Resiliency in a Native American community

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics of one rural Native American community that has been identified as a resilient community. A descriptive case study was developed in order to capture evidence of community resiliency and the lessons that can be adapted or adopted by other Native American communities. A purposeful sampling strategy was employed, and a total of 22 individual interviews were conducted. Open-ended questions were asked to elicit people's knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of their community's resilience in the four broad areas of community: 1) Spiritual - Quality of Life; 2) Physical - Local Economy; 3) Social - Leadership and Citizen Participation; and 4) Intellectual - Planning for the Future

Findings and Conclusions: Broad themes were analyzed from the interview data to determine resiliency factors at the community level then compared to current literature on community and cultural resilience. The findings highlight the importance of community connectedness, the effective exercise of sovereignty and maintaining local control over community services, programs and economic development strategies. Additionally, this study supports the findings of previous researchers that the attitudes and behaviors of the leadership is a vital factor in the resilience of the community. Future research of additional Native communities in order to discover patterns or themes common among resilient Native communities, is needed for further generalizability.