Navajo traditional clothing from google images

  Marginalization: 

• Marginalization limits a individual or group to fully participate in society.  
  • This includes limiting the ability to usefully participate in occupations (Young, 1990).  
  • For the Navajo Nation Marginalization limits their occupations of work and health maintenance and management.  
• Dynamics of occupation
  • This form of oppression impacts the dynamic of Doing.  By the limited access to work and health maintenance/ management , the Navajo Nation is restricted from participating in requirements of living such as promoting health and preventing illness.  
• Health management and maintenance 
  • Health management and maintenance is impacted by the limited access to health care and quality of health care.
• Work   
  • Marginalization limits the options and choices of jobs, the ability to maintain a job and ability to have a job that increases wellbeing and quality of life.   

​ Powerlessness:  

• ​Powerlessness limits the ability to have influence, control or choice over effects that impact an individual, community or culture. 
  • This includes limiting autonomy within occupations (Young, 1990).  
  • For the Navajo Nation Powerlessness limits their occupations of education and work.  
• Dynamics of occupation
  • This form of oppression impacts the dynamic of Becoming.  By limiting resources and access to education and work, the Navajo Nation is restricted from participating in occupations that promote growth individually and within their community.  
• Education​
  • Powerlessness impacts the ability to participate in education by difficulty of retaining teachers within the reservation schools, reservation schools lacking basic essentials such as running water and heat, and ineffective leadership of reservation school administrators.  
  • ​Powerlessness impacts the ability to participate in secondary education by limited access to colleges and universities within the reservation and limited access to opportunities to prepare for college such as higher level high school classes.   
• Work​​
  • Obtaining fulfilling employment is difficult for those without power.
  • Fulfillment from work comes not only from the level of compensation, but also from work that requires decision making, offers the ability to advance within a chosen field, and is treated with respect and dignity.
  • Jobs available to members of the Navaho Nation frequently have few of these benefits.

Cultural Imperialism:

• Cultural Imperialism is when one culture dominates another culture.  
  • The inferior culture experiences oppression from the dominate culture as being the "norm" and their own culture as "other" (Young, 1990).  
  • For the Navajo Nation Cultural Imperialism limits their occupations of religious / spiritual activities and expression, and dressing.  
  • Members of the Navajo Nation have to make a choice of staying on the reservation in order to live by their historic culture or leaving the reservation if they want to participate in the dominate culture.
• Dynamics of occupation
  • This form of oppression impacts the dynamic of Belonging.  Their native culture being "inferior" the Navajo Nation may have a sense of not fitting in or feeling insure in practicing their native religion and dress.    
• Religious/spiritual activities and expression
  • Cultural Imperialism impacts the Navajos ability to practice their native religious and spiritual activities by causing native religions to be considered unusual and not part of mainstream culture.
• Dressing​​​​​
  • Cultural Imperialism impacts the Navajos ability to dress in their traditional clothing. The dominate culture views such clothing as inappropriate outside of the reservation.
  • Traditional Navajo clothing may even be used as Halloween costumes, thus marking them as not fit for daily use.

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