Greg Sarris's 1994 "Grand Avenue" offers tough urban stories about a long-fought, still-continuing struggle for survival and self-determination. Sarris's stories present the day-to-day lives of a contemporary, fictional Pomo community living in a multiracial neighborhood not far from their traditional homeland. The stories depict poverty, high…

Recognizing that there has been a lack of systematic teaching about the unique mental health experiences of urban American Indians, this article examines data from national studies and specific case studies to illustrate some issues regarding the mental health of American Indians in urban areas. Some studies have reported that when American…

Even though there were tens of thousands of Native Americans who attended urban public schools between 1945 and 1975, historians have been rather slow to learn their stories. This is no small oversight, for by 1970 the number of urban Indians in the United States was nearly the same as the number of reservation Indians. Phoenix, the focus of this…

An insight on a small convenience sample of urban Indians elders in the Rochester, New York, area who are active in the local Native community is presented. Many of the elders enjoy a high degree of physical, mental, and emotional well-being, despite some chronic health conditions and their strong extended family support network, involvement in…

Attempts to underscore how American Indians have adapted in Los Angeles focusing on the Indian spiritual adaptation which encompasses a strong belief in his/her inner self and harmony with nature and all living things. (ERB)

A sample of 300 recent patient records at the Tucson Indian Clinic and 60 client interviews provided data on tribal affiliation, poverty status, patterns of medical services utilization, chronic health problems, family structure, extent of traditionalism and acculturation, employment, educational attainment, stress levels, and health care needs.…

Recent cutbacks in Indian Health Service (IHS) funding, particularly for urban programs, generated political mobilization and intergroup conflict among several Indian groups with IHS-funded programs. A Montana survey revealed gross underestimation of urban Indian population and high levels of unmet needs for health care services. Contains 27…

Describes circumstances that set the stage for the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island by American Indians, including federal relocation of thousands of reservation Indians to urban areas, national civil rights and antiwar movements, and growth of urban Indian and Indian college student organizations. Briefly traces events of the occupation. Lists…

A survey examined knowledge about fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and about the effects of prenatal maternal drinking on the fetus among 76 American Indians in Los Angeles, including undergraduate and graduate students and participants in a residential alcohol treatment program. Also reviews the literature on FAS symptoms, outcomes, and incidence,…

Draws on interviews with 50 urban American Indians to examine how foster-care placements compromised former foster children's ability to parent their own children. Discusses the influence of parental drinking on family life, leading to child neglect and foster-care placement; differing experiences of foster children raised by extended family…

Describes the operations of Southern California Indian Centers, Inc., a nonprofit provider of social services and job training to American Indians in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Discusses funding sources in an era of federal cuts and retrenchment, agency structure and administrative practices, staffing, volunteerism and the dedication factor,…

Describes the urban context and multitribal demographics of the Puyallup Reservation (Washington), and the history of Chief Leschi Schools (pre-K-12)--a multicampus provider of educational and social services to Native youth living on or near the reservation. Discusses problems of substance abuse and violence; community-, family-, school-, and…

Traces the foundations and development of Native American activism, 1950s-90s. Discusses relocation of reservation American Indians to urban areas in the 1950s without promised aid or vocational training, changing aspirations of Indian veterans and college students, lessons of the civil rights movement, occupations of Alcatraz Island and Wounded…

Reviews the history of the Yaqui, first in Mexico, and then in Guadalupe (Arizona). Discusses the use of Yaqui, Spanish, and English within the community; community legal action against the school district over disproportionate special-education placements; resistance to school desegregation; a trilingual community school; and internal and…