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Oregon thunderbird native american11/26/2023 “Symptoms that people reported included increased sadness, depression, anger or anxiety when thinking about various types of historical trauma,” LaVanne said. Questions included the frequency of thoughts about historical trauma and loss and the symptoms experienced when thinking about these events. “Participants completed surveys about cultural identification, historical trauma and general well-being,” Malhi said. The second element of the study sought evidence that Alaska Native cultural identification correlates with well-being. The study examined whether feelings of sadness, anger or fear when reflecting on traumatic events coincided with specific changes in DNA methylation, as previous studies in other groups had found. To better understand how such experiences might affect gene expression, the research focused on a type of epigenetic change called DNA methylation. “There are impacts across generations and generations of Indigenous people,” she said. Because these people are denied the opportunity to learn how a family functions, they often lack basic knowledge about raising their own children. ![]() Such experiences change, among other things, a child’s social and psychological development, Worl said. “It definitely left scars and I know I suffered from trauma,” she said. She remembers lying in bed, staring at the mountains and wondering why she was there. She was sent to a Presbyterian boarding school, where a system of mass punishment was used against children who “misbehaved,” requiring the other students to join in beating her with wooden paddles, Worl said. “At the age of six, I was kidnapped by my grandparents and supposedly taken to an orphanage,” Worl said. Their Tlingit names are Yeidiklasókw and Kaaháni, in the Tlingit, Ch’áak’ (Eagle) part of the Shangukeidí (Thunderbird) clan from the Kawdliyaayi Hít (House Lowered by the Sun) in Klukwan. Worl is president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, a nonprofit organization in Southeast Alaska that works to maintain the cultural traditions of Alaska Natives. For example, study co-author Rosita Worl experienced the trauma of being separated from her family as a young child. Such experiences often leave lasting psychological scars. “Infamous examples of historical trauma among Native Americans and Alaska Natives include genocide and cultural genocide, forced relocation, and the residential school period,” the authors write. Native American communities in Alaska have experienced centuries of destructive violence, disease and displacement, largely due to colonial expansion into the Americas and centuries of abuse well beyond the colonial era. Research on epigenetic changes in response to trauma is still in its infancy, but studies with other groups have found trauma-related changes in genes involved in homeostasis, immune response, stress response and other functions, Malhi said. “Epigenetic changes can persist throughout life and are sometimes maintained across multiple generations.” “These epigenetic changes are often studied in response to severe changes in the living environment,” LaVanne said. While the DNA sequence remains stable throughout the lifespan, small chemical modifications to certain genes can increase or decrease the expression of those genes, said study leader Mary LaVanne, who conducted the analysis as a postdoctoral researcher at the U. Indigenous people led the design and interpretation of the study and maintain control of all data consistent with Indigenous data sovereignty principles, said Ripan Malhi, a professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and corresponding author of the new study. The study is the result of close collaboration between scientists and members of two Alaska Native communities. The new findings are described in detail in the International Journal of Health Equity (DOI: 10.1186/s12937-7). The study also found that people who strongly identified with their Alaska Native heritage and participated in cultural activities generally reported better well-being. The new study found a similar pattern among Alaska Native participants, with specific epigenetic differences observed among those who reported experiencing the strongest symptoms of stress when reflecting on historical loss. Newswise – Researchers examined the connection between historical traumatic events experienced by Alaska Natives and epigenetic markers on genes linked to trauma in previous studies. FROMLINE: Diana Yates, University of Illinois News Bureau
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