Denise Middlebrook, PhD

As tribal nations across North America continue to address the impacts of colonization, historical trauma, and systemic incarceration, one key area remains essential to healing: welcoming our relatives home who have experienced incarceration or time in substance treatment centers. Reconnecting these individuals with their cultural roots, community networks, and traditional ways is not just an act of compassion, it is a necessity for community wellness, cultural preservation, and restorative justice.

The Legacy of Disconnection

For many Indigenous people, incarceration and institutional treatment are not just individual experiences but reflections of a broader history of forced removal from land, language, and ceremony. These systems have often disrupted cultural ties and fractured intergenerational knowledge. Incarcerated Indigenous individuals are disproportionately affected, making up higher percentages of prison populations in the U.S. and Canada than their share of the general population (Walters et al., 2011; Office of Justice Programs, 2020).

Disconnection from one’s culture during incarceration contributes to cycles of recidivism, addiction, and identity loss. Without meaningful support, returning citizens may struggle with reintegration, feeling isolated from both the non-Native world and their own tribal communities.

Culture as Healing

Numerous studies affirm that cultural engagement improves mental health, supports sobriety, and reduces recidivism among Indigenous people. Participating in ceremonies, language revitalization, and cultural education strengthens identity and fosters a sense of belonging (Gone, 2013). Cultural practices like sweat lodges, drum circles, talking circles, and traditional arts have been incorporated into healing and recovery programs with positive outcomes.

Reentry programs that center Indigenous values such as community accountability, restorative justice, and spiritual renewal show that returning to cultural roots is not a luxury, but a pathway to healing.

Welcoming Our Relatives Back

Tribal communities have profound roles in supporting those returning from incarceration or treatment and can include the following.

  • Creating welcoming spaces for returning citizens to participate in ceremonies and community events without stigma.
  • Mentoring and cultural education by elders and knowledge keepers.
  • Grounding reentry programs in traditional teachings, spirituality, and tribal governance.
  • Advocating for policy to ensure tribal sovereignty includes decisions about community reintegration and culturally appropriate justice.

Welcoming back our relatives reaffirms that no one is beyond redemption or healing. It upholds the Indigenous worldview that every member has value and a role in the circle.

A Call to Action

We must ask ourselves: How do we ensure those who have endured separation through incarceration or treatment feel truly welcomed and needed in our tribal nations? How do we honor their potential for transformation and leadership?

Investing in reentry rooted in tradition is not just about helping individuals, it’s about healing the whole community.

References

Gone, J. P. (2013). Redressing First Nations historical trauma: Theorizing mechanisms for Indigenous culture as mental health treatment. Transcultural Psychiatry, 50(5), 683–706. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461513487669

Office of Justice Programs. (2020). Bureau of Justice Statistics: American Indians and crime. U.S. Department of Justice. https://bjs.ojp.gov

Walters, K. L., Simoni, J. M., & Evans-Campbell, T. (2011). Substance use among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Incorporating culture in an “indigenist” stress-coping paradigm. Public Health Reports, 117(S1), S104–S117. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549021170S110