American Indian & Alaska Native Tribes

The Restoring the Sacred Circle Toolkit is designed to support healthy development of youth in Indian Country.

Understanding Problematic Sexual Behavior in American Indian and Alaska Native Youth:

Youth need safety, supervision, protection guidance, monitoring, and teachings. Download the Restoring the Sacred Circle Toolkit.

 

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Fact Sheets

All youth must know they are connected, sacred, and honored.

Much of Native culture is based on the Circle of Life. Culture teaches us that we are all relatives to all things in creation. Some threads in the Sacred Circle have become broken. Addressing Trauma, abuse, and neglect in tribal communities is necessary for understanding problematic sexual behavior (PSB). Trauma-informed principles can help support all youth. 

The Sacred Circle refers to the balance of mind, body, spirit and emotional/relational aspects of life. The history of colonization, boarding schools, trauma, violence and abuse has created an imbalance in the Sacred Circle.

We use teachings from the socioecological perspective to explore the layers of the circles that prevent PSB and keep the circle sacred. Sacred circle teachings are based on the universal health of all our relations. Healing the spirit begins at the individual level. We must work on our own spiritual wellness and sacredness before we create sacred families, communities, or nations. The Sacred Circle is infinite, the healing of one is the healing of all.

About the Sacred Circle

You can prevent PSB. Talk to your child about their body, body parts, personal space and privacy in a manner that fits your child's development. Start early and have the conversations often. 

This factsheet provides talking points for parents of toddlers, preschoolers, elementary children, and teens, view our fact sheet here.

This factsheet provides information preventing problematic sexual behavior, sexual development, and how to get help, view our fact sheet here.

When youth receive evidence-based interventions, their risk of future illegal sexual behavior is extremely low, with recidivism rates around 3-5%.

Professionals working in law enforcement can help mend the Circle by understanding their roles in the response to youth with PSB. To learn more, view our fact sheet here

The juvenile justice system addresses youth who have failed to follow required laws and policies. Often, child protective services (CPS) work with juvenile justice to provide services for youth with PSB and their victims. Juvenile justice and courts can help mend the Circle by understanding the needs of youth and their families.

To learn more, view our fact sheet here

Traditional practices and ceremonies can facilitate resilience and protective factors in families. Health providers in tribal communities play important roles in identifying and providing culturally congruent effective treatment for youth with PSB, child victims and their families. 

Addressing trauma, abuse, and neglect in tribal communities is necessary for understanding PSB. Trauma-informed principles can help us support all youth. 

To learn more, view our fact sheet here

School teachers, counselors and staff help ensure the safety, health and well-being of students. As mandatory reporters, school staff may identify students with PSB and child victims.

Teachers can help mend the Circle by understanding sexual development and PSB, Private Part Rules and Reflective Exercises. 

To learn more, view our fact sheet here

MDTs are a group of professionals who collaborate to respond to reports of child abuse, neglect, and PSB of youth. Some MDTs are associated with children's advocacy centers. Often MDT members include tribal program staff, law enforcement, child protective services, clinicians, school staff, prosecutors and members of other agencies. 

Key elements of successful tribal MDTs are community ownership and involvement, resources to support the team functions, integration of tribal culture and tradition in team process and decision making, development of clear protocols, participation and commitment of MDT members, adequate training and support, confidentiality, and individual member and team accountability. 

To learn more, view our fact sheet here

Typical and Problematic Sexual Behaviors

Children with PSB should be viewed first as children.6 Sexual development in children is a normal part of the development process. Sexual behaviors in children range from normative to cautionary, to problematic and harmful. PSB of children is often misunderstood. The process of growing up and forming healthy, intimate relationships starts in early childhood, continuing throughout adolescence into adulthood.

A good foundation in understanding typical sexual development is essential for accurately deciding where a sexual behavior falls on the continuum from typical to concerning to problematic or harmful. Typical sexual behavior occurs among children who are around the same age, size, and development. It is curiosity-driven, spontaneous, and infrequent. Problematic sexual behavior is a set of behaviors that are developmentally inappropriate, potentially harmful to self or others, and potentially illegal.

Much of what is known about PSB in the general population comes from published research and clinical practice. There is no specific body of research on PSB in American Indian or Alaska Native communities; this section is based on research with all populations.

The generational and historical nature of sexual abuse must be addressed. Boarding schools and colonization resulted in child sexual assault on multiple generations of American Indian families. Because sexual abuse was so prevalent within families, many family members buried it, and were unable to directly face it or felt helpless to change the outcome. Often, families did not report assaults. Talking about PSB can trigger memories and flashbacks of past sexual abuse and traumas. This section explains challenges and consideres solutions. Solutions are indicated with a mountain icon.

Traditional Teachings of the Sacred Circle

The National Symposium on the Sexual Behavior of Youth hosted a Youth Partnership Board Youth Panel question and answer panel session. In this session, tribal experts discussed the traditional teachings and perspectives to prevent PSB and restore the Sacred Circle.

Talking Points by Developmental Stage

We want to keep things sacred in the lives of our children and families. It is important to know what to say and when to say it.

