Mescalero Apache maidens come of age July 4

hmm wrote:

"rez kids"?!
wow, cant believe that term being used by someone being a part of our childrens upbringing........

hmm wrote:

"rez kids"?!
wow, cant believe that term being used by someone being a part of our childrens upbringing........

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Hank wrote:

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Foo likes to think she knows everything, but in this case she has no clue. Keep up the good work and don't let anyone bring you down with their misinformed opinions.

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Queen of Foo wrote:

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No clue? Have you reseached the benefit of cultural matching in foster care? Of course you have not! Now hurry see how fast you can change socks to post a reply.
Queensland has their placing manual online which says this:
The preferred placement and support strategies for a child are those that are:
1. the most culturally, age and developmentally appropriate;
2. the least disruptive to the child, their siblings and family;
3. able to sustain a connection with family and community and give priority to maintaining the child in the same geographic area;
4. able to meet the physical, social and emotional needs of the child, that provide stability and achieve the case plan goal and outcomes;
5. inclusive of the views of children, kin and carers in decision-making, planning and intervention; and
6. effective and efficient in the use of resources and target the intensity of support with the child's needs.
Placement of a child in out-of-home care must maintain continuity of the child's relationships with parents, siblings, extended family, community and culture, in a manner which best serves the welfare and best interests of the child.
http://www.childsafety.qld.gov.au/practice-ma...
A Canadian Study:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
I also take it nobody has read any of the works by Dr. Ann Schwartz? Surely before insulting someone you would at least research the matter just a teeny tiny bit?

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Queen of Foo wrote:

Often times people in their own culture will use terms that is acceptable to them but derogatory when other races use it. Go to any large African American community and hear the names they call each other. The N word is used often in a friendly even affectionate way. There is also two pronunciations of it neither of which I think Topix would allow me to post. If a white person says it then it may just be fighting words. The same happens in the White community. Someone wears a shirt "I am proud white trash" but if he/she gets called white trash by another race or someone of higher social means they are ready to fight you. Not to compare either of these two scenarios to "rez kids" but it does sound like this could be same thing. I would never out of respect for the Tribes call their homeland the "Rez" or refer to them as "Rez kids" or “rez people”. While they may call themselves that it is not proper for me to refer to them that way as many people in Alamogordo use it as a derogatory term.
I think considering what you do you should be more sensitive to this issue. As it stands you are two white women who are being trusted by a government agency to care for young Native Americans. There are some tribal members who might take issue with that alone. I am not sure why these children are not placed inside their community but maybe there is not enough foster parents there but I think it is a bad idea. Just like with many races or even religions there are rituals, customs, etc that run very deep and have certain meaning. Taking a child outside their community into a community that was not raised inside that community is a disaster and it is unfair to the children in the long run. I know with other races and religions the system seems to go out of their way to place kids in the same environment. Is that being done here? It does not seem like it but maybe there is a reason. I guess it is sort of like (to me anyway) putting an Amish kid in with an Atheist High Tech family or an Orthodox Jewish kid in with a Pentecostal family. In my opinion it is playing with fire and detrimental to the child and their mental/spiritual/cultural growth. No matter how much one tries to learn about a culture unless you grow up in it you cannot replicate it even when your heart is in the right place.

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proud native wrote:

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You obviously know NOTHING about our customs. We are deeply appreciative of people like Kathy M. You have no idea of what we consider to be derogatory, and what we don't consider to be derogatory. Please stick to subjects that you know something about.

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_Ice_Queen_ wrote:

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And on the same note, have you done any research as to why these kids are not placed in foster homes in Mescalero or with other Native Americans? You may have taken a few pictures of Native Americans, but you haven't even touched the surface of their culture. Maybe you should take your own advice before admonishing others.

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Queen of Foo wrote:

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Oddly like Kathie no ip location. Hmmm.

Queen of Foo wrote:

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I think I already addressed that question in my first posting. What was unclear about "I am not sure why these children are not placed inside their community but maybe there is not enough foster parents there but I think it is a bad idea"? That would seem to indicate that I have not researched why but I will make a point of it now.
Also one poster who eluded to the fact that he/she is Native American did take issue with the slang. Ami asked why the person had a problem with it and Kathie posted about the kids having t-shirts with it. I posted why this might be a problem and my opinion on cultural blending in foster care which research has shown to be harmful.
What I said was "There are SOME tribal members who MIGHT take issue with that alone." I am sure there are others who are okay with these cultural issues as well. However more and more states are going out of their way to place children in what is called "kinship care". Before you respond research it because "kinship" can be misleading. I have no idea if NM is one of those states but if they are not I will be making contacts to find out why not. There is too much research behind cultural balance for this to go ignored.
My pictures have nothing to do with this and that was a miserable attempt to minimize my opinion. You have no idea what I know and do not know about their customs. Kathie has already admitted to her foster kids not knowing anything about their own culture so having a foster kid must not be a criteria for this “knowing”. There is a lot of books available locally at Hastings. There is information on the web and on the reservation as well.
I am glad Kathie and Ami took the time to read books and buy videos for the kids to learn more about their heritage. I think it is wonderful they take interest in their foster children’s culture and due to such interest I bet they even attend the feast this weekend.