The Mindfulness Response: Maslow & the Siksika, Blackfoot Nation

Maslow & the Siksika, Blackfoot Nation

Identify Cultural Issues

            In 1938, before he published his model, Maslow spent time with the Siksika, Blackfoot Nation in Montana. Maslow (2020) was introduced to a subculture that had quite different cultural beliefs and values from the dominant culture in the USA and the one that he knew. Maslow spent weeks with the tribe. He wanted to observe them and determine how they fit into the hierarchy model and intended to test if his theory was universal for other cultures. He found that the tribe did not fit his model and that their community was organized differently than the dominant Caucasian culture in North America.

            His theory is that social hierarchies are maintained by the dominance of one group over another. This did not exist in the Siksika nation. Maslow instead discovered astounding levels of cooperation, minimal inequality, restorative justice, and high levels of life satisfaction.

            Maslow did not incorporate other subculture beliefs into his hierarchical model. Had he considered other subcultural values, his model may have looked much different. 

            Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs emphasizes how each level gains power. The triangular shape reflects the hierarchy of power and the individual’s motivation to improve one’s life as a person continues up to the top of the triangle. Few make it to the top.   they are less influential and less powerful at the base.

            The Siksika culture was not a hierarchy, but one of a community, where people were accepted and “arrived,” which meant that they were born good, self-actualized, inherently wise, and trustful, not bad with original sin. In Maslow’s hierarchy self-actualization is achieved and earned after all other needs are met, whereas the Blackfoot tribe believes that this quality is innate in each tribal member since birth. The Blackfoot nation supported one another and allowed people to be self-actualized or encouraged all to reach their potential as young children and as adults (Ravilochan 2021).

            The circular model reflects an egalitarian relationship within the community that can change with daily and seasonal changes. The relationship of the individual to the community is interwoven into a nurturing fabric for their daily life. It demonstrates more cooperation for all families to join in a community and receive care, love, and support. The community is capable of meeting many people’s needs as it is allowed to shift the focus as needed. This culture’s belief helped people with disabilities become part of a larger network and not alienated from the family or the community core.

            Participants who were native talked about their values and their tribe or their community. They talked about the importance of belonging to a larger community and how it helped them find purpose in their identity with the tribe. The group listened and talked about their interests and the importance of belonging to a community or tribe.

Native American, Siksika Nation

            This model emphasizes the interconnectedness of the people and their community. The Medicine Wheel is a holistic model based on an understanding that all things are affected by emotional, physical, spiritual, and cognitive experiences. The Siksika nation acknowledged the value of the community and how it could nurture everyone. They recognized how community can help them develop their well-being. The model connects the person to the family, to the community, and the society and the world. (Blackstock, 2011).

            African cultures emphasize the connections of a community and place values on the family and not on the individual. Supportive relationships are valued, not individualism (Mawere, Mubaya, van Riesen, van Stam 2016).

            The NIMH (2015) addresses psychological well-being for those who are disabled or managing recurrent mental health symptoms over their lifetime. A team approach of health care providers and supportive people create a community where treatment is reliant on a variety of viewpoints. The team is needed to help an individual recover, since they may never achieve the same results as those who do not experience serious mental illness.

Relationships

            One participant talked about visiting a new place and told the group it was like being in a community a village. The participant felt supported by others in ways that had not been accomplished in her childhood. the participant explained that there was a strong sense of openness and friendliness that was absent in her life.

            The Mindfulness Response emphasizes a team approach to maintaining stability.  The group discussed how a participant doesn’t manage mental illness alone but needs help from others. A collaborative and cooperative community is formed.

The Native American culture emphasizes egalitarian relationships, community, cooperation, and relationships. The Native American model allows people who have a serious mental illness to build support and live in a stable situation.

            Maslow’s hierarchy emphasizes the individual, competitiveness, and being self-reliant. The USA's dominant culture emphasizes doing it yourself and has a winner-take-all attitude, which leaves others behind (Hofstede 1980, 2001).

            There will always be a percentage of the population that will be disabled in some manner.  Recognizing this is one step toward solving the solution.  Participants benefitted from community resources. Participants disclosed that their family was not there to help or didn’t understand and expected the participant to do it all themselves. The stigma attached to mental illness and disability is a barrier for many who fall between the cracks.