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Abstract
This study examined the indigenous identities of urban American Indian youth using measures related to three theoretical dimensions of Markstrom’s identity model: identification (tribal and ethnic heritage), connection (reservation ties), and involvement in traditional cultural practices and spirituality. Data came from self-administered questionnaires completed by 142 urban American Indian middle school students in a southwestern metropolitan area with the largest urban American Indian population in the United States. Using both quantitative and qualitative measures, descriptive statistics showed most youth were connected to all three dimensions of indigenous identity. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that youth with the strongest sense of American Indian ethnic identity had native fathers and were heavily involved in traditional cultural practices and spirituality. Although urban American Indians may face challenges in maintaining their tribal identities, the youth in this study appeared strongly moored to their native indigenous heritage. Implications for future research are discussed.
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Author Biographies
Stephen Kulis is Cowden distinguished professor of sociology in the School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University (ASU) and the director of research at the ASU Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center. His research focuses on cultural processes in health disparities, such as the role of gender and ethnic identity in youth drug use and prevention interventions; cultural adaptation of prevention programs for ethnic minority youth; on contextual neighborhood and school level influences on individual-level risk and protective behaviors; on gender and racial inequities in professional careers, and the organizational sources of ethnic and gender discrimination.
M. Alex Wagaman is a PhD candidate in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University and has been both a graduate research associate and a doctoral intern for health disparities research at the ASU Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC). Her research interests include the impact of discrimination on adolescents and empowerment-based interventions.
Crescentia Tso is an enrolled member of the Navaho Nation. She received her MSW from Arizona State University School in 2010 and will begin doctoral studies in social work. She was a graduate research assistant at the ASU Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center for the Living in Two Worlds project.
Eddie F. Brown is professor of American Indian studies at Arizona State University and the founder of the ASU American Indian Policy Center. An enrolled member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, he serves on that nation’s advisory board. He is an active member in the NCAI Policy Research Center of the National Congress of American Indians and has served Presidents Clinton, G. W. Bush, and Obama on the President’s board of advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities. His research agenda focuses on building resiliency and strengthening cultural foundations of American Indian families and youth.
