Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart facts for kids

Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart is a Native American social worker, professor, and expert in mental health. She is well-known for creating a special way to understand and help with something called historical trauma. She first developed this idea for the Lakota people, but it has since been used to help many other Indigenous groups around the world. Maria is from the Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota tribes.

Understanding Historical Trauma

Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart has done important research on how big, difficult events from the past can affect people for many generations. She calls this "historical trauma."

What is Historical Trauma?

In 2000, Maria published an important article called "Wakiksuyapi: Carrying the Historical Trauma of the Lakota." She looked at research about people who survived the Holocaust. She then found similar patterns of trauma that affected many generations of Native Americans. These patterns included events like the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre and the forced removal of children to federal boarding schools.

In the 1980s, she started thinking about historical trauma to understand why many Native Americans faced challenges. She noticed that these challenges made it hard for them to achieve what is often called "the American Dream."

Signs of Historical Trauma

Maria's research found six main signs or experiences that contribute to historical trauma:

1. First Contact: This was a time of great shock and change. It included the arrival of new diseases and very difficult events like the Wounded Knee Massacre. People didn't have time to properly grieve.
2. Economic Changes: Native peoples lost their traditional ways of life and valuable resources. This affected both their spiritual well-being and their physical possessions.
3. Invasion and War: This period involved conflicts and the forced movement of people. Many experienced symptoms similar to those of refugees.
4. Life on Reservations: People were confined to reservations and became dependent on others. They often felt unsafe and lost their independence.
5. Boarding School Experiences: Children were forced to attend American Indian boarding schools. Their family systems were broken, they were often treated harshly, and their Native languages and religions were forbidden. This led to confusion about their identity and made it hard for them to know how to parent in the future.
6. Forced Relocation: Many Native Americans were moved to cities. They lost their religious freedom and were often treated as second-class citizens. Their traditional ways of government and community were also lost.

Healing from Trauma

Maria Brave Heart also suggested three main ways to help people heal from historical trauma:

• Education: Learning about historical trauma and how it affects people.
• Sharing Experiences: Talking about the effects of trauma with others.
• Grief Resolution: Healing through shared mourning and support.

Since 1976, Maria has worked directly with Indigenous communities. She has gathered information on how historical trauma affects groups like the Lakota in South Dakota, tribes in New Mexico, and Indigenous and Latino populations in places like Denver and New York. She has also given over 175 presentations and trained many tribes across the United States and First Nations groups in Canada.

In 1992, Maria Brave Heart started the Takini Network. This is a Native nonprofit organization in Rapid City, South Dakota. It focuses on helping Native Americans heal from the lasting effects of trauma passed down through generations.

Maria's Career Journey

Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart is well-known for creating the historical trauma model. She also developed theories and ways to help with historical unresolved grief in Indigenous peoples.

She earned her Master of Science degree from Columbia University School of Social Work in 1976. After working in social work for some years, she went back to school in 1990. In 1995, she earned her doctorate in clinical social work from the Smith College School for Social Work. Her doctoral paper was about healing from historical trauma and grief among the Lakota people.

Dr. Brave Heart was a professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. She also coordinated a project for Native peoples in the Denver and Four Corners areas, working with Navajo and Ute reservations. She also taught at the Columbia University School of Social Work. She was part of a research team at the Hispanic Treatment Program, which is connected to the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University Medical School.

The way Brave Heart helped people deal with unresolved grief was considered excellent. In 2001, she received a special award for her work with the Lakota Regional Community Action Grant Historical Trauma. She also helped get grants to create programs that improved parenting on reservations. From 2001 to 2004, she organized and led several conferences about healing from historical trauma. She was also a member and host for conferences of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr. Brave Heart served on the board of directors for the Council on Social Work Education and advised the National Indian Country Child Trauma Center.

Currently, Maria Brave Heart is a research professor at the University of New Mexico Department of Psychiatry. She also directs Native American, Disparities Research and Community Behavioral Health. Maria is interested in topics like collective trauma, grief, historical trauma, healing methods, and mental health for Indigenous populations.

See also

• Historical trauma