Historical trauma, as associated with Indigenous Peoples is “a cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma” (Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, Hunkpapa and Oglála Lakȟóta, PhD).   

Dr. Brave Heart, president of the Takini Institute, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the director of Native American and Disparities Research at the University of New Mexico in the Center for Rural and Community Behavioral Health is a groundbreaking scholar of “collective group intergenerational massive group trauma,” which has occurred among Native Peoples.   

Her work and studies—along with the work of psychologists and sociologists such as Michael Yellow Bird (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), PhD, dean and professor, Faculty of Social Work University of Manitoba, are just two of the Indigenous scholars that the Indigenous Liberal Studies (ILS) department  at the Institute of American Indian Arts’ (IAIA) has relied upon to address the issue of historical trauma  for students, faculty, and staff at the college.   

“For many of us at IAIA there is a historical, concrete connection with historical trauma, how it occurred, how it’s resolved, and what that means for many of us working here,” clarifies Frances Kay Holmes (Mvskoke ancestry), PhD, department chair and associate professor for the ILS department.   

To address historical trauma, the ILS department offers courses and workshops for faculty, students, and staff alike. “We provide insight on the various sources of historical trauma and its impact on Native Peoples,” states Holmes. “We offer classes on related topics in our undergraduate education as well as shorter workshops held throughout the year. Alexis Ellsworth-Kowpowski, PhD, ILS assistant professor and I have done two workshops for faculty and staff; one session explained the historical foundations associated with historical trauma and the other session addressed trauma-informed teaching practices.”   

Holmes points to a privately funded grant as a financial engine for some of the work the department is doing to address historical trauma, something she says is an “ongoing endeavor” without a start or finish date.  

Some of the department’s initiatives include a three-credit, eight-week “Indigenous Resiliency” class developed and taught by Ellsworth-Kowpowski, which incorporates Comanche Nation-created wellness worksheets (some illustrated by IAIA student Winrod Red Elk) to help students reset with tools to deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of managing a stopping point or crisis in a student’s journey, as well as journaling workshops in collaboration with the Museum Studies department.    

Holmes states that ILS sponsored a visit from Michael Yellow Bird, PhD, who provided lectures, workshops, and discussion sessions for faculty, staff, and students. She hopes to have this influential scholar and creator of a protocol termed “Neurodecolonization,” back for more projects.   

“Everyone has their own experience with traumatic events,” states Holmes. “Those paths are all different. Because it’s such an integral part of being human, it’s an important thing for everyone to be conscious of. We need to give our faculty, students, and staff tools to deal with trauma. If we don’t acknowledge traumatic and genocidal circumstances, it’s something people will hold inside. If you don’t work it out, it continues to fester and becomes more and more difficult to deal with.”  

Learn more about historical trauma and other course offerings from the Indigenous Liberal Studies (ILS) department in the IAIA College Catalog.