Unraveling Cultural Threads: A Qualitative Study of Culture and Ethnic Identity among Urban Southwestern American Indian Youth Parents and Elders

We utilized qualitative methods to explore ethnic and cultural identity among urban Southwestern American Indian youth, parents, and elders. Twenty-four respondents ranging in age from approximately 13 to 90 years were interviewed in focus groups divided by age. Six major themes and seventeen sub-th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of child and family studies 2006-08, Vol.15 (4), p.393-407
Main Authors: House, Laura E, Stiffman, Arlene R, Brown, Eddie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescence
Age Differences
American Indian Culture
American Indian people
American Indian Reservations
American Indians
Beliefs
Cultural heritage
Cultural identity
Cultural studies
Developmental psychology
Ethnic identity
Ethnicity
Family studies
Focus Groups
Gender Differences
Geographic Location
Group Membership
Health Services
Indigenous populations
Interviews
Mental Health Programs
Minority Groups
Native North Americans
Nonverbal Communication
Older Adults
Older people
Parent Attitudes
Parent-child relations
Parents & parenting
Physical Health
Qualitative analysis
Qualitative Research
Racial Identification
Religious Factors
Self Concept
Social Organizations
Social Work
Substance Abuse
Teenagers
Tribes
U.S.A
Urban Areas
Urban sociology
Values
Young people
Youth
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Summary:We utilized qualitative methods to explore ethnic and cultural identity among urban Southwestern American Indian youth, parents, and elders. Twenty-four respondents ranging in age from approximately 13 to 90 years were interviewed in focus groups divided by age. Six major themes and seventeen sub-themes related to tribal and pan-American Indian ethnic identity were identified. Two important findings emerging from our study were that common ethnic identity constructs can be validated and new identity constructs discovered through qualitative methods. These and other findings suggest the importance of qualitative methods in better understanding cultural and ethnic identity. Of particular significance was the notion that the most salient and relevant identity constructs can be learned from the voices and perspectives of ethnic identity members themselves across generations, age, tribal groups, gender, and reservation and urban residence.
ISSN:1062-1024
1573-2843
DOI:10.1007/s10826-006-9038-9