Voices of Native Youth

Author: Davarena Hubbard

Urgent Advice About Dating at a Young Age

Posted on by Davarena Hubbard

Dating Young Seems Fun, but…

Many Native Americans have had experience with or are currently in, unhealthy relationships. I think this happens because most Natives haven’t seen what a good relationship looks like. As Native youth grow up, they often don’t see good role models of healthy relationships from their family members. We’ve also started dating young, and I think that since we’re young and haven’t been shown what a relationship is supposed to be like, we have unhealthy ones ourselves. 

Adolescents should avoid dating relationships. You should not only look at the nice things that could possibly come out of the relationship but also the bad. Unhealthy relationships can cause negative emotional and physical consequences.

Dating isn’t all about Roses and Kisses

When you get into a relationship, you’re probably thinking about the nice things that can come of it, not the bad things that could possibly happen. Before getting into or even considering a dating relationship, you should evaluate both the good and bad things that could happen. I know this may seem boring, or even pointless, because your young minds just don’t want to be lonely. But this will allow you to see the cost of the relationship—both positive and negative.

According to Anita Ojeda, you should weigh the positive and the negative consequences. When you do this, if there are more negatives than positives, then you know the relationship wouldn’t be a good idea. Therefore, make a chart or something that separates the good and bad before starting the relationship.

Dating can Depress You

A high school senior advises kids to think before they start dating. Just because everyone else seems to be hooking up doesn't mean you need to! #dating #highschool #middleschool #relationships #consequences #graduate

When you start a relationship you’re all lovey-dovey and happy; you can’t imagine the relationship not working out. Because Natives aren’t exposed to what a good relationship should look like from childhood, we don’t know what to expect. We may come from an abusive family or background and might start acting out like that in a relationship. Since Natives basically grew up around lying and stealing or cheating you might act out like that in a relationship. According to domesticshelters.org, the National Institute of Justice did a study showing 84 percent of Native American women have faced violence in their lives and half of that is caused by an intimate partner. Alcholol-related abuse is not only found within the Native American culture, it’s a universal concept.  

Men suffer from domestic abuse, too—not just women. I have adolescent family members who have gotten depressed from being in a relationship. I myself have been let down from an unhealthy relationship and have gone through depression. This type of emotional negativity shouldn’t be coming from a relationship at a young age. Adolescents can get emotional consequences like these from dating while young. 

Things You Think Will Never Happen to You

In addition to the emotional consequences, there are other negative consequences. When you date, you might get distracted. You may not focus in school completely because you spend all your time thinking about something relating to your relationship or the other person. It can cause you to fall behind in school work from lack of concentration. 

When you date, your teenage hormones can take over sometimes, and you and your partner can get sexual. It can start with kissing and lead to something else. According to advocatesforyouth.org, 31 babies are born to every 1,000 Natives between the ages 15-19. I know at least seven people who got pregnant before finishing high school.

It's hard to take care of a baby while trying to finish school. #dating Click To Tweet

It’s hard to take care of a baby while trying to finish school. It can lead to dropping out and not graduating. That is another negative consequence to dating as an adolescent. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend at a young age can lead to negative consequences. 

Just Say, “No!”

You shouldn’t date at a young age. I know you probably feel like you have to, because it might seem fun. Maybe a relative had a relationship at a young age and so you think nothing bad will happen to you. But these reasons should help you stop and think. Especially if you don’t have anyone warning you about the dangers of relationships at a young age.

Before you get into a relationship, you should list the good and bad things that could come with it. Being in a relationship will cause emotional consequences. Not every relationship brings abuse or causes depression, but it will affect your emotions. You also want to look out for the negative consequences of relationships such as distractions and pregnancy. 

Also, since both teenagers are still basically children and aren’t on their own then you’re not mature enough to be caring about someone else’s needs when you have your own. Just worry about yourself for now and avoid dating at a young age.

Davarena (a.k.a Dave) is a Navajo currently finishing her last year of high school and preparing for her college education. Dave is an eccentric foodie with dispraxia who loves her puppy, Oliver.

Announcing the Truth: Native Americans Weren’t Savages

Posted on by Davarena Hubbard

Did you know that the Native Americans weren’t savages? Throughout the history of the United States, people have referred to Native Americans as “uncivilized” and “savages.” However, Natives were and are civilized people.

By what I have gathered from different sources there are many different opinions on what makes a person or group civilized. Native societies exhibited the markers of civilization because they had some form of government, had rules of etiquette, and practiced some form of religion.

Civilized People Have Leaders

The myth of the savage Native is just that: a myth. Native American's weren't savages (or at least any more savage than their colonizing counterparts). #civilization #preColumbian #savage #nativeamerican #myth

Native Americans had a form of government or some type of leader. Giovanni da Verrazzano wrote a letter to the king of Portugal describing his interaction with the people he met in North America in the early 1500s. One of the entries tells how a king comes on their ship and tries to communicate with them. Different tribes or groups of people had leaders, someone to look up to, and someone to put things in order. If they didn’t have a leader then everything would have been chaotic and unorganized.

