General Background Indigenous peoples in what is now the contiguous United States are commonly called "American Indians",

, or simply "Indians" domestically, but are also referred to as "Native Americans". In Alaska, indigenous peoples, which include American Indians, Aleut, Inuit, and Yupik peoples are referred to collectively as Alaska Natives.

 Traditionally,

Plains Indian gender roles were well defined, and men's and women's responsibilities were equally crucial to the functioning, even the survival, of their societies. Consequently, both men and women were respected for doing their jobs well, although this is not how early European American observers saw it.

 Such

observers, coming from societies which held that womengentlewomen, that is should be cloistered and protected, were aghast at the workload that Plains Indian women carried. They witnessed them, from varying societies and at various times of the year, clearing fields, planting, hoeing, and harvesting; digging cache pits and storing food; erecting and dismantling lodges and tipis; collecting wild plants and firewood; cooking, hauling water, and washing dishes; transporting possessions, generally on foot, on bison hunts; making household items, including pottery and clothing; and child rearing

This workload increased during the first half of the nineteenth century as the fur trade raised the demands for dressed skins and robes. Meanwhile, the European American observers, often only transitory travelers, saw Indian men sitting around the village or encampment, smoking, gambling, perhaps mending a weapon or caring for a horse. The men seemed to have all the power; the women seemed to do all the work.

 Wellness

is an important facet of health and welfare in American Indian cultures. A major part of wellness practices is activities that protect, prevent and treat illness, which can include indigenous ceremonies, songs and medicines. Although not all tribes embraced the same ceremonial practices, all held illness beliefs and wellness concepts that dictated healthy lifestyles of individuals and communities. Illness was seen as a breach of the wellness practices and a disruption in living in balance.

HEALING AND RITUAL MEDICINE Health and healing are among the most important concerns of Native American ritual. It is essential to understand the concept of health other than in the terms of Western medicine. Many Native American cultures understand illness not as the result of some biochemical, physiological, or psychological malady, but as a sign of disorder in society or the world, which is then reflected in the illness of an individual. Diagnosis thus consists of discerning the status of the community or the world. Healing requires repairing or restructuring these environmental concerns.

 Similarities:
Both

utilizes the aid of a shaman or other spiritual mediator to help them with health issues.

Differences: Just

some cultural and environmental.

 1.

General Background Ancestors of the Alaska Natives are known to have migrated into the area thousands of years ago, and established varying indigenous, complex cultures that have succeeded each other over time. They developed sophisticated ways to deal with the challenging climate and environment. Europeans and Americans began to trade with Alaska Natives in the nineteenth century. New settlements around trading posts were started by Russians, British and Americans.

 The

division of labor in traditional Inuit society had a strong gender component, but it was not absolute. The men were traditionally hunters and fishermen and the women took care of the children, cleaned the home, sewed, processed food, and cooked. However, there are numerous examples of women who hunted, out of necessity or as a personal choice. At the same time men, who could be away from camp for several days at a time, would be expected to know how to sew and cook.

 The

marital customs among the Inuit were not strictly monogamous: many Inuit relationships were implicitly or explicitly sexual. Open marriages, polygamy, divorce, and remarriage were known. Among some Inuit groups, if there were children, divorce required the approval of the community and particularly the agreement of the elders. Marriages were often arranged, sometimes in infancy, and occasionally forced on the couple by the community.

 Marriage

was common for women at puberty and for men when they became productive hunters. Family structure was flexible: a household might consist of a man and his wife (or wives) and children; it might include his parents or his wife's parents as well as adopted children; it might be a larger formation of several siblings with their parents, wives and children; or even more than one family sharing dwellings and resources. Every household had its head, an elder or a particularly respected man.

>experience more health issues than other culture groups

Diet Traditionally, most groups relied on sea mammals for food, illumination, cooking oil, tools, and weapons. Fish and caribou were next in importance in their economy. The practice of eating raw meat, disapproved of by their Native American neighbors, saved scarce fuel and provided their limited diet with essential nutritional elements that cooking would destroy. Except for the Caribou Eskimo of central Canada, they were a littoral people who roved inland in the summer for freshwater fishing and game hunting.

 Spiritual
Their

religion was imbued with a rich mythology, and shamanism was practiced. In Shamanism , the religious practitioner in various, generally small-scale societies who is believed to be able to diagnose, cure, and sometimes cause illness because of a special relationship with, or control over, spirits. Different forms of shamanism are found around the world; they are also known as medicine men and witch doctors.

Native Alaskan women generally feel that they can remain active throughout their pregnancies and continue such activities as chopping wood, packing water, laundry, cooking, etc. Many Native Alaskan women believe that certain foods such as moose, seal and caribou are beneficial during pregnancy. A common belief is that women should not wear necklaces, rings or braids in their hair throughout their pregnancy as this may cause the neonate to be born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck.

pregnant women will often interpret her dreams as having significance. For example, she may receive a message indicating what the sex of her child will be. Many Native Alaskan women claim to know they are pregnant before a medical test confirms it. They are often told by their family members or they have a feeling inside that tells them they are pregnant.

 Similarities:
Both

utilizes the aid of a shaman or other spiritual mediator to help them with health issues.

Differences: Just some cultural and environmental.