#1 Keep eyes away from others’ private parts
#2 Keep private parts covered
#3 Keep hands away from private parts
 

We acknowledge the NCSBY Caregiver Partnership Board for their words and wisdom. Understanding sexual behaviors: Children and youth exhibit a range of sexual behavior from typical to concerning to problematic to illegal. Typical sexual behavior tends to be exploratory, occurs spontaneously between similar aged peers who are functioning at the same level, responds to intervention, and is not associated with strong emotions. When sexual behaviors are problematic (children are of different ages and abilities, strong negative emotional reactions, frequent or includes threats, force, or aggression), the behaviors may require specialized intervention.

Restoring the Sacred Circle Podcast

Visit our Restoring the Sacred Circle Podcast by clicking here

This podcast aims to promote understanding of Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB), describe current research on PSB, outline the risk and protective factors, and support communities as they address PSB. Please check out our web site and download a free copy of the Tool Kit. 

Podcast Details

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Dr. Dolores Subia BigFoot

October 29, 2021

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Dolores Subia BigFoot, PhD., is a child psychologist by training who hold the Presidential Professorship within the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Since 1994, she has directed Project Making Medicine, a clinical training program to train mental health providers in the treatment of child maltreatment using culturally based teachings. In 2020 she was awarded the National Suicide Prevention Resource Center, providing training and technical assistance throughout the country on suicide prevention efforts. With the establishment of the Indian Country Child Trauma Center in 2004, she was instrumental in the cultural adaptations of evidenced-based child treatment protocols. Under her guidance, four Evidenced Based Treatments were enhanced for American Indian and Alaska Native families in Indian Country, titled the Honoring Children Series. One of the four treatment models is Honoring Children – Mending the Circle, a cultural enhancement of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, for use with American Indian and Alaska Native children and their families. Dr. BigFoot is a member of the national TF-CBT Trainer Network.

 Honoring Children, Honoring the Future is a suicide prevention toolkit.

She has over 15 published articles and chapters, including serving as the lead author of the recent publication, Adapting Evidence- Based Treatments for Use with American Indians and Native Alaskan Children and Youth. Dr. BigFoot has served as PI on sixteen federally funded projects. She currently serves on the federal Commission on Native Children, whose mission is to make recommendations to improve conditions affecting American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children and their families. Dr. BigFoot has over 30 years of experience and is knowledgeable about the concerns of implementation and adaptation of evidenced based practices being introduced into Indian Country. Dr. BigFoot is an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma with affiliation to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana where her children are enrolled members and the recognition that her children were raised in the Cheyenne traditions and ceremonies. Equity, inclusion, cultural identity, and belonging are values she promotes and practices. She values her role as mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, auntie and mentor as being her calling and the pathway that brings others into the circles of cultural teachings. Her faith sustains her as she is a disciple of Christ. She was the wife of the late Cheyenne Chief and tribal historian John L. Sipe Jr. and the mother of C. Ah-in-nist Sipes and his siblings.

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Kaycee Martinez

September 19, 2024

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Kaycee Martinez is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and a mom of four children. She is the Family Spirit Program Director at the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne. In this podcast, Kaycee reflects on her work at the Club and how PSB impacts children and youth in the community. 

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Dewey Ertz

September 19, 2024

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Dewey Ertz is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in north central South Dakota. In this podcast he reflects on his work with youth, families, and addressing PSB. This podcast includes 6 chapters with several topics about treating youth and families with PSB Indian country. 

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Phil Stevens

September 20, 2024

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Healer Phil Stevens (Dine') works with youth and families on the Wind River Reservation and Doya Natsu Healing Center. In this podcast Phil talks about his life growing up on the Navajo Nation and the powerful influence of his grandmother who was born in the 1800s. Phil's stories about grief, lost, spirituality, and prayer are part of the sacred circle each of us keep. 

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Sacred Circle of Wisdom

September 13, 2024

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Aunties and grandmothers have wisdom about the sacred circle. We met with four Native women to learn more about how they keep their circles sacred and prevent problematic sexual abuse. In this podcast, these women share their stories about their lives and families. They answer frequently asked questions based on their own experiences in tribal communities. 

Understanding Problematic Sexual Behavior in American Indian and Alaska Native Youth:

When youth receive evidence-based interventions, their risk of future illegal sexual behavior is extremely low, with recidivism rates around 3-5%.

Professionals working in law enforcement can help mend the Circle by understanding their roles in the response to youth with PSB. To learn more, view our fact sheet here

The juvenile justice system addresses youth who have failed to follow required laws and policies. Often, child protective services (CPS) work with juvenile justice to provide services for youth with PSB and their victims. Juvenile justice and courts can help mend the Circle by understanding the needs of youth and their families.

To learn more, view our fact sheet here

Traditional practices and ceremonies can facilitate resilience and protective factors in families. Health providers in tribal communities play important roles in identifying and providing culturally congruent effective treatment for youth with PSB, child victims and their families. 

Addressing trauma, abuse, and neglect in tribal communities is necessary for understanding PSB. Trauma-informed principles can help us support all youth. 

To learn more, view our fact sheet here