In the same passage when the king came onto the ship it says that the queens stayed outside and the people watched from the ground. That proves that only the leader took care of things and his people and allowed him to keep them in place. Even in history books it talks about how a leader takes charge and helps his people. If the natives had someone to listen to and to look up to, then that demonstrates a civilized form of government.

Civilized People Have Etiquette

Natives were presentable and polite to the best of their ability. da Verrazzano says that whenever they came across a group of Natives, they always had their hair up or braided and wore their trinkets (jewelry). Also he says that the “[women’s] customs and behavior follow womanly custom as far as befits human nature.” Even the women had a presentable look.

da Verrazzano says that he and his men tossed things to the Natives out of their boats or gave them things. The Natives appreciated the gifts with gratitude. The Natives’ appreciation demonstrates a form of etiquette. In this letter alone it shows that the natives were presentable and had etiquette, qualities that civilized people share.

Native Americans weren't savages and uncivilized. Stop perpetuating that myth. #ushistory #nativeamerican Click To Tweet

Native Americans Weren’t Savages

Other hallmarks of civilization include resourcefulness, sociable behavior, and religious practices. Giovanni da Verrazzanohe wrote that the ‘Indians’ had copper, corn, and water. If they had those essentials, then they must have had food and herbs that they grow for themselves. The Natives got together sometimes and conversed among themselves in a group. They were very sociable with each other, they also had religion. Before the white people came, Natives had their own beliefs and cultures. Natives shared qualities of civilization such as religion and using resources with other people groups during the same time period.

Native Americans weren’t ‘savages’ and are civilized people. Natives had a leader and therefore a form of government. They were polite and were presentable to the best of their ability. The Natives had their own religion, were resourceful and were sociable. The Native Americans were groups of civilized people. Textbooks that portray Native Americans as savages without culture, perpetuate a myty. And that myth has hurt Native Americans since colonizers first landed in North America.

Davarena (a.k.a Dave) is a Navajo currently finishing her last year of high school and preparing for her college education. Dave is an eccentric foodie with dyspraxia who loves her puppy, Oliver.

Three Reasons Why Alcohol Should be Illegal

Posted on by Davarena Hubbard

My family has a history of struggling with alcohol. They have many bad things going on for them because of their struggles with alcohol. Why should alcohol be illegal? Alcohol is bad for your health. It can cause liver disease, depression and other things can come from that. Alcohol is bad for your life, because you can die or get addicted. Alcohol can also cause permanent changes to the brain.

Alcohol Should be Illegal Because it’s Bad for Your Health

Adults make laws, but this young woman has a valid question about why alcohol is legal. She give three reasons why it should be illegal. #alcohol #alcoholic #drinking

Alcohol is bad for your health. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, nearly 88,000 Americans die annually from alcohol-related causes. Forty-nine per 1 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives die each year from alcohol-related causes, making my people the most at-risk for alcohol poisoning.

Some of my family members drink alcohol and they have bad health. For example, one relative has problems with drinking and now has liver disease. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to three main types of liver conditions; fatty liver, hepatitis, and scarring of the liver. Because my relative drinks so much, my relative makes frequent trips to the hospital for medicines and for sicknesses. Therefore, this family member doesn’t spend a lot of time with family and misses out on important life events due to bad health. In other words, drinking alcohol is bad for your health and can mess up a lot of things for you.

Alcohol Makes You Do Dumb Things

Alcohol has negative effects on your brain. When you drink large amounts of alcohol on a daily basis, it will eventually do negative things to your brain. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “a person who drinks heavily over a long period of time may have brain deficits that persist well after he or she achieves sobriety.”

When you have alcohol in your system you do things you wouldn’t do when you’re sober. You can experience difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, impaired memory, and bad decision-making. Alcohol can produce impairments in memory. Alcohol can do multiple things to you, but it will affect your brain the worst.

If you stay away from alcohol then you won’t have any negative effects from it that will harm your brain. Therefore stay away from alcohol or your brain will get damaged.

Alcohol and Unemployment

Alcohol is bad for your life overall. Over time, excessive alcohol use can cause unemployment, according to a 1995 study of research by John Mullahy and Jody L. Sindelar. If you don’t have a job you can’t pay anything for your living, transportation, or food. It’s hard without a job, because you can’t pay for what you need to live, especially if you have a family. 

Alcohol can also cause death. If you have a family or loved ones, they will miss you if you die. Your death from alcohol can be hard on them and they just might take the path you were on. As a result, alcohol should be illegal for these reasons I’ve talked about.

Alcohol is bad for your health, it causes liver disease and depression. It is bad for your life, causing addiction and death. It’s bad for you and your family. Alcohol can also permanently damage and change how your brain works.

Have you ever wondered why alcohol is legal, even if it's really bad for you? #alcohol #drinking Click To Tweet

Before you pick up a bottle you should always consider these reasons. You should also consider the consequences that come from drinking alcohol. 

Davarena (a.k.a Dave) is a Navajo currently finishing her last year of high school and preparing for her college education. Dave is an eccentric foodie with dyspraxia who loves her puppy, Oliver.

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