New Mexico Geriatric Education Center

FOUR GRAND PRINCIPLES

A Native Philosophical Perspective for Health Care

By Lee Francis (Laguna Pueblo), Ph.D.
  Director and Associate Professor
  UNM – Native American Studies

(Excerpts from a paper presented at NM Geriatric Education Center’s Grand Rounds Luncheon Speaker series on April 20, 2000)

Four major principles of Native American philosophy are critically important when providing health care to Native elderly. It is my hope these principles will serve as the framework adding to everyone’s understanding about applying traditional Native values to contemporary life and particularly when providing health care to Native elderly. The basis for everything concerning Native people is based on sovereignty; personal sovereignty and the sovereignty of the Native nation and that nation’s culture. In Native way, our elderly are deferred to BECAUSE of their age and wisdom.

The four principles (in very quick summary) are:

  1. The Principle of Relatedness. All creation, both seen and unseen, is related, or connected. It is most often associated with a circle which has no beginning, middle, or end. A circle is always ongoing. The health care provider needs to be "sensitive" to the idea that rather than focusing on "the cure," the focus needs to be on talking about what the health problem might mean in terms of the Native elderly’s relatedness to all of creation.
  2. The Principle of the Four Aspects. This includes the Four Sacred Directions (east, south, west, north), time (past, present, future, and the time-in-between), and the interweaving of spirit, mind, heart, and body in terms of all creation).
    For this I use the acronym SMHB.
  3. The Principle of Harmony and Balance. For Native people, this principle of walking in harmony and balance with all of creation-seen and unseen, enables us to understand many of the experiences, thoughts, observations we have throughout our lives. This principle is NOT bound by sequential time and/or space/place.
  4. The Principle of Reciprocity. This principle is interwoven with the other three principles. It has to do with being filled with and demonstrating respect toward all of creation--seen and unseen. Most, if not all, traditional Native values, spring from this principle. Some of those values include, in addition to respectfulness, doing one’s ditch-duties, and self-less generosity.

To conclude, these four major principles form the basis of Native American philosophical world view and are critically important when providing health care to Native elderly. It is important to understand that these principles are all interwoven and none exist without the others.

Recommendations from Dr. Lee Francis, Ph.D. for further reading: