The Relevance of Cultural Activities in Ethnic Identity Among California Native American Youth

Abstract

This study analyzed data from a large statewide sample of Native American adolescents throughout California to determine whether participation in cultural practices was associated with stronger ethnic identity. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) scale was used to measure the ethnic identity of 945 Native American adolescents (416 male, 529 female) aged 13 – 19 across California. Respondents who participated in cultural activities including pow-wows, sweat lodge, drum group and roundhouse dance reported significantly higher Native American ethnic identity than their counterparts who did not take part in cultural activities. The association between cultural activities and ethnic identity was only significant among urban youth and not among reservation youth. Higher grades in school were associated with ethnic identity among females but not among males. Findings from this study show a strong association between cultural activities and traditional practices with tribal enculturation among Native American youth in California. Cultural-based practices to enhance Native identity could be useful to improve mental and behavioral health among Native American youth.

Keywords:

• academic achievement
• cultural activities
• enculturation
• ethnic identity
• Native American traditional practices
• Native American youth

Acknowledgments

The California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program provided funding support for this research (grant #12RT-0253H to Jennifer B. Unger). The authors thank Jodie Greenberg for her valuable assistance, the California American Indian Advisory Committee for their advice on recruiting venues and measures, the urban based and tribal organizations, schools, and youth programs that allowed us to recruit participants. The authors would especially like to thank and recognize the youth who participated in the research survey.