Where do my kindred dwell?… Using art and storytelling to understand the transition of young Indian men who are deaf

For centuries American Indians havo recited ancient chants evoking the Spirit presence. These chants and other ritual poems. stories, dances, and visual symbols are all part of the elaborate structure in which the American Indians recall and transmit their traditions, beliefs, and social norms (Williamson, 1984). Dawn Boy in the chant above is the spirit that lives in Mount Blanco. that brings beauty to the land of the Navajo people (Page, 1989). This spirit wanders throughout the earth, but is never lost because it is the nature of this spirit to be on a journey. The study described in this paper examined a contemporary journey. the transition of a small group of young deaf American Indian adults. The concept of “transition” within the field of rehabilitation refers to the “movement from secondary school to community placement” (Bullis. Bull, Johnson, Johnson, & Kittrell, 1990, p. 16). The journey of this group was between the institutional environment of a residential school and independent living in an urban community. In keeping with the traditions of American Indian culture, this short-term art therapy project for deaf young adults combined the creation of original art symbolism with storytelling. It was hypothesized that through the careful examination of the art images and observation of the creative process, information could bc gathcrcd that would provide the researchers with a bcttcr understanding of what the participants’ needs might be (Lowenfeld, 1987; Rubin. 1978; Silver, I Y7Y ). The purpose of this research was to assess the participants’ readiness to be integrated into the community, in the sense that they were leaving the school environment and living independently, and beginning jobs (Brolin & Schatzman, 1989). A related purpose was to examine their “view of self” in relationship to society. The art project was offered to students who were participants in the federally funded Transition Program operated by the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf in Tucson, Arizona. Unlike many of the activities that made up the participants’ transitional program, this project was voluntary. It was held at the University of Arizona Art Department between 5 and 7 p.m. during the summer. The participants were