Trauma And 'Blood Memory'

For American Indians, the making of the United States has had lasting and difficult impacts. War, disease, and forced re-education decimated populations and undermined existing ways of life. Though some of the more violent traumas inflicted upon Native people happened a century or more ago,

current research suggests

that that suffering continues to manifest across generations in inordinately high rates of depression, alcoholism, obesity, poverty, and more.

Last week, a conference on the Umatilla Reservation addressed this intergenerational trauma. We'll talk to a conference leader about how Native American communities are dealing with inherited "blood memories" — and how they're moving forward.

GUEST:

• Jillene Joseph: Executive director of the Native Wellness Institute