BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A spiritual leader from the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation says many tribes are losing their language and religious traditions as older members die.
Joe Iron Man spoke Wednesday in Billings during a conference about spirituality and wellness hosted by the Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council. He says American Indians need their cultural roots for strength and identity and that elders must pass on their knowledge to younger members.
Clinical psychologist Joseph Stone said American Indians face plenty of challenges, many stemming from stresses handed down after earlier generations were forcibly removed from their homeland. But he says those stresses can be soothed by reviving traditions that were lost when Indian children were sent to Christian boarding schools or when families tried to assimilate into white culture.
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