Indigenous Americans are the first victims of Cancel Culture since before the U.S. began and have been misrepresented, objectified, stereotyped, and marginalized ever since. The misrepresentation of Indigenous Americans continues to exist in our school systems, history books, classes, national dialogue, media, and statistics. The result is a direct blow to the positive cultural developmental trajectory of Indigenous youth. Despite this, Indigenous people survive and many thrive because of the strength, resilience, and responsiveness to change that our ancestors passed down. We need to teach the current and generations to come, that we cannot doubt ourselves, we come from a legacy of survival that cannot be questioned (bolojko).
Learning Objectives
LaVonne Fox Peltier, PhD, OTR/L
Dr. LaVonne Fox Peltier serves as a Research Assistant Professor within the Bureau of Evaluation & Research Service, situated in the Department of Education, Health, and Behavioral Studies at the University of North Dakota. A member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa reservation, she remains deeply connected to her roots. Drawing from her extensive background, she has dedicated her expertise to working with children, youth, and young adults facing mental health challenges both in rural and urban areas as well as within mental health facilities.
Dr. Fox Peltier is particularly passionate about developing culturally rooted interventions inspired by Indigenous practices to address mental health issues. In her work, she emphasizes the importance of adopting strength-based approaches, advocating for alternatives to the commonly employed deficit-based practices. She is committed to bridging cultural understanding and mental health care for Indigenous peoples.
