of Indigenous Peoples in the United States

Trauma Across Culture: A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Historical Effect of Colonialism, Genocide, and Resilience on Descendants of Indigenous Peoples in the United States

Indigenous peoples

Kristen Walker

Monique Lumas-Wright

2024

Pepperdine University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Dissertation

English

United States

Restricted Access

Throughout history, massive killings have gravely affected the succession of cultures, and theimpact of its traumatization is vast. The centuries-long enslavement of African Americans, the ethnocide of Native American/Alaskan Natives, and the genocide of European Jews represent some of the most horrific catastrophes of human history through the destruction of identity, culture, language, and religion. The destabilization of these distinct groups and the extreme violence experienced by historical injustices have resulted in cultural, mental, emotional, and physical obstructions with profound economic, psychological, and health impacts encompassing both the wounds inflicted by oppression and resilience. The literature review examined the three cultural groups and how historical and intergenerational trauma have incubated stressors and adverse social conditions for the descendants of Enslaved Peoples, Indigenous Peoples, and Holocaust Survivors as the sequelae of unhealed trauma related to enslavement, colonization, and genocide persist. The literature on slavery, colonialization, and the Holocaust was used to portray the effects of cultural genocide and intergenerational transmission of trauma across cultures. Through ten in-depth interviews, this phenomenological study examined one of the three cultural groups to centralize the study’s focus and explore intergenerational and historical trauma, the effects of colonialism and genocide, and the resilience of the descendants of Native American/Alaskan Natives in contemporary times by examining unconscious and unintentional indirect and direct ancestral transmission. This study integrated cultural voices, ancestral narratives, and theoretical frameworks by incorporating trauma theories, such as the post- traumatic slave syndrome theory and colonial trauma response, which provide a deeper understanding of the physical and psychological soul wounds and behaviors prevalent to descendants. Social justice theory, tribal critical race theory (TribalCrit), and transformative frameworks are utilized to interpret the consequences that have influenced the lives of these cultures throughout centuries and for generations. These theories seek to bring change and address social injustices while advocating for equity and universal human rights, which are critical when discussing the philosophical epistemologies of marginalized individuals and communities.