Interview Project- Human Diversity 1

Interview Project

Social and Cultural Foundations of School Counseling

Davon Campbell

Buena Vista University

August 9, 2015
Interview Project- Human Diversity 2

Human Diversity

To start, I got the opportunity to interview two people with different cultural perspectives

and belief systems. My first interview was with a great friend, Jenny Dav. Our friendship goes

back to our undergraduate studies. We both participated in the same study aboard program in

Sydney, Australia. This program gave us the opportunity to explore the world, make new friends,

have new experiences, and learn about others cultures. I first asked Jenny about her history and

origin. She highlighted her history and cultural background regarding her Indian ethnicity and

national identity. Her father was born and raised in the city of Mumbai, located on Indias west

coast. She described how her father moved to the U.S at a young age and went to medical school

to become a successful doctor. Regardless, of her upbringing in the United States, she notes that

her core beliefs, values, and traditions come from her Hindu community back in India.

Next, we discussed reasons behind her family settling in the United States. Jenny

discussed how her father met her mother here during grad school. His first intentions were to go

back home, find a wife, and start his own practice. That was cut short when she came into the

picture and changed the course of his life. She stated how her parents expressed they wanted her
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to have the best of both worlds, but that staying in the U.S provided her with better opportunities.

However, her parents ensured she was grounded in their Indian traditions.

We went on to talk about what she does for a living. Jenny explained how she followed

her fathers footsteps. She went to school to study microbiology and immunology, which led her

to apply to and get accepted into the George Washington University School of Medicine. She is

currently working as a medical researcher with the National Institute of Health (NIH), focusing

on public health and the enhancement of modern medicine to prevent diseases. Jenny stressed

how humbled she is to be in the position she is today and pledged to use her skills and education

to improve the lives of people in India and all around the world.

From there, we discussed some family customs and roles of members in her family. Jenny

paused and mentioned how she didnt know where to start. She described how roles can change

as her family often travels back to India. She notes how here in the U.S., gender roles and status

are less restrictive than they are back home in India. She emphasized most of her family is

organized by and upholds a patriarchal social system, where males tend to hold power. With this

privilege, men must provide for their family. Thus, women and children must respect their moral

authority. She continued with some family stories about how some of her great grandparents

once paid or received a dowry from an arranged marriage back in India. She stressed how this

goes back to males primary control and authority in the Indian community.

Jenny added that her mother was never overshadowed due to this, because she always

had an important role maintaining the balance of family, ensuring that her upbringing was done

in a respectful reflection of their Hindu social and cultural heritage. She ended by stating her

most significant role in her family is to simply live up to her parents expectations, which she
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sometimes feels can be unrealistic and overwhelming. In addition to this, she must uphold and

practice the important customs that embody their Hindu religious beliefs. She invoked some

humor in the conversation by saying she happy her life is not as controlled and restricted like

"the crazy people back in India."

Understanding that no one is perfect, we talked about her familys beliefs about child

rearing and discipline. Jenny quickly recited how obedience to authority is highly valued and

caused her to receive countless forms of discipline in her childhood. Times when she

disrespected, embarrassed, or did not live up to her family and cultural expectations came

with great consequence. Depending on the context, she remembers being constantly lectured,

even for minor behavioral problems, and punished in the form of her parents taking away things

she enjoyed, such as TV and technology. As far as disrespect and her schooling, thats where

where yelling, slapping, and spankings came into account. She stressed that her parents gave no

remorse when it came to that.

To end our interview, I asked her to comment on the ways people in her culture

communicate effectively. Jenny replied by candidly explaining how in their culture, most Indian

people prefer to build relationships and communicate with people like themselves. Outside their

job, effective communication is built upon mutual trust and respect. She reiterated the idea that

effective communication is connected to the values within a patriarchal social system. From that

framework, most Indian people tend to be non-confrontational. Those with the most authority

manage all decisions and family conflicts. Challenging that, or losing your temper will be viewed

as a sign of unworthiness and disrespect. Effective communication lies within one's moral

authority and others willingness to uphold or bend to that authority.

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My next interview provided a completely different set of family characteristics, beliefs,

attitudes, and culture. Mahkah Teel, another long time friend of mine, took time out of his day to

talk about his Native American background. Our friendship goes back to middle school when we

stayed in the same apartment complex and went to school together. Back then, I always knew

there were cultural differences, but our friendship was built upon our youthful activities: playing

ball, fighting, and just us being rambunctious kids. It never really dawned onto me to ask about

his cultural lifestyle until now.

We started by discussing his history and origin. He exquisitely talked about his name and

how it can be related to his cultural background. Mahhak educated me on how his name comes

from a Native American Sioux origin that has a rich history in and abundant connections to the

state of Iowa. The Sioux Native Indian Tribe were some of the first people to reside in Iowa.

Throughout history, their tribe established many settlements along the Mississippi river in the

western parts of Iowa. He proudly highlighted how the Sioux tribe was well known for its

hunting abilities and warrior culture.

Changing times have affects the degree with which he identifies and affiliates with his

Native American culturehe said that now, there isnt much to affiliate himself with. He

appreciates and understands his unique history and right to live on a reservation, but confessed

never wanting to live under the conditions on American Indian reservations. Mahhak elaborated

how reservations do not represent quality living. Today, they are known for their high poverty

rates, drug and alcohol use, high school drop out rates, and high imprisonment rates. For that

reason, he never wanted to be a part of any kind of reservation. Mahhak mentioned he only goes

to the reservation during Native American celebrations.

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We then begin to explore gender roles within his culture and family. Mahhak discussed

these in the context of his kinship, extended family, and bond to the culture of the Sioux tribe. He

shared how there arent really any specific gender roles outside of what is common today.

Gender dynamics in his family can be recognized by a mutual obligation and respect for each

other. It doesnt matter if you are a boy or girl, your role is to be supportive of each other to

ensure everyone is taken care of. This includes all his extended family members, with whom they

have close bonds and interactions. Mahhak related this to how indigenous tribes used to be very

self-sufficient. Everyone had mutual goals and a responsibility to each other.

Next, we talked about his religious and spiritual beliefs that are influential in his culture

and family. He shared that his religious beliefs come from the concept of Animism, and he

explained how it revolves around a central belief that animal and natural objects in our universe

have souls or spirits. These spirits are believed to teach and guild them through life to protect

them from danger. Each year his family attends Powwows, a healing ceremony conducted by

spiritual leaders on many Indian reservations. He noted that such events are common among the

Animism faith. Their spiritual leaders have the ability to communicate with the spirit world to

improve their general well-being and lifestyle through spiritual healing.

Moving on, we talked about positions of formal power structure that exists in his culture

and family. He noted that traditionally, the tribal chiefs were seen to hold all the power within

tribal societies. This is no longer the case, reflecting upon how Native Americans live today. On

reservations and within his family, elders are seen to have great influence and power over others.

They tend to hold prominent positions on governmental councils for the progress of Native

American people. Besides these individuals, spiritual and religious leaders also hold formal
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positions of power as they are significantly embedded in their religious ceremonies and

traditions.

To end, we explored some customs, beliefs, and practices that might be misinterpreted by

established institutions within our community. Mahhak mentioned many negative stereotypes

that are simply untrue. He dislikes that fact that society tends to perceive Native American as

alcoholic and lazy. He described how he worked hard for everything he has and no one in his

family drinks to the point that it becomes dysfunctional to their family. Also, he mentioned how

people often assume he lives on a reservation and receives special benefits from the government.

He assured me that benefits he can receive are no different from people among other ethnicities.

In reflection, both interviews were a reflection of how cultural experiences can differ

among varies races. The history and diversity of these two helped me to understand how being

American means different things to different people. Our country is collectively made up of

many groups of people coming from rich heritages that influence their religious and cultural

perceptions. Each person provided their own unique experiences to my understanding of their

national identity and how that is reflected within our society as a whole. Even more, each of their

testimonies provided a glimpse into their unique heritage and their stories of victories and

struggles while integrating into our American society.

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Interview Questions

What is your history? What is your home of origin?

What is your work?

What are some of your family customs and roles of members within your family? What is your

role in your family?

How closely do you identify with and affiliate with your culture?

What are the gender roles in your culture? And in you family?
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What religious or spiritual beliefs are influential in your culture and for your family?

What are your family beliefs about around child rearing and discipline?

Who holds positions of formal power in your culture?

How can you communicate effectively in your culture?

Identify and verify customs, beliefs, and practices that might be misinterpreted by established

institutions within your community?

References

Higgins,K.,&MonganRallis,H.(2004).QuestionstoGuideYouinLearningAboutaPerson's
Culture.RetrievedAugust10,2015,from
http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/courses/1100sp04/assignments/learn_cultures_qs